World of the Rockhound; 3

Right. The second largest craft hobby in America today is said to be rock hounding with all of its branches of interest some of which I jam cutting making jewelry and the collection of gemstones rocks minerals and fossils. This universal hobby has grown to astonishing proportions in the last 25 years and shows signs of even more rapid growth as the need develops for more people to pursue more leisure time activities. Due to the fact that they are working few hours have more days off and get more vacation time. Rocks and minerals as specimens are of extreme importance to the Rocko. However

most people do not realize the important role rocks and minerals play in everyday living. For example fluorite used in toothpaste and clothing. This series of programs is designed to give an overall picture of the Rocco. Offer encouragement to the newcomer in this hobby. And present information of general interest to everyone. All of this will be examined as we explore the world of the rock. Today's program is entitled with hamma saw and collecting bag. The narrator is Len felt it takes either much imagination or great deal of experience to foresee that the inside of the dullest most unlikely looking rock can be deadly only beautiful with crystals or it can contain some kind of natural picture or design in it. This is not always true though sometimes there is nothing into. You never know

what's in Iraq until you break it open. The simplest way to break it of course is with a hammer. But that's not always recommended in today's program we would discuss various tools and pieces of machinery which make it possible to turn these dull looking rocks into things of beauty. All of this is part of preparation for being a rock around. We will also investigate legal restrictions concerning the collecting of rocks which every beginning rockhound should be familiar with. Last week the discussion focused on the raw count himself the individual who draws charm from Iraq and why he does it. It was shown that some of these hobbyist welcome the challenge of a stone. Others look forward to the relaxation of an outdoor excursion a field trip and still others are looking for their own initials inside the rocks. Since it is said that somewhere there is a rock for each person on earth a rock with his initials in it. If it's cut right. Nature doesn't

give up her secrets easily and most of these treasures have to be hacked and pried out of the ground. You know how to get these secrets from the Earth rock downs in the United States collectively have invested more than five hundred fifty two million dollars in direct hobby equipment and as much as two billion dollars overall in the hobby itself. Every year they spend at least one hundred twenty seven million dollars on some kind of equipment or hobby material. But like any other hobby the expense involved depends on the degree to which one pursues it. Equipment can be the simplest kind such as that which Geneva Owen had with her on a field trip with a rock hammer and bang. Go out and they are the best kind of hammer for rock hounding is one with both Square and pointed ends. The

chisel is essential to the collecting bag maybe most any kind. Mrs. Owens collecting bag has seen other days and been used for other purposes. Well thank you. Our army bag but I'm using my own rather than just a regular rotten bag you know with her pluck left over from World War through. Then the collecting bag can be any use to our oil but it should be sturdy for carrying the heavy load of irregularly shaped rocks which are to be brought home and it should be stuffed with newspapers and small plastic bags and other protective reckoning for these stones which will be carried. Another item in the collecting bag is a small paste of unglazed porcelain which can be used as district plate by rubbing a mineral on the street plate and looking to see the color of the streak it makes. The collector can partially identify his specimen. Some minerals regardless of what color they appear to be always stray quite on a

straight plate for instance fluoride which appears to be green or blue or purple but always gives a white streak when it's rubbed down this plate. Others get a streak which more nearly matches their appearance. A magnifying glass is handy and pliers and tweezers most any kind of tool can be carried on a field trip. All of these items are relatively inexpensive and many an amateur finds an interesting rock breaks it open with his hammer and stops there. Oh what. Say you Paul. How many an average Iraq around does stop there with the breaking of the rock that many other amateurs take their rocks and put them in their tumbling machines or the Stones roll around in the polishing process inside the tumbler for as long as eight weeks

according to jam ologist Meiyu Jones who is heard here with the sound of the tumbling machine in the background of a room with three compartments in it. That's Turner would about twenty six revolution the minute. It does that night and half which time we take the stoned out and watch them exam room and put them back with you of the same. Oh you find a grain of goodness over the course the current round of grain and DON'T have been. Rid of the pit from going to ruin all. Right we go to a finer and finer. Types of grain until. The right and then we put a price on the final part of the stone that fateful day wait. The stones in the tumbler continuously roll around in grit and water for the period of five to eight weeks for the very end of. The grid.

