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Discussion: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds

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gamaliel114	Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 12:13 AM EDT HERE IS THE THREAD JAKESROCKS HAS STARTED: Yesterday, 12:45 PM EDT \| Post edited: Yesterday, 12:45 PM EDT So much useful stuff gets thrown away, that I decided to start this thread. I hope others will join in with their ideas. When you go to the pizza places to buy pizza to bring home, They often come with a plastic triangle in the middle with 3 legs attached. These make excellent stands for geodes, spheres and mineral specimens. The legs can be easily cut to the length needed to properly display your specimen, so don't throw them in the trash. Yesterday, 4:41 PM EDT \| Post edited: Yesterday, 4:41 PM EDT Another common household item that can be put to use are those wire drapery hooks. With a little bit of bending, they can be turned into slab display stands at about 1/3 the cost of the plastic slab stands. Just be sure to cut or grind the sharp pointed end off, so you don't stab yourself. Any other ideas for useful common items ? Don Post reply 6 out of 6 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you? Keyword tags: equipment lapidary rock hounding
pvjjh	1. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 12:37 AM EDT " HERE IS THE THREAD JAKESROCKS HAS STARTED: Yesterday, 12:45 PM EDT \| Post edited: Yesterday, 12:45 PM EDT So much useful stuff gets thrown away, that I decided to start this thread. I hope others will join in with their ideas. When you go to the pizza places to buy pizza to bring home, They often come with a plastic triangle in the middle with 3 legs attached. These make excellent stands for geodes, spheres and mineral specimens. The legs can be easily cut to the length needed to properly display your specimen, so don't throw them in the trash. Yesterday, 4:41 PM EDT \| Post edited: Yesterday, 4:41 PM EDT Another common household item that can be put to use are those wire drapery hooks. With a little bit of bending, they can be turned into slab display stands at about 1/3 the cost of the plastic slab stands. Just be sure to cut or grind the sharp pointed end off, so you don't stab yourself. Any other ideas for useful common items ? Don" Don, useful suggestions and a good use for that little plastic thingy you get with them pizzas. Thanks for sharing. I wish I had some ideas to share. I'll have to give it some more though. Paul Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
Rockhound5555	2. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 1:47 AM EDT Good ideas. I'm like Paul just don't have any ideas now,but for sure will put any in wI think of. Sharon Post reply 0 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
jakesrocks	3. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 10:57 AM EDT \| Post edited: Sep 18 2009, 1:26 PM EDT Tip # 3 This is one for those of you who mark your cabs with aluminum or brass pencils. Why pay $1.50 each for those pencils, when you can go to your local welding supply store and buy aluminum or brass welding wire ? Those pencils you buy from the catalogs are only 1/16" thick and bend easily. Plus they're only 6" long. For the same cost or less, you can buy 3' lengths of the welding wire, and can get it in 1/8" thickness. For just a few bucks you can have a lifetime supply of cab marking pencils. Don Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
jakesrocks	4. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 1:32 PM EDT \| Post edited: Sep 18 2009, 1:33 PM EDT Tip # 4 -- $3.75 for 10 dop sticks from one major lapidary supply catalog ? Go to the hardware store and buy wooden doweling in 3 or 4 foot lengths, and cut your own dop sticks to the length most comfortable for you to use. More bang for your buck, and you can get doweling in the diameters you need for the job. --- Don Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
jakesrocks	5. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 1:37 PM EDT tip # 5 -- The next time you visit the family dentist, ask him if he has any old worn out dental picks and tools. These are great for cleaning small areas around fossils and mineral specimens. Best of all, he'll probably give them to you for free. --- Don Post reply Do you find this valuable?
pvjjh	6. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 1:38 PM EDT "Tip # 4 -- $3.75 for 10 dop sticks from one major lapidary supply catalog ? Go to the hardware store and buy wooden doweling in 3 or 4 foot lengths, and cut your own dop sticks to the length most comfortable for you to use. More bang for your buck, and you can get doweling in the diameters you need for the job. --- Don" Man I knew that one. My braincell just ain't working I guess. lol I am not familiar with wedding wire. What is it used for? Paul Post reply Do you find this valuable?
jakesrocks	7. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 1:45 PM EDT "Man I knew that one. My braincell just ain't working I guess. lol I am not familiar with wedding wire. What is it used for? Paul" That's welding wire Paul. The aluminum wire is used for Heli Arc welding, and the brass is used for brazing with a torch. Man, at least someone is awake on here. I was getting lonely talking to myself. I even started answering myself. ( That ain't good when ya start talking back to yourself ) LOL Don Post reply Do you find this valuable?
rockhuntress	8. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 2:29 PM EDT "Man I knew that one. My braincell just ain't working I guess. lol I am not familiar with wedding wire. What is it used for? Paul" wedding wire--what's put through a man's nose when he get's married!! Dave and I, with little planning and having known each other for 6 week, went to vegas to get married. I mean, we got married so quick, noone in the family had met date. When we got to our room, we called my parents. Daddy got on the phone, and told Dave--"we had a 2 ring ceremony...I put one on her finger and she put one through my nose!" that was Dave's welcome to the family!!!! nan ps, and we've been married 26.5 years!! Post reply Do you find this valuable?
jakesrocks	9. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 2:41 PM EDT Hey Nan, Are you finally awake ? Maybe that's where paul got the wedding wire thing. Maybe he still has his in. I think they used to call them hog rings way back when I was a kid. Don Post reply Do you find this valuable?
