philadelphia mineralogical society news...philadelphia mineralogical society news: december, 2016...
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PHILADELPHIA MINERALOGICAL
SOCIETY NEWS
December, 2016 Volume 124, Number 10
Hello Fellow PMS Members,
The cooler temperatures and Holiday season are up-
on us! May you, and all those you hold dear, enjoy a
wonderful Thanksgiving celebration. With the holiday
season comes the anticipated countdown to our major
annual PMS events.
We look forward to our December 11th Holiday Party
at The Great American Pub in Conshohocken. This event
replaces our PMS December membership meeting. That
evening we will enjoy a mineral Pollyanna—all you have
to do is bring a mineral gift in order to choose one. For
the moderate cost of $40, we will enjoy a fine dinner
buffet, a lecture by Ron Sloto about the Grace Mine and
a night of fellowship with our rockhound friends—please
join us!
We are planning the annual PMS Swap and Sell in
January 21, 2017 at Cathedral Village and our Annual
PMS Show and Sale the last weekend of March 25-26,
2017 at LuLu Temple. We need every member’s help
with these activities and we ask you to plan on helping
with, or attending, these important PMS annual mile-
stones.
The upcoming mineral Shows and PMS Field Trips
listed in our newsletters allow us to continually foster
our mutual interests. Please feel free to suggest any min-
eralogical activities to the PMS Membership whenever
we mingle, all suggestions are welcome.
I certainly look forward to seeing you all at our holi-
day party in December. Please enjoy the beginning of
this beautiful Holiday season.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
PMS 2016 dues, Club News, PMS Officers, 2
Field trips 3
Academy of Natural Sciences Mineral Exhibit 4
Safety Matters - The Trouble with Research 5
Junior Activities—Children Need Not Apply 5
Franklin Institute—Jurassic World 6
Calendar of Events,- Swap and Sell 7
Loose Heads and Avoiding Solder Lines 8
President’s Message
by Deb Craig, President
December 8 No Program December 11 Annual holiday event, Great American
Pub, Conshohocken, PA January 12 A highly rated video, Dr. Robert Bowell,
“Tsumeb: A Mineralogical Paradise!” February 9 “The uses and misuses of MINDAT.ORG
as a mineral tool.” Doug K and John R. will demon-strate this tool live using Cathedral Village’s internet connection. Commentary from Karenne Snow.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING The Philadelphia Mineralogical Society, a Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation held a general membership meeting on Thursday, October 13, 2016 at Cathedral Village, Philadelphia, PA. A total of 35 members were present.
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Upcoming Programs
by Doug Klieger
Secretary’s Desk by Nancy Stephanos, Secretary
Merry ChristmMerry ChristmMerry Christmaaas,s,s, Happy Hanukkah,Happy Hanukkah,Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year!Happy New Year!Happy New Year!
Philadelphia Mineralogical Society News: December, 2016 Page 2
President: Deb Craig 267-334-3110 /[email protected] Vice President: Chris Duerr 610-637-2549/[email protected] Secretary: Nancy Stephanos 215-330-0527/[email protected] Treasurer: John Rateike 215 576-0741/[email protected] Show Chair: Karenne Snow 609 353-4101/[email protected] Program Chair: Doug Klieger 610-644-2492/[email protected]
Field Trip Committee:
Karenne Snow
609 353-4101/[email protected] Bill Shinn 610-299-0626/[email protected] Norm Fronk 215-872-9449/[email protected]
Webmaster: Joel Sloane www.philamineralsociety.org Membership: Chris Duerr 610-637-2549/[email protected] Newsletter Editor: Scott Peters
610-715-3693/[email protected]
The Philadelphia Mineralogical Society is a member of the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies and the American Federation of Mineralogical Socie-ties, and has been recognized by the I.R.S. as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania. The purposes of the Philadelphia Mineralogical Society are the study of the science of Mineralogy and its related subjects; to bring into a close relationship students, amateurs, professionals and others interested in Miner-alogy; to provide a common meeting ground where such may be freely discussed; and to promote in general the study and progress of Mineralogy. These purposes are ac-complished through general meetings, an annual show, field trips, presentations and displays. The Philadelphia Mineralogical Society meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month (with the exception of July and August) at 7:00p.m. at Cathedral Village 600 E. Cathedral Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128 . Visitors are always welcome to attend general meetings.. Anyone interested in joining the club may talk to any officer about the dues and membership requirements. Website: www.philamineralsociety.org
THE PHILADELPHIA MINERALOGICAL SOCIETY — OFFICERS and DIRECTORS
Club News
PHILADELPHIA MINERALOGICAL SOCIETY 2017 DUES
Adult and Family Membership $20.00 Senior Membership (>60 years) 15.00 Student/Junior Membership 5.00 (valid student I.D. required)
For membership information, please contact:
Chris Duerr, 480 S. 2nd Ave., Phoenixville, PA 19460
Board meeting The next Board Meeting will be held on January 15, 2017. at 3:00 pm. The location is at Lee and Marilyn Tori’s house. Members are invited to attend. Please contact Deb Craig if you plan on attending.
