Author: Alan Molineux

The
bulletin
Newsletter of the
victor valley
Gem and
mineral club
Ph. (760) 243-2330
november 2009

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Your officers for 2009
2009 Executive Committee
President……………………...Gil Gilbert……………………..868-6900
1st V.P (Membership)..Gayland Graves……………..902-3249
2nd V.P (Education)…….Val Costello…………………..963-3974
3rd V.P (Gem & Mineral Show chairman)
Virgil Melton……………………………………………948-2849
Recording Secretary….Alan Molineux……………….951-7064
Treasurer…………………….Carole Mc Michael .……..961-7659
Board Members
Don Pomerenke………………868-5264
Lloyd Guilliam..……………….962-6844
John Printz………….………….957-7414
Charles Toles………………….951-0372
Past President……………..Tom Laszlo…………………..…247-5369
CFMS Representative...Pat Estes ……………..……….948-7324
Standing Committee Chairmen
Wagon Master…………..Blaine Witte…………………….244-8211
Historian…………………….Joe Kosik…………………………..241-0894
Maintenance……………...Charles Toles.…………………..951-0372
Librarian………………….…Dwayna Barron………………...963-3974
Newsletter…………...…..Alan Molineux…….…………....951-7064
Sunshine Lady…………..Marie Gramata…………………245-3775
Displays………….………….Andrew Turner………………...962-0095
Raffles……………………...Charles Toles…...……………....951-0372
Scholarships……………..Andrew Turner….…………....962-0095
Photography………….....Alan Molineux…………………...951-7064
Hospitality……………..…John Printz…………………………..957-7414
Tailgate……….…………….Brett Ward…………………………948-1232
Virgil Melton………………………948-2849
Training Coordinator..Lloyd Guilliam……………………962-6844
Instructors
Ed Deren, Jim Fosse, Gil Gilbert, Virgil Melton, Joe Kosik,
Pat Estes, Gayland Graves, Don Pomerenke and
Lloyd Guilliam
Club Website—www.vvgmc.org

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The victor valley gem and mineral Club
was organized in 1947 and has been the focal point of High Desert rock hounds for the past 61 years. The club takes active roles in various civic activities. Membership is open to all persons interested in the gem and mineral hobby and lapidary arts. Meetings are held at the clubhouse located at 15056-B, 7th Street (behind Kaman Bearing) in the center of Victorville. Visitors are always welcome.
For further information,
call (760) 243-2330.
Meeting dates
Our September meeting was held on Tuesday, 22nd at 6:30p.m. and the October general meeting will be held on Tuesday the 27th.
Remember, this is your club. Volunteer to keep it running smoothly. Help out where you can. Come in to the club often. Remember, a club member does more than just pay dues.
Sign up for events and meetings whenever you can. Those who are organizing events need to know how many to expect.
Remember, board members and club officers hold these positions because they know a job needs to be done—and they love lapidary. If you want to make a difference, then volunteer too!

Christmas party 2009
On Tuesday, the 15th of December at TASTE BUFFETT on Bear Valley Road and the corner of 7th Street (in the Food for Less Center). As you know (or may not know, all restaurants have raised their prices.) Therefore, this year the buffet (including all you can drink and tax) will be $11.00 per person.
There is a sign up sheet on the EVENTS bulletin board at the club. If you can’t make it in to sign up, call the club during normal shop hours and ask an instructor to sign you up.
We need your name and how many people are coming with you. We will be using the money from last year’s auction to offset the price of the meal(s). This is only for those who sign up early. You must sign up by December 1st to get this discount. On December 2nd we will count up how many people have signed up and divide that amount into the Christmas Fund and pay that amount to the buffet so all of the early sign ups will only have to pay the difference of their $11.00 meal. No, I won’t know how much of a discount there will be until we know how many people are going to come.
If you come without signing up by December 1st—you will have to pay the full price.
John Printz.

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The American Opal Society
42nd Annual Opal & Gem Show
November 7th & 8th 2009.
Saturday 10a.m.—6p.m. and Sunday 10a.m.—5p.m.
Admission $3.00 and children under 15 are FREE.
Plenty of Free Parking
New Location!
White House/West Wing Event Center
128 S. Beach Boulevard, Anaheim CA 92804.
Located within the Hobby Complex
Adventure City Complex,
At the southeast corner of Beach Boulevard and Ball Street.
http://opalsociety.org
American Opal Society, Inc. P.O Box 4875, Garden Grove, CA 92842
Contacts: Gene LeVan (562) 621-1805
Jay Carey (714) 525-7635
Dealer enquiries welcome.

