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Post by CrossfireBusiness on May 1, 2010 21:11:29 GMT -5
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Post by CrossfireBusiness on May 1, 2010 21:21:10 GMT -5
Oh yeah I have a baby and I live in an apt so any thoughts on iron out are appreciated ..I was going to use others but my son is 3 months old an Iam taking no chances ..Greg
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Post by carnelianpete on May 2, 2010 7:40:03 GMT -5
It looks like you did pretty good.  Since I am heading to that spot next weekend possibly it is a good sign. And yea I know about old and climbing that hill of rock to get to those little beauties. I'm 50 so 34 does not sound all that bad. ;D Greg I would use oxalic acid instead of iron out. Get a small bucket from Home Depot or a harware store (plastic) make a 10% solution of oxalic acid dump the quartz in and let it sit for a few days. (Note that after you have soaked them in oxalic acid to clean them and you take them out of the acid you need to let them soak in water for the same amount of time you had them in the acid. Change the water every so often. Two days in acid two days in water etc.) To minimize exposure to the family put a lid or even plastic wrap over it and just put it off to the side out of the way. If that does not work for you let me know and keep the goodies till we meet again and give them to me and I will clean them for you and return. No kids in this house and the dogs won't go near the stuff. It turns out they don't like the smell that comes from the bucket. Nice work. Talk to you soon and we will meet up for collecting soon as well. Pete |
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Post by major on May 2, 2010 9:02:56 GMT -5
WHatever type acid you use, oxalic or iron out, dont let sunlight get into your bucket of it. The sunlight causes a thin layer of yellowing. If you have them COMPLETLY covered you can leave in fr several days or even a week or two without them turning yellow. If only a speck of sunlight gets to your batch though it could yellow it. I keep 3 tarps over my soaking stuff to make sure it doesnt happen.
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Post by CrossfireBusiness on May 2, 2010 16:12:43 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice ..
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Post by lauriesrocks on May 2, 2010 18:37:11 GMT -5
The amount of time you leave a specimen in oxalic acid will depend on the specimen, and other factors. Two days in oxalic could totally ruin your specimens. The important thing to do is monitor the color of the solution. One day should not be a problem, except in rare circumstances. If the solution turns noticeably yellow, immediately pour it out and rinse it in clean water. The reason is that after oxalic acid reaches a saturation point, where the solution can no longer absorb any more iron, it will start to deposit that iron back on the specimens, but in an ugly yellow coating that is nearly impossible to remove. Different specimens from different localities will react differently, depending on the valence of the iron compounds and the degree of incrustation. Once the specimen is thoroughly rinsed, you should not need to soak it in pure water at all. I have heard that in porous specimens that soaking in pure water afterward will negate the yellowing effects, when rinsing will not remove the acid from deep in the pores. While this can certainly not hurt anything, I would be sure to not let the problem arise in the first place, by not leaving it in too long. I have been doing this for 30 years and have never needed to soak a specimen in water after rinsing, assuming that it was removed from the acid before the point of super saturation was reached. I had to learn all this the hard way, by ruining some nice specimens. But I totally stand by what I am saying, because I have proved it time and time again. Always experiment first. Take a piece of broken or poor quality material and test it first, to see how the acid will react. Different specimens from different localities will react differently. Iron out is generally safer than oxalic about yellowing, but it too should be poured off after it turns yellow. Hot solutions are more aggresive, and thus more effective, but should be monitored more closely. Specimens with a lot of chloritic clay are especially vulnerable to yellowing. I would be wary about leaving anything in oxalic acid for two days without careful monitoring. If other peoples experiences are contrary to mine, please let me know. i can only speak from my own experiences and do not claim to know everything about the subject by any means.
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Post by carnelianpete on May 3, 2010 18:10:03 GMT -5
Laurie,
You are absolutly right. There are many factors that come into play. My expierence is that with the quartz covered in iron/rust from here in NJ leaving the specimen in a 10% oxalic acid solution for as long as a week is not a problem AS LONG AS the solution it self as you say does not turn yellow/green. I have come up with the following set up to avoid what you have described. (I ruined a few good specimens as well by not knowing what to do) Trial and error is a great teacher. First I have 4 buckets (2 1/2 gallon size) the first three all have 1 gallon of 10% oxalic acid. The last water. I put my specimens in the first bucket and let soak for a day or two. I watch to make sure the solution does not go bad. I also make sure to not over load the solution by putting a tone of stuff to clean. Only 2-3 specimens at most. I then remove them give them a quick clean with water and a brush and place them back in the next bucket to soak for a day and repeat if needed. By the time the 2-4 days is done they go into the water bucket to make sure all the acid is out. The last soak can be a qucik wash, as Laurie mentions that should be sufficent, but I leave them in the water longer because I do want to make sure the acid is really gone because oxalic acid when absorbed through the skin does like to go to the kidney's. This is not a chemical you should take lightly. repeated exposure without taking the proper precautions can cause serious health problems.
Pete
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Post by Jbeckert on Jul 22, 2010 21:26:01 GMT -5
WHatever type acid you use, oxalic or iron out, dont let sunlight get into your bucket of it. The sunlight causes a thin layer of yellowing. If you have them COMPLETLY covered you can leave in fr several days or even a week or two without them turning yellow. If only a speck of sunlight gets to your batch though it could yellow it. I keep 3 tarps over my soaking stuff to make sure it doesnt happen. I've heard the exact opposite. I've always left mine out in the sun and never had these results. Actually Id fully support the idea that sunlight speeds up the process if anything. lol...the only time Ive ever had yellow is when I leave it in too long... which is anything more than a few days. A week or 2? Try shortening your time. Or actually keep doing what you do if it works for you. Also you NEED NEED NEED to soak the pieces first in water, for a day or two or more if you can wait. It ensures that the deep down dirt will be soaked and you get the best out of the cleaning process. good luck MAng |
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Post by Ryan on Jul 29, 2010 20:28:01 GMT -5
Niiiice Greg. Gotta get my a** out there sometime soon and collect with yinz guys. (showing my Pittsburguese...yinz!)
Anyways, I meant to message you, I was in NC and stopped by at Laurie Adams place. WHAT A COOL SHOP! He hooked me up real good. Plus he's a nice guy to boot. If youre ever able to, you gotta get down that way with me sometime to collect. I still consider myself a noob but for a yankee, I know enough spots to be dangerous and have us going back to Pa a few hundred pounds heavier in the backpacks.
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Post by CrossfireBusiness on Jul 29, 2010 23:39:39 GMT -5
A little nice display of the better pieces ... I put together from this trip .... Used Ironout to get the iron out ,,It did a decent job ...   Greg |
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Post by carnelianpete on Jul 30, 2010 7:08:59 GMT -5
Nice work on the clean up. Makes me want to go to Sussex ;D
Pete
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Since I am heading to that spot next weekend possibly it is a good sign. And yea I know about old and climbing that hill of rock to get to those little beauties. I'm 50 so 34 does not sound all that bad. ;D Greg I would use oxalic acid instead of iron out. Get a small bucket from Home Depot or a harware store (plastic) make a 10% solution of oxalic acid dump the quartz in and let it sit for a few days. (Note that after you have soaked them in oxalic acid to clean them and you take them out of the acid you need to let them soak in water for the same amount of time you had them in the acid. Change the water every so often. Two days in acid two days in water etc.) To minimize exposure to the family put a lid or even plastic wrap over it and just put it off to the side out of the way. If that does not work for you let me know and keep the goodies till we meet again and give them to me and I will clean them for you and return. No kids in this house and the dogs won't go near the stuff. It turns out they don't like the smell that comes from the bucket. 