And we're all stoneworkers what the film was that you see here. A little more than a handful of stuff but the cover. At the thing promised them a truth they put back until a final polish stage and then they go upstairs maybe go make some of the small rocks or pieces of rocks are polished in the tumbler such as the one just described if a rock has to be cut or sly and a diamond saw is used for this. The blade of the saw contains tiny diamond set around the edge. The blade can cut through a rock but will not hurt a finger in a crowd of them and so I just called them so because the cutting is done by a. Minute private that will fit in the edges all round. Both halves of this are brave. And won't even cut your finger when it's great.

That is the kind of stuff. Regardless of the shape or size of the stone. It can be held in place by means of a vice vice prime. And. Counterbalanced by its. Own it cuts through the Rajah's your fist takes about 45 minutes to cut through a section of a small group makes. Very little the toughness of the physical characteristics of still have more to do with an actual hardness.

Rockhouse may purchase equipment such as that just described. However some rock hams prefer to make their own machinery and they use ingenious methods in doing so. Mr Velma curveball made his tumbler and saw and keeps them in a barn like building near the chicken yard on his farm. His saw cost him $5 to build and he was offered a hundred dollars by someone who wanted to buy it. It was not for sale. Oh no I just recommend to build it. What broke free of her leg was road to ruin. Them up or rebuild or redone to work I don't know or as of you all rock out that I knew would work it out. And. There were I didn't have a garden I want to do a microgram real photo. It's been a favorite of the. Week you saw those labs are moving to. Yours they're doing all that good of the Cold War and.

We're going to hear from the blight of the saw is set with diamonds. Here Mr Kerberos sharpens the blade with a brick. Wow. Mr Carbo's previous experience working in a saw me out helped him in constructing his own rock cutting equipment that is so enormous only allow you to sell me on that up just so the sawmill that you work it where the gear and. There's no getting away you just yank your feet in. You know when we got it building started up anew to that change of polio nothing we paid it all. And it changed political to have. A large rock line. Bill another bill don't get it. On. But don't defend and run it by a small rocket right fast for me.

And when I get up and run by a good and large Iraq after a slow. Start tumbling the rock Mr Carbo has a homemade tumbler it holds as much as three hundred pounds of rock and he has plans for making a larger tumbler which will contain from 500 to a thousand pounds. I can but I get two or three on a. Come along. I have a real big one large the right to. Be able to think of it I don't want to blow. Tumblers and diamond saw as I expected to be found wherever cutting and polishing work is done with rocks and minerals. However the blades vary in size and speed of cutting at the Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. museum specialist Janice White described one of the songs that is used there was a

diamond saw. And where your fish for trimmings first moves are coming from slices from rocks the blade of yours about eight inches in diameter and there are twenty nine men set all around the edge of it and it cuts through a very hard rock quite rapidly you can cook. Say that's approximately two inches in diameter and a minute two minutes it's very fast it isn't the speed of rotation of the blade and it's critical the speed with which the sample was fed through the song. Many of they saw it and I think probably the one you're referring to was a chain saw where the sample fed at a continuous but slow pace into the blade of the song. And the only reason the slower rate of speed is slow and this is desirable and if you're not in a hurry because it is much easier on the sawblade and solidly last longer. Water

connection to tap air and water flows over the blade continually while it's being while it's being used. Otherwise it would heat up and jam in the specimen. Also blades must be cooked with some kind of liquid on his farm with his homemade saw used kerosene as the coolant at the Smithsonian water is used according to Mr White Water here because it flies over the place and we would give him a mask. And also from our friends who were coming we don't want to be troubled with having to clean the oil. If you're cutting a big sample and. You're devoting a lot of time to the project and you don't think you know. Letting it soak in and you know detergent for a couple of days you know all the oil that that would be a nuisance for us and water are perfectly adequate. Some of the bigger salt may actually generate more heat and therefore out it could move on.