2017 Membership dues/Life Membership
Just a friendly reminder, membership dues for the 2017 calendar year are due starting on January 1st. The Socie-ty has approved a new class of membership, a lifetime membership in the amount of $250. If you are interested in becoming a lifetime member of the Society, please contact Chris Duerr.
Start Planning for the Show
In between your holiday activities, we on the show com-mittee would like you to think about and plan an exhibit for our annual show on March 25 and 26. Bill Prince is having surgery and will not be at our pre show meetings to take sign ups for the exhibits. So, please call or email him with your questions about doing a mineral display. In January and February, Karenne will have sign up sheets available. Remember, you will also be eligible for our 2017 volunteer t-shirt!. Contact Bill Prince by phone at 215-674-0738 or email at [email protected] if you at are considering entering an exhibit. Sign up soon as space is limited .
Some folks have signed up to exhibit at the March show and some folks are taking flyers around for publicity - 2017 is the 125th anniversary of the Philadelphia Miner-alogical Society, the second oldest continuously meeting club in the nation, so show volunteers get one free t-shirt. Additional shirts will be available for sale. When we start signing up volunteers in January, you will be asked for day and times you are available, two kinds of contact infor-mation and your t-shirt size. All important information!
Member’s Open Houses
So far, nothing is planned for December except for our new social tradition of a Sunday Holiday Party. This is the time for encouraging a member or two to think about hosting a member open house. It's been a few years since we've done this. Please contact Karenne with a proposed date and time of your Open House and let members know what refreshments they can help provide.
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Philadelphia Mineralogical Society News: December, 2016 Page 3
Field Trip Report - Coatesville
Bill Shinn led the September field trip to the Coatesville pegmatite. Five people enjoyed the per-fect weather and had a good time collecting. Speci-mens of mica crystal books, white quartz, blue quartz, and clear smoky quartz were all collected. Guess we'll have to go again next year to look for that beryl!
Field Trip Report - Bay Front Beach
"Nothing for the display case!"
But we all (John, Marilyn, Matt, and I) had a good and fun time collecting at Bay Front Park in Maryland.
It was Matt's second field trip and he found one of the prize cow shark teeth! Marilyn and John got 92 more small teeth for their jam jar, along with a 1" mako and 1" sand tiger and 6 decent tiger shark teeth. I picked up a number of clay pieces with shell imprints until I finally found a good tooth beach.
The super moon did impact the tides this time - low was very low so scanning the sand was easier. But those huge teeth still eluded us! Next time...
In The Field Karenne Snow, Field Trips
An example of a Cow Shark tooth
Fossils collected by Karenne Snow
Bay Front Park, MD
Holiday Party
For the Holiday Party, we are all invited to bring a Polly-anna. What is it? It is a wrapped gift, with no name on the outside. Do please put your name on the INSIDE of the wrapping, so the person who gets it knows who to thank. Those who bring something, draw numbers to know the order in which to choose one of the gifts. You bring something - you get something. The gifts are to be earth science related items: minerals, books, collecting materials... There is no specified dollar amount; we try for reasonable and interesting. See you December 11th!
Get Well
Our thoughts and prayers are with Bill Prince as he re-covers from surgery.
