FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Gail]

Thanks Les, good to hear your experiences. We are really having a good time, mind you the mess is driving me a bit crazy, but that too shall pass. I will be happy when it is all set up and ready to show...then I will be happy when it is all put back in our cabinets ( which will have clean shelves and glass, thank goodness ) and we will have done it as we hoped.
Each day at the ole Spann house is an adventure!!!

[Les Presmyk]

I don't know about others' experiences but there is something about an empty or even half empty flat that becomes a napping cat magnet. Unless I closed the door, our Siamese always could find me and an empty flat whenever I was working on minerals in my office.

That is another benefit from emptying your cases and displaying them at Springfield. You now can clean all of the glass and make everything clean and shiny for a few weeks.

[Peter]

Isn't it interesting how differntly our minds work!
I love to see your and Jim's plan for the display case.
Keep those plans/scetches!!!
Will send Nadia the sight now to view!

[Gail]

Put in a long day yesterday. I went through a lot of ink cartridges for my photo printer too. We got some serious work done, this is good as it helps me to sleep at night! Need to pick more cartridges up today, funny..it was photo magenta that I went through fastest.

I also went to Lowe's hardware store and bought a good, sturdy cart, one that converts to a hand truck, as they are called. It can haul up to 800 pounds.

Jim and I actually had a fun evening as we both were busy and chatting about the show. I was designing backdrops and pulling minerals for the next round of packing as Jim was laying out some sheets of information and tweaking designs. He now has me writing all specimen numbers down, my penmanship is a lot easier to read shall we say?

When we set up our display we will also have the added bonus of two more helpers. Our son, Tom, and our very good friend, Irv Brown, will be flying in from California.
Dave Bunk is also there, as he is each year, to set up the glass in the cases and leand a hand. With 5 of us working it should alleviate some of the backache from bending and standing. I am bringing small rugs for in front of each case as we work on installing. I will also have a strong and small table to put each box on as I move from case to case.
I watched Herb and Moni do a lot of bending last year and thought I would save myself from that unwanted problem.

It is going to be a long weekend of work for us, but we are anxious to finish the last of the details and make the process as easy as possible. I expect that I will be finishing up on labels and making sure all 53 file cases have their instructions on layout, photos of the finished look, art work for background and which case goes where.
Not to mention all the "props" I have to be sure to pack.

Photos later! Cheers to all.

[Gail]

Some items you need to do this job...

1. Rubber bands, lots of them!
2. rolls of dry cleaning plastic for packing.
3. tape, double sided and all others.
4. ink cartridges and photo paper galore.
5. flats with tops
6. boxes of all sizes for each mineral to fit in.
7. a cat that will get underfoot.
8. caffeine
9. Sense of humour.
10. A solid and happy marriage.

[Gail]

Oh, and this for cutting paper labels and trimming photos really well.

[Jon Mommers]

Gail,

your preparations are amazing, thank you for sharing. It is hard to appreciate the amount of work that goes into a display. Setting up a display of the size that you and Jim are staging is awe inspiring. Congratulations and well done on undertaking such a huge task.
The hand trolley / flat bed that you have acquired are great, if I could make a suggestion have Jim fix a board to the bottom plate that is slightly larger than a flat.
Otherwise when the trolley is fully load the plate being smaller than a flat can push up into the base of the bottom flat and damage goods inside. Also add a board to the area used as the bed when used as a flat bed and this will spread the weigh and stop any sagging in the middle of the flat. Board ( I used 19mm MDF) can be held in place with electrical ties threaded through a couple of holes drilled to line up either side of the flatbed side rails. Only a suggestion, but can make a big difference esp. if for any reason, God Forbid your flat get damp.
Good luck and every success with the display
cheers
Jon

[Gail]

Jon, thank you so much! I had actually thought about getting some plywood in our garage and pulling out my trusty skill saw and hacking it down to fit. Now you have confirmed my thoughts on this, I will do just that tomorrow.

I have to admit that I had to run to the dentist this morning for a cleaning, and stopped off at the hair salon for a nice couple of hours of pampering and to "touch up" any stray hairs of a different colour. I did a little shopping for more ink cartridges and STUFF, you know....stuff? I came home and Jim was here working on things already. We are gearing things for a last burst of energy then packing for the trip.

Am working on a Scandinavian display at the moment, Jim is doing Australia. I am really getting to re aquaint with our minerals!

Jon, give the girls, your wife and yourself a big ole hug from me!
Adios!

[Jon Mommers]

Hi Gail

one other thought if you have time and I know that it is running out fast, on the base board if you add a strap (out seat belt material is idle) that then be passed over your stack of flats when you are using the trolley upright, you can hold the flats in place should you go over an unexpected bump, power cord, curb etc., it also helps if you stand the trolley up to quickly and the momentum can cause the flats to continue forward. As has happened to me more than once, more fool me, when rushing.
Cheers
Jon
back to cooking and cleaning for Sheryn and I, Kiandra's tenth tomorrow and we have six or seven of her friends for a sleep over tonight and then theatre tomorrow.

[Gail]

It's nice to have friends in Australia, thanks Jon!

Some more photos.