Even the most ordinary looking rock can be beautiful after it has been through this cutting and polishing process. But the gems that sparkle are made by the fastening machines as described by Robert McGowan who specializes in jam cutting the last LAPD surface he refers to is a revolving disc machine which holds the abrasive powder for polishing each facet of the jam he's cutting. That's the machine. That we use now in the states and most of them are very similar construction they have a horizontal lap surface which you use various. Copper or other metal laughter would laugh. And the fastening head has traveled in two axes that are adjustable by degrees so that you can cut a precise angle. To the stone either the top or the lower half of your stone. The most common. Cut fastening. Cut 30 round brilliant which is like a diamond ring. And the marquee and

several of the other. Rectangular styles. Such as the octagon or the. Which is called. An emerald cut. Or your cushion cut which is rectangular. In a square cut they have a french cut. And. You will see various you'll see. And the pears on the end of the. But. The average damage or stick to the round a rectangular cut rather than the oval because it's quite difficult to do. Your lap that you work with is flat circular. And you preform your your stone by sawing it usually to the shape you are grinding it down to preform. Then you mount it on a dot which is a. Cylinder of metal is like a metal stick in there Rod. You put this in your machine. And lock it and then you start fastening. At that point if the saw and the pieces of machinery most generally used by the rock hands are professional

the materials put in these machines are procured mainly by collecting. And collecting means more than a field trip. It has its legal side also which cannot be overlooked in many cases beginning rockhound are not aware of the restrictions concerning private property public land or prospect ing. As mentioned here by Mark Levine attorney and rock club member My experience has been that great many of the rock out feel that they can go anyplace where there might be rocks and attempt to gather these rocks for their collection. It occurs to me that most rock albums that I have had experience and have known are way out of the rules relating to the rights to go on to other property and generally seek formation but they are always a few who have

gone on to top evolve into another. And as a result of their failing to obtain permission or perhaps they have removed some rocks that you not have taken when a future rock albums come around they are not welcome in them yet to receive a very cool and indifferent response. Ordinarily it's not difficult for a person to obtain permission to go on to certain lands and by doing this he avoids any trouble. Of course it depends on where the rock out wants to gather up this specimen and you would have a different approach to whatever location you might be in if you are in the area of a rock quarry. You are always a bit to go near the area where the work is being done for fear that they rock out might be injured and

so it's a good idea to check with the Office of the superintendent them. Many times they'll tell you to come back on Saturday or Sunday or suggest that you come back after working hours. On a private individual farm on his land many times if permission is asked I would say with a few exceptions it's great. But every rock and should it feed by himself and not part of a group formation has been received by the organization. They should certainly make certain that he has a right a legal right to be on the premises then the only way to obtain that is by getting permission. If a person is in doubt about entering certain property and he sees a keep out sign Well it means exactly what it says.

You should certainly respect no trespassing signs private property or keep out of hand. Again it's very easy to find out who the only is and I would suggest Iraq and that by merely going to the adjoining property if. You cannot. Quickly ascertain who they are only as you can find somebody in the area that can tell you who to contact and if it's ballet and land not being used for other then perhaps taking care of cattle or for raising trees permission this although at all times great it is actually forbidden to remove any material from public lands our national parks. My experience in public parks have been that the ranges for B and the removal of any rocks or any other. Lot of that may be in the area and warn in forbidding not

to remove the Save this is very true in caves in areas where rock out would love to gather up a specimen. But I asked strongly urge that you obey the federal law because the penalties can be severe. It's my understanding that they run from 50 to $500 and you can also receive some time in the federal penitentiary. I would make this suggestion to rock out of rock collectors that if you find rocks of a national park or state park that you might be interested in and it occurs to me that it would be easy matter to go to an area adjacent to that state park on the national park and certainly there's going to be some similar rocks and perhaps even better specimens and you can obtain those and you will have the penalty facing you call picking up property in violation of federal statutes.