Philadelphia Mineralogical Society News
The Deadline for the newsletter is the twentieth of each month prior to publication date (i.e. Feb. 20 for March issue). Submissions and exchange bulletins should be emailed to the editor, in 11 point, Calibri font. No issue is normally published during July or August. Non-commercial reprint permission is hereby granted unless otherwise reserved so long as: (1) The Editor of the Phil-adelphia Mineralogical Society News grants written, re-print permission (2) The article is reproduced in its en-tirety, (3) the author of the article is credited, and (4) the source the Philadelphia Mineralogical Society News is credited. Please inform the editor of any information that you would like included in this section of the news-letter including but not limited to: birthdays, anniver-saries, illnesses and members’ news.
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Philadelphia Mineralogical Society News: December, 2016 Page 4
Meeting Notice Formal notice of the meeting was given in the Septem-ber newsletter and PMS Website. The next member meeting will be Thursday, 11/10/16 at 7:00 pm
Call to Order and Introduction Deb Craig, President called the meeting to Order: 7:40 PM
Officers Reports – The following Officers’ reports were made on the function of the club:
Deb Craig, President Welcomed all and one new member Made announcement regarding club dues Encouraged members to participate in our educational efforts with Schuylkill center Mentioned upcoming shows; see newsletter for list Announced Holiday Party; Sunday, 12/11/16, 5-9 pm at the Great American Pub on Fayette St., Conshohock-en. Cost $40 per person. Payments can be made to John at the meeting or by mail. Field trip to Easton, PA: If you plan to participate, call Karenne to confirm. Tonight’s Program: Speaker: Lee McIlvaine Topic: Collecting UV Minerals in Greenland, lll Member Show & Tell Karen Stauffer shared collecting at Neshaminy Creek for blue quartz and brought specimens from her trip. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was ad-journed at 9:05 p.m.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
The Philadelphia Mineralogical Society, a Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation held a general membership meeting on Thursday, November 10, 2016 at Cathedral Village, Philadelphia, PA. A total of 28 members were present.
Meeting Notice Formal notice of the meeting was given in the October newsletter and PMS Website There will a Holiday Party on 12/11/16, instead of the December Member Meeting. The next member meeting will be Thursday, 1/12/17 at 7:00 pm.
Call to Order and Introduction Deb Craig, President - called the meeting to order: 7:40 PM Called for approval of minutes of previous meeting Nancy read the minutes from meeting held 10/13/16. Deb called for a show of hands to approve minutes. 28 yeas, 0 nays. So moved Date of Calvert Cliffs field trip is Friday, 11/18/2016
(Continued from page 1) Mentioned upcoming shows *see newsletter for list Called for members to attend Holiday Party
Officers Reports – The following Officers’ reports were
made on the function of the club: Karenne Snow – Annual Show and Field Trip Chairper-
son Show: Circulated a color chart for T-shirts for show volunteers. The members chose 3 colors. Sapphire blue, Cherry and Kiwi. Show chair will make the final determination. Field Trips:
Friday, 11/18/16, Calvert Cliffs, MD lead by John Schmidhauser. John spoke on what to expect to find & appropriate apparel for wet collecting. He also brought a fine display of shark teeth he has collected over the years at this site.
Academy of Natural Sciences - exhibit “Treasures from the Mineral Vault” begins 11/5/16 Opening November 5th.
Yale University – Chris suggested possible trip to Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History to view their mineral & fossil exhibits
Tonight’s Program Speaker: Dr. Wayne Geller Topic: “Using Newer Techniques in Search of Samuel G. Gordon’s PA Footprints” Contact Dr. Geller for info at [email protected]
Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was ad-journed at 9:20 p.m.
Treasures From the Mineral Vault
The Academy of Natural Scienc-es has got a lot of stuff. Sometimes, it’s a long wait to see some of it. This yearlong exhibit, opening Sat-urday, draws on the thousands of specimens dating to the earliest days of the institution in 1812, and some items haven’t been put on public display in decades. While being dazzled by four large cases featuring different varieties of quartz, cal-cite, fluorite, and feldspar, visitors can learn why some minerals are shaped like cubes and others like prisms, why some sparkle and others come in varied colors, and most important: the difference between a rock and a mineral.
Through November 2017, Academy of Natural Sci-ences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 215-299-1000, ansp.org .
Philadelphia Mineralogical Society News: December, 2016 Page 5
I have a bone to pick with research. Take coffee and caffeine for example. At one time re-search seemed to indicate it was bad for us. Later, addi-tional research indicated it may be good for us (or at least not quite as bad as previously thought.). Now I'm hearing that it is once again bad for us (or bad in some instances). Well, what is one supposed to do?
