Colorado Calcite Options

[CP]

WOW super nice finds everyone!! Those nodules looked to be pretty big ones....what fun!
One of the best birthday presents you guys could get, a day out in the sun with some great friends and killer finds to boot!

Great vid Mike thanks and super pics I agree, several good ones for the home page submissions!

[MikeS]

Dude, how could you be so calm when you cracked open that amazing pocket? I'd have been hollering like a crazy man!

if you listen close I do gasp a little when I see the first part of the nice Calcite. lol.

[Crusty]

Good day digging yesterday. Everyone found some stuff. I did the one near yours (left facing up the hill); found a HUGE pocket... Tons of stacks, but it was compromised. Think the yellowy muddy stuff will clean off? They are kinda delicate; some of the stacks just fall off.

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[James and Cyndi]

So after working my way through about 5 feet of solid nodule finally hit a narrow pocket of honey calcite, I deemed the honey butter pocket. Also had a small pocket with some very small optical calcite.




Here is a part of the honey butter that i think looks like a Giraffe.




Even stands up.

[James and Cyndi]

optical calcite

slab of honey butter




honey butter mandible

[Crusty]

Mmmmmm butter!

Just got home; will post pics soon!

[swizz]

Wow.... excellent specimens James! Love the Giraffe, mandible, and that last one with the large crystals. Very nice.

[James and Cyndi]

Wow.... excellent specimens James! Love the Giraffe, mandible, and that last one with the large crystals. Very nice.

Thanks, the last one is just another view of the mandible. And the giraffe lost its head, but at least got a pic before the beheading.

Working on more pics.

[MikeS]

Good day digging yesterday. Everyone found some stuff. I did the one near yours (left facing up the hill); found a HUGE pocket... Tons of stacks, but it was compromised. Think the yellowy muddy stuff will clean off? They are kinda delicate; some of the stacks just fall off.

The compromised cracks and cavities of crystals may clean up some but Calcite slowly dissolves in water especially acidic water. Most of the compromised crystals will never recover the original luster or clarity that the sealed ones will have. Nate's crystal was likely shiny and intact before the weather entered the crack. Calcite in the sealed seams of the nodules are shiny and clean. There is nothing to clean from my last find. The last piece of the cavity is still there sitting in the rain. That nodule should have more too for whoever puts in the time to dig her out. I know there is more seams in there I just couldn't crack it.

[Crusty]

The compromised cracks and cavities of crystals may clean up some but Calcite slowly dissolves in water especially acidic water. Most of the compromised crystals will never recover the original luster or clarity that the sealed ones will have. Nate's crystal was likely shiny and intact before the weather entered the crack. Calcite in the sealed seams of the nodules are shiny and clean. There is nothing to clean from my last find. The last piece of the cavity is still there sitting in the rain. That nodule should have more too for whoever puts in the time to dig her out. I know there is more seams in there I just couldn't crack it.

I gave up on trying to salvage the yellowed material.

James took on the challenge of your sloppy seconds and did some more damage to yours and found a couple nice small pockets. After he left I got in line for really sloppy thirds; you're right, that thing was HARD! I beat on it for almost 30 minutes before I got a seam to split. I found a really small pocket lined with that pink stuff, but it was empty. Then I got to another smallish one and it had some nice little stuff in it, but it was irregularly shaped, so I couldn't get it out intact, but I did get the whole side wall of it intact. After that, it was too damn hard again... but there is still plenty left. I do have a gad now, so I'm ready to roll for next time!!

[swizz]

What about using a cordless hammer drill in addition to your current arsenal of hand tools? From my years of demo these things are handy. You can use various chisel bits to pinpoint what you're trying to open up.
18V HF Hammer

[Crusty]

What about using a cordless hammer drill in addition to your current arsenal of hand tools? From my years of demo these things are handy. You can use various chisel bits to pinpoint what you're trying to open up.
18V HF Hammer

I like the way you think!! That and a couple extra batteries and it might be good for a few days if you only use it on the tough spots!

[MikeS]

What about using a cordless hammer drill in addition to your current arsenal of hand tools? From my years of demo these things are handy. You can use various chisel bits to pinpoint what you're trying to open up.
18V HF Hammer

The GAD points are generally designed to split after a hole is drilled or several holes. Or exploiting existing cracks. Dave has a few star drills (hand tap-drilling). But a good hammer drill might work well.

[CP]

The GAD points are generally designed to split after a hole is drilled or several holes. Or exploiting existing cracks. Dave has a few star drills (hand tap-drilling). But a good hammer drill might work well.

The gad points work especially well when Mike's got the high speed chipper going on it too. Anyone else notice that in the vid? He's going at that nodule like a squirrel on a nut!! MikeS is officially the gad operator.

Thanks for the great pics and reports ya'll, what a great winter dig!!

[Denise]

Fantastic finds you guys!! Looks like so much fun, I really enjoyed the vide MikeS. Do the specimens glow under a UV light?