[Gail]

A whirlwind is brewing here, we are doing some amazing work, we leave on our journey soon,so we are packing and finishing our cases. I am logging in just around 1500 pieces to bring for display.
I had a little fun with my "Mineral art" case today and will share the final design with my FMF friends.

By the way, our daughter and son-in-law and their two children came over today. They were going to help do some outside chores, but it rained quite heavily. I managed to find the time to bake a corned beef hash pie and feed everyone. ( I think even Jim was amazed. )

Anyhow...Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's back to work I go...

[Gail]

Just for fun, the kids were going through our wedding album and we saw this, thought you all might get a kick out of the fun we had. This was taken after we changed out of our wedding clothes into more "old" timey clothes.

[Jim]

Hi Gail and Jim,

I like the case with the artwork, but I had one concern for you -- will your watercolor paintings tolerate or survive the hot lights well even if the cases have good ventilation?

I'd hate to see your artwork become damaged!

Cheers,

[Gail]

It is fluorescent tubing, and they just don't get hot Jim. I think the art is far enough away too...and truthfully, I painted the minerals for the display, not really thinking about them as keepsakes. I know my husband though, he will insist we keep them as he is my biggest supporter. I will need to actually finish the linarite painting when I get back! ( Yeah, in my spare time. )
Aren't you nice to consider my paintings worthy of protecting!!!

As bad as fluorescent lights are, they have a plus side in that they stay fairly cool. Now if we could lose all the yellow hue...

I was thinking of you just a few minutes ago Jim, I am working on a case with Barlow's "Odyssey of a mineral" and am putting the Japanese stibnite in along with a write up of Hiddenite and that wonderful label signed by 2 historic figures. The Hiddenites are also going to be displayed as the case is about provenance. I know you have been trying to get me to photo them and the label, but it will finally be on display.


Jim just finished a great case of Russian minerals. I am numb from numbering!

[Jim]

Hi Gail,

I thought your artwork was really lovely, so definitely conservation was a concern of mine. It will be a nice touch to the display(s).

I also think the idea of showing the historic signatures is a GREAT idea to add to the hiddenites. I LOVE hiddenite, and I think pedigree and history is sometimes just as intriguing and interesting (if not more so sometimes) as specimens.

Shelly and I won't be able to attend the show, so please post some good pics of the cases (especially the ones with gem crystals, wink, wink).

You and Jim have a safe journey there... now go off and make MAD proud!

Cheers,

[Gail]

Yes SIR!

( will post the photos of the two pieces shortly. )

[Gail]

After a bad round of trying to photo the Barlow chapter on "Odyssey of a mineral" on pages 14,15, and 16, I realized I could cram that big book into the scanner, and it worked! So you can see his bad attempt in the picture below. The scanned ones are FAR better. I shrunk them down to fit in the case nicely, just in front of the piece itself.
So this case is about provenance.
I have to go to bed now, I am really tired and I managed to fit in mowing half the back pasture and the whole front right pasture today, cleaned the pool, trimmed the weeds, fed the pigs and goats, gave them all lots of fresh water, cleaned four bird cages, one rat cage, and I am barely standing.

Jim had caffeine, he is listening to Leila, by Eric Clapton, quite loudly and he is buzzing. It is almost one in the mornng and I , am not buzzing. I am hoping to be zzzzzing instead.
Night all.

[Gail]

No more water, fruit and healthy food, we are running on Pepsi, brownies and pure enthusiasm.
This, folks, is a LOT of work.
Jim is still making last minute changes to cases, with me trying to update our filing system. I have never met anyone as enthusiastic about showing a collection as Jim Spann!
He is rediscovering the minerals all over again and I have to shoo him away from the microscope when I lose him to the world of the minutae!
Our cabinets are somewhat emptier, but it amazes me how many minerals we have amassed. Just remembering how we were just into this 4 1/2 years ago and how far we have come, how much we have learned, and how truly thankful we are for being able to enjoy such a wonderful hobby.
When we joined MAD I never would have thought I would be Coordinator, or even moderator of the women's forum on Mindat and the Women's collections on Jordi's wonderful site.
I have never been happy about public speaking, yet here I am doing so much of it on behalf of our passion for minerals.
Jim and I entertain more now than we ever have, mineral dealers/collectors and enthusiasts are always coming by for a home cooked meal and some mineral talk. Just the way we like to live our lives.

Anyhow, before I lose my SUGAR BUZZ.....

[Gail]

16 Straight hours of packing minerals and I am done. Jim even went to bed before me, a rare thing. I just finished up the worldwide Quartz case. We are just about out of boxes and packing material too. My dog is looking at me and wondering when we can go to bed.
I found myself writing numbers transposed, and I knew then and there that I was going to have to be done pretty quickly.
Been a good day though, lots done. Jim and I listened to good music and we talked about life, kids, grandkids and minerals.
I am so glad I bought LOTS of rubber bands, Jim thought I had overdone it and smarted off to me, but now he agrees that I was right, lots is not a bad thing.
I think all the years of packing art and shipping it has helped me to guage what I need and how much.
I will write more tomorrow when I have had some sleep and can see the screen again.
Night all..

[Gail]

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