Research has for quite some time indicated that, during our long season of holidays around this time of year, there are more accidents in one's home, more health related issues, more traffic accidents, and so on. There is an old joke about the fact that most traffic ac-cidents happen within a few miles from home. As the joke goes, the solution to the traffic accident problem is to simply move several miles away. Anyway, research once indicated this time of year was more problematic for accidents, not it seems to indicate that such is not the case. What is one to believe?
No matter what research indicates, I'm a firm believ-er in, no matter what, if any, holidays one celebrates this time of year, it behooves one to stop, think, and act to insure ones safety.
It is perhaps a good idea this time of year, especially with many folks planning more family related activities, to perform some safety checks around the home. Con-sider changing the batteries in those smoke or carbon dioxide detectors; have fireplaces, furnaces, chimneys, heat pumps, and wood stoves serviced; have your vehi-cle checked for the upcoming winter driving season; establish and practice a family evacuation plan in case of emergency.
With food playing a big part in many festivities this time of year, consider making sure foods are thawed, washed, prepared and cooked per instructions on the package. Don't leave cooking food unattended. Quick-ly refrigerate leftovers. Use designated drivers when advisable. And, for the smokers among us, ensure all smoking materials are completely extinguished and check for embers in furniture and trash containers.
Trimming a tree or putting up decorations? There are a great many one, two or three step stools out there that offer no hand hold protection. Consider a step stool that offers grab bars for balance. We are not all well trained and graceful ballet dancers. In my case, think graceful as a baby elephant seal, waddling across a beach - not a pretty sight believe me.
Safety Matters The Trouble With Research by Ellery Borow, Chair
Consider checking out electrical circuits and chords. Re-pair or replace as needed. All cords should be Underwriters Laboratory (UL) rated and exterior cords should be water-proof. Be safe and try to keep from leaving decorative lights on when one is away from home. Ornamentation should be fireproof and kept away from small children and pets. Care-fully monitor the use of candles and keep them away from combustible materials.
There are dozens and dozens of additional safety consid-erations to mind during this busy season of holidays. This gist of this article is however, to get one thinking safety. Sure, have a lot of fun this time of year, but be safe in the process. Great, accident free holidays give one more time to enjoy the things we like to do best - such as lapidary work, and planning digs and field trips, and trimming specimens, and enjoying shows, and collecting fossils, and...
Please be safe and keep your family and friends safe. You don't really have to move several miles away to be safe. Have a great and safe season of holidays.
Reprinted with permission from A.F.M.S Vol. 68 No. 2. December, 2014 January, 2015.
Children Need Not Apply??
Within the past few weeks, I’ve had three experiences that can only be characterized as disturbing for anyone with an interest in mentoring kids and encouraging them in our hobby. The first was reading a club bulletin publi-cizing an upcoming field trip and extolling all the great stuff that would be found—only to conclude with the notice: “no children allowed.” The second was a trip to an honest-to-goodness mom-and-pop rock shop while visiting relatives in another state. Emblazoned on the door was a notice that absolutely no kids under 8 were allowed inside, and even kids 8 to 16 had to be accompa-nied by an adult. The store turned out to be closed that day so I couldn’t learn the reason behind these re-strictions, but it wouldn’t have mattered had they been open. My wife Nancy said that with a sign like that, she wouldn’t have gone in even if they were offering a fire sale at 90% off. Finally, in a newsletter article announcing an upcoming club trip, the notice was made, “Unattended children will be sold as slaves.” This last ex-ample was, no doubt, tongue-in-cheek to underscore the
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Having Fun: Junior Activities by Jim Brace -Thompson, Jrs. Program Chair
Philadelphia Mineralogical Society News: December, 2016 Page 6
At the Franklin Institute Jurassic World: The Exhibition
Now Open Through April 23, 2017 Get closer to dinosaurs than ever before in Jurassic World: The Exhibition! Based on one of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history, the Exhibition immerses audiences of all ages in scenes inspired by the beloved film. Now, the park that was only a promise comes to life…right before your eyes.