SecretNinja	10. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 18 2009, 4:16 PM EDT "wedding wire--what's put through a man's nose when he get's married!! Dave and I, with little planning and having known each other for 6 week, went to vegas to get married. I mean, we got married so quick, noone in the family had met date. When we got to our room, we called my parents. Daddy got on the phone, and told Dave--"we had a 2 ring ceremony...I put one on her finger and she put one through my nose!" that was Dave's welcome to the family!!!! nan ps, and we've been married 26.5 years!!" Awwww that's like me and my husband! We met originally when I was 14 and he was 19 and we lost touch. Then 12 yrs later we run into eachother and have been together since that day. We decided to get married by week 3 and were married by week 8! We've been through all kinds of hell in the last 21 months but we're just as in love as ever, I don't see it fading. If a fresh relationship can survive my stepson's transition (another story for another time), my mother's death, my grandfather's death + estate I am handling and layoffs, we can survive anything! Post reply Do you find this valuable?
pvjjh	11. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 19 2009, 12:28 AM EDT "That's welding wire Paul. The aluminum wire is used for Heli Arc welding, and the brass is used for brazing with a torch. Man, at least someone is awake on here. I was getting lonely talking to myself. I even started answering myself. ( That ain't good when ya start talking back to yourself ) LOL Don" Man I misread your post. I thought it said wedding and not welding. LOL I know what the welding stuff is, but man you had me baffled when it came to the wedding stuff was. LMAO! Hey man talking to yourself is a good thing, I find I never loose an argument when I argue with myself. I may not be right, but by golly I won't lose! ;-) Paul Post reply Do you find this valuable?
pvjjh	12. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 19 2009, 12:34 AM EDT "wedding wire--what's put through a man's nose when he get's married!! Dave and I, with little planning and having known each other for 6 week, went to vegas to get married. I mean, we got married so quick, noone in the family had met date. When we got to our room, we called my parents. Daddy got on the phone, and told Dave--"we had a 2 ring ceremony...I put one on her finger and she put one through my nose!" that was Dave's welcome to the family!!!! nan ps, and we've been married 26.5 years!!" Yeah I know about that nose ring thing for sure. We just celebrated our 30th anniversary a couple of days ago. It was pretty exciting, we spent the evening putting together the Rock Club newsletter. lol Man do we have a life or what??? LOL Hint # whatever it was, don't use the wedding wires for marking cabs. ;-) Man what a goof on my part. Wedding wires. lol Paul Post reply Do you find this valuable?
pvjjh	13. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 19 2009, 12:36 AM EDT "Hey Nan, Are you finally awake ? Maybe that's where paul got the wedding wire thing. Maybe he still has his in. I think they used to call them hog rings way back when I was a kid. Don" Don, Are you sure you didn't edit welding from wedding?? hehe Paul Post reply Do you find this valuable?
gamaliel114	14. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 19 2009, 12:44 AM EDT I have a great dentist, and an appointment next month. I'm going to give it a try:-) Do the tips fit a dremel? ~Zeke Post reply Do you find this valuable?
washingtoncougar	15. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 19 2009, 12:44 AM EDT Man Livy doesn't need a ring through my nose, she has me wrapped round her finger. ; ) Other helpful tools, If you know any mechanics, painters or contractors, they break tools from time to time. Hammers, screwdrivers, scrapers, putty knives, punches and 5 in 1 tools, all of which I have found come in handy out in the field and at home. Dave Post reply Do you find this valuable?
jakesrocks	16. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 19 2009, 9:21 AM EDT "I have a great dentist, and an appointment next month. I'm going to give it a try:-) Do the tips fit a dremel? ~Zeke" Hey Zeke, The little dental bits will fit if your Dremel has an 1/8'' collet. But what I was talking about are those long stainless steel scrapers and pics they stick in your mouth to clean around your teeth. They sometimes bend or break, so the dentists just throw them away. I had a dental tech friend when I was in the Navy that used to save them for me. Also, most of the bits they use that will fit a Dremel are only just over an inch long. Don Post reply Do you find this valuable?
jakesrocks	17. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 19 2009, 9:47 AM EDT Hey Zeke, I was thinking , ( did ya feel the earthquake ), that if enough people take an interest in this thread, and we get enough info on useful items, this thread could be used to gather info which could be edited into a new page for the newbies section. Many of us older hounds are aware of most of the things that will be posted here. But for those who are just starting out, or who are having to enjoy the hobby on a very tight budget, I think we could come up with a lot of easy, money saving tips. Don Post reply Do you find this valuable?
jakesrocks	18. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 19 2009, 10:34 AM EDT \| Post edited: Sep 19 2009, 11:21 AM EDT Tip # 7 --- Become friends with someone at your local stationary or art supply store. Those fancy colored marker pens are displayed in plastic displays that hold a couple dozen pens. When the pens are all sold, guess what ? the display goes in the trash. These display stands make a dandy holder for dop sticks. I use 2 of them. One to hold dop sticks, and one for artist brushes. Another freebie. In fact, many stores throw away nice acrylic displays when they're finished with them. Many can de used as displays for minerals or just to organize your small lapidary and jewelry tools. Don Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
jakesrocks	19. RE: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds Sep 19 2009, 6:35 PM EDT Tip # 8 --- For interesting Display stands for your rocks and specimens, use drift wood. It's free, and can be found in interesting shapes. Just scrub off the dirt and use as is, or Give them a coat of varnish to bring out the colors and wood graining. The most interesting driftwood are the roots. They have nice twisted shapes, and often have small rocks trapped in the bends. Don Post reply Do you find this valuable?

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Discussion: Useful Common Items for Rock Hounds

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