There are collectors who collect rocks for the fun of it and then there are prospect days. These represent two entirely different situations. The difference. Is referred to as a fan a land of defamation but generally the situation is this a collective is interested in picking up a few specimens. It's not a matter of business with him. He wants to collect either for his collection or to cut some stones on his machine and needs a few for polishing but he is in the main only concerned with taking a few stones at the prospect on the other hand. It's a matter of business with him and most prospect most prospect is interested in establishing some type of ownership rights and

want to lay a claim to a mineral location. And of course they are prospecting laws that govern these situations and prospect is. Today not as many as they were in years ago but they are made a prospect as and it is good business for them to lay claim to the land if they comply with the Lao they will have a legal right to the mineral rights and they are there prospecting if that land is open and they entitled to the same. Mr. Levine emphasized the fact that common sense rules of safety always apply. I know that those who gather rocks probably have found that especially ones and new areas that have been opened as a result of the new highways and rock out of sight they should remember that if they should get hurt while gathering

in Iraq some specimen of the rocks they are assuming that responsibility and it would be their own fault and you have no claim against the public domain that is involved then you would have no right of action against the city or the state or the United States government by virtue of trying to. Take a rock along the side of the road and you receive injuries. So I urge all rock hams to be very careful and respect the rights of others. And you will have a lot of fun together rocks. But they get permission whenever you go onto private property. He would expect that same sort of treatment. If you own the land many times rock hounds are allowed to pay for the privilege of collecting rocks on private property that either pay an admission fee or pay by the pound for the load that they carry home with them. What is the risk involved and who is responsible. In Uganda the

injury. That's a very. Fine line to make inquiry in as much as you are a paid guest or invitee and the property owner always you a special duty and. Many times if you as a guest or invitee you may have a right of action if you can show that it resulted through the owner's negligence and not through any fault of your own. An example of where it could be an injury occurring through the Rocky Mountains. Negligence would be where there would be some horseplay and the raw count could receive some injury. And of course the landowner then what have no responsibility. Still a word of

caution to all rock houses be careful if you're on a hilly area there's a tendency to want to go. Walking is easy and you could move faster than they should any of my stumble. All of these. Accidents if they occur would be quicker the whole of the rock down and not the fault of the property owner you've got going to maintain a big hole and it's not marked the way it should be and you have no notice that such a situation exists on the land then the land owner would be responsible and you have to respond in damages to his invite or guest that is comical. Like that was Mr Maurice Levine attorney and rockhound of Nashville Tennessee speaking about the legal side of rock hounding in all probability some collector goes hunting for rocks and minerals every day somewhere in

the United States. If he's considering a trip outside of this country to exhibit or to collect he will do well to investigate Customs or Border regulations before hand. If he's bringing in specimens he has collected in another country he would do well to inspect his materials and know exactly what he has before he comes into this country in order to avoid an experience such as that which happened to Washington DC artist day church when she came across the border between Mexico and the United States. My husband and I would Mexico and I had brought a number of stones down there some Amethyst and rose quartz and upsetting in the few other bands that they have some very lovely stones and I bought them and they were fairly expensive as good quality stones are here around Tasco undecidable by camp we had a car so why not just put go up and look for them and breaking stones in very professionally went out and looked from the outside of the stone top we had exactly the

same thing and our car was simply loaded with stones and we came across the border and they wanted to know the customs what we had when we said stones well they just couldn't believe we had a whole backseat full of stones. Well at the Texas border we had to remove it stone by stone they examined it I think they thought we had some sort of dope or something inside the old stone. We got home and I cut the first one was nothing. Had another was nothing and we had a big carved out of wonderful pill. So one never knows what's inside a rock until it's broken or cut open. There may be nothing inside or if one is lucky the rock may be brilliant with crystals. Again if one is lucky you may find his initials inside the rock. If it's cut right. But no matter what he finds with his too and his equipment he must observe the legal side of rock accounting where his

luck will desert him if he doesn't follow the rules. This has been another in the series of programs exploring the world of the rock the narrator was Len felt this series is produced by WBL in the service of the public library of Nashville and a Davidson County in Nashville Tennessee. Next week Mrs folk will discuss the fascinating aspects of this hobby and a program entitled state and government aides. This program was distributed by the national educational radio network.