Travel to Isla Nublar as a VIP guest and explore Jurassic World. Stare in wonder at a towering Brachiosaurus; come face-to-face with a Velociraptor; and get a rare up-close look at the most vi-cious dinosaur of them all, Tyrannosaurus rex.
Created in close collaboration with renowned paleontologist Jack Horner, the Exhibition is infused with interactive educational elements—drawn from the real-world science of dinosaur DNA that allowed Jurassic World to come to life. Visitors of all ages can now learn all about these incredible prehistoric creatures.
need for parental supervision, but still, even if in jest, it exudes an attitude toward and about kids that is less than welcoming. In the past, I’ve heard of clubs that didn’t want to use our AFMS/FRA Badge Program be-cause they didn’t want kids mucking about in the club workshop or underfoot at club meetings.
I don’t know if this can be characterized as a trend, but spotting three examples in under two months has made it especially noticeable. The fabled Golden Age of rockhounding is long gone, and we might be said to have regressed to a Bronze or even an Iron Age. Our privilege to collect on public (and even private) lands is under constant assault and restriction, interest in join-ing social groups (in-person as opposed to on-line) is dwindling, it proves harder and harder to recruit new members and officers to lead us, and into this environ-ment, folks are actively dissuading interest by the up-and-coming generation? What’s wrong with this pic-ture?
Before I was even in school, I’d be out on my belly picking fossils from our driveway gravel. My parents said it was a wonder they never drove me over. Given my personality, some (including Nancy) might have paid them to do so, but far from it, they encouraged my interest, signing me up for field trips sponsored by the Illinois Geological Survey, taking me to my first rock show, and more. In 4H, when I saw there were no units on rocks, our leader signed me up for their “Do Your Own Thing” program, which I turned into a fossil unit, crafting a booklet about fossils to go along with my small collection and getting my first blue ribbon at a County Fair. In church, our preacher engaged me in a discussion about how, viewed metaphorically rather than literally, the Seven Days of Creation could be seen as an early version of the Geological Time Scale. And in school, a teacher allowed me to do my research project on what killed the dinosaurs rather than on Chaucer like everyone else. (My conclusion: little green men from Mars. Even then, I wasn’t a very good research-er….) In short, at numerous junctures and in numerous contexts, people took an interest in my interest and encouraged me along. And these weren’t even rock people. Shame on us if we can’t take such an interest in a like-minded soul just starting out in the hobby we love and just trying to have fun!
Reprinted with permission from A.F.M.S Vol. 68 No. 2. December, 2014 January, 2015.
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Philadelphia Mineralogical Society News: December, 2016 Page 7
Upcoming Events December
8: No PMS General Meeting
10: Timonium Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Show – Holi-day Inn Timonium: Timonium, Maryland ONE DAY ONLY Saturday, 10am-4pm
11: PMS Holiday Party at the Great American Pub, Conshohocken, PA
January
12: PMS General Meeting, Cathedral Village 7pm. A highly rated video, Dr. Robert Bowell, “Tsumeb: A Min-eralogical Paradise!”
21: PMS Swap and Sell at Cathedral Village 9am - 2pm. See information below
February
9: PMS General Meeting The uses and misuses of MINDAT.ORG as a mineral tool.” Doug K and John R. will demonstrate this tool live using Cathedral Village’s internet connection. Commentary from Karenne Snow.
March
4 – 5: 54th Annual Earth Science Gem & Mineral Show sponsored by the Delaware Mineralogical Socie-ty. NEWLOCATION: University of Delaware, Wilmington Campus, 2800 Penn Ave (Rt. 52), Wilmington, DE
Date: January 21, 2017 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Place: Cathedral Village, 600 E. Cathedral Road,
Philadelphia, PA 19128
FREE ADMISSION TO THE PUBLIC
To swap or sell, you must be a member of a local mineral club
and reserve your table by January 7, 2017.
Contact John Rateike for details and reservations
email [email protected] Phone 215-576-0741
Dealers/Swappers may set up at 8:00 a.m.
One table limit; $10/table; $15/table for walk-ins.
Mail a check payable to: Philadelphia Mineralogical Society
(PMS) and send to: John Rateike, 337 Cricket Avenue, Glen-
side, PA 19038
Name: _____________________________________________
Phone: _____________________________________________
Email ______________________________________________
3rd Annual PHILADELPHIA INTERCLUB
MINERAL AND FOSSIL SWAP AND SELL
Presented by The Philadelphia Mineralogical Society
At the Franklin Institute Jurassic World: The Exhibition
Now Open Through April 23, 2017 Get closer to dinosaurs than ever before in Jurassic World: The Exhibition! Based on one of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history, the Exhibition immerses audiences of all ages in scenes inspired by the beloved film. Now, the park that was only a promise comes to life…right before your eyes.
Travel to Isla Nublar as a VIP guest and explore Jurassic World. Stare in wonder at a towering Brachiosaurus; come face-to-face with a Velociraptor; and get a rare up-close look at the most vi-cious dinosaur of them all, Tyrannosaurus rex.
Created in close collaboration with renowned paleontologist Jack Horner, the Exhibition is infused with interactive educational elements—drawn from the real-world science of dinosaur DNA that allowed Jurassic World to come to life. Visitors of all ages can now learn all about these incredible prehistoric creatures.
11: 41st Annual Micromount Symposium sponsored by the Leidy Micromount Society. Northminster Presbyteri-an Church, 140 Trenton Rd; Fairless Hills, PA.
18-19: 53rd Annual GLMS/MC Gem, Mineral and Fos-sil Show sponsored by the Gem, Lapidary & Mineral Socie-ty of Montgomery Co. MD. Montgomery Co. Fairgrounds, 16 Chestnut St; Gaithersburg, MD.
24-26: Annual Catawba Valley Gem & Mineral Show sponsored by the Catawba Valley Gem & Mineral Club. Hickory Metro Convention Center, 1960 13th Ave Dr SE; Hickory, NC 28602.
25-26: Philadelphia Mineral Treasures And Fossil Fair Show, LuLu Temple: 5140 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462. March 25, 10:00 am– 5:00 pm, March 26, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Sponsored by the Philadelphia Mineralogical Society and the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society. Admission - Adults $5.00 – Kids under 12, $1.00. Uni-formed Scouts Free.
25-26: 48th Annual Rock & Mineral Club Show spon-sored by the Che-Hanna Rock & Mineral Club. NEW LOCA-TION: Wysox Volunteer Fire Co. Social Hall, 111 Lake Rd., Wysox, PA
25-26: CVMC 2017 Show sponsored by the Connecti-cutValley Mineral Club. Hadley Farms Meeting House, Rt. 9, 41 Russell St; Hadley, MA.
May
13: Annual Earth Science Show & Sale sponsored by the Rock & Mineral Club of Lower Bucks Co. PA. Christ United Methodist Church, 501 Wistar Rd; Fairless Hills, PA.
Philadelphia Mineralogical Society News Scott L. Peters, Esq. 1432 Sunny Hill Lane Havertown, PA 19083-2922
FIRST CLASS MAIL
LOOSE HEADS Flying off the handle is never good, particularly if it's a hammer head. The traditional way to tighten a loose hammer head is a bit of work with wedges, but if the head is basically secure, there's a fast and easy way to tighten a loose head for about 50 cents - superglue. Simply put a couple drops in from the handle side, let it set up, and then a few drops from the top side. Be sure to get the thin super glue, not gel. It penetrates better. Packages of two superglues are usually available at the 99 cent store. Note that this is only a safe practice if the hammer head is just a little loose but is basically secured onto the handle. Glu-ing is not a fix for a hammer head that has come off the handle or is at risk of coming off. AVOIDING SOLDER LINES After finishing a soldered joint on say a bezel, have you ever seen it reappear after you've sol-dered the bezel to a base plate? What's happening is that every time you heat a soldered piece to the temperature where solder flows, the liquid solder seeps a little more into the surrounding metal. This leaves a small furrow where the solder had been sanded off flush at the joint. To get rid of the furrow, you have to re-sand the joint area down to the bottom of the furrow. To avoid this when I have anoth-er soldering operation to follow, I try to leave a little extra solder on my joints. For instance, when trimming off excess base plate from around a bezel, I leave a paper thickness of excess plate material whenever possible until I'm done with all soldering. Of course, this isn't always possible as when a soldering operation will prevent you from gain-ing access to an area for final sanding and polishing. Coating the finished solder joint with ochre seems to help a bit but is not a complete solution. See all Brad's jewelry books at Amazon.com/author/BradfordSmith