(how to) stabilize rocks.
You need two bottles (Costco nut mixes.)
Fill bottle (1) (about 1/3 full) with rocks.
Cover rocks with acetone.
Pour acetone from rocks into empty bottle (2).
Add resin (part a) from clear epoxy set
(Harbor Freight item # 92665.)
Stir acetone resin completely.
Pour this mix back over the rocks.
Let stand a few days (stirring every day.)
Pour fluid back into second bottle.
Add hardener and mix completely.
Pour back over the rocks in the first bottle.
Let set one day.
Put rocks into the vacuum machine and pull 25 pounds of
pressure for 2 minutes.
14. Remove rocks from liquid and place on plastic to dry.

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November 2009

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1 Daylight / Saving ends / Workshop / 12noon—5p.m.	2 / Daniel Boone’s / Birthday—1734	3Instructor’s / Meeting—6p.m. / Board Meeting / 7p.m.	4 / Workshop / 1—9p.m.	5 / Workshop / 1—9p.m.	6Lincoln / Elected / President / in 1860	7 / Madame Curie’s / Birthday / in 1867
8 / Workshop / 12noon—5p.m.	9 Fall / Of the Berlin / Wall—1989.	10	11 / Workshop / 1—9p.m.	12 / Workshop / 1—9p.m.	13	14 / Victor Valley / Gem & Mineral / Show
15 / Victor Valley / Gem & Mineral / Show	16 / National / Tolerance / Day	17 / Education / Night—7p.m.	18 / Workshop / 1—9p.m.	19 / Workshop / 1—9p.m.	20 First ISS / Module launched by Russians in 1998	21 / Club / Clean-up / Day
22 / Workshop / 12noon—5p.m.	23 / Billy the / Kid’s birthday / in 1859.	24 / Pot luck 6:30pm / General Mtg. / 7:30pm	25 / Workshop / 1—9p.m.	26 / Thanksgiving	27 / National / Flossing Day	28
29 / Workshop / 12noon—5p.m.	30 / Mark Twain’s / Birthday / in 1835.	American / Indian / Heritage / Month	National / Aviation / Month

Deadline for the December issue of the Bulletin is Monday, December, 15th.Ph.(760) 951-7064 or email amolineux@gmail.com

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Wanted—Rocks, Lapidary,
Materials & Equipment.
Call Charles Toles.
Home (760) 951-0372 Cell (760) 220-6748.

White Buffalo & other turquoise—from various states. Priced per piece
Contact Virgil Melton (760) 900-0507

Rocks, Rocks, Rocks,
Buy slabs, cabs & rough from Joe!
Brazilian, Moss Agate, Wood, Jasper,
and Obsidian.
There is a sale on Bolo cords.
Club members (any club) 20% off at my house or 10% off at gem shows. I sell crushed Agate, Wood & Jasper for tumbling at $1.00 per pound. Call Joe Kosik (760) 241-0894.

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september general Meeting minutes
Gil read the minutes of a recent Special Board Meeting—see minutes folder.
Virgil Melton mentioned we are now at the break even point with the upcoming Gem and Mineral Show.
Pat Estes asked for members issues and concerns to bring up at the next CFMS meeting.
Tickets are available for a spot at Camp Paradise (CFMS camp) at $5 each. Proceeds are going to the CFMS Endowment fund.
Ed Deren spoke of the club cleanup. (see p. 10 of this Bulletin.)
Election committee—Carole Mc Michael, John Printz and Sheryl Grennell. We need volunteers for the position of 3rd V.P for the next Gem Show.
Cyndy Mandell talked about resurfacing the parking lot.
The membership voted to have security cameras installed both indoors and outside the club.
We have a new Bulletin Board.
A Glass Fusion class starts Oct. 15th (Thursday).
Silver classes will be held later.
Report all breakages to the instructor on duty.

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october Board
minutes
Lynne Hallock, Kerry Molineux & Ed Deren were guests.
Val Costello reported we have a tentative guest speaker for October. This has to be confirmed.
Virgil Melton said that banners for the Gem & Mineral show will be ready by next week.
We could possibly give the police explorers a free booth at the show and so have free security.
We will be buying (6) waterproof aprons and a 48” aluminum step stool—per the suggestion box.
Gayland Graves is doing a survey to see if an increase in shop fees (a per inch fee) might offset machinery damage costs.
It was voted that Pacific Contracting resurface the parking lot.
Carole McMichael said that formal policies should be installed for club officers to be insured and secured so that they can safely sign on the club CD.
Used and surplus equipment is being inventoried for a future silent auction.
Tom Laszlo suggested we get two more Lauritone rock saws.
John Printz suggested we increase the amount spent on lunch for volunteers on club clean up day.
Alan Molineux suggested that all board members, and officers be dues free for the time of their tenure.

(Work Day Sept. 2009 continued.)
not in use.
Alan Molineux took pictures for the Bulletin.
If I missed anyone, I am sorry, I am getting old and forgetful.
We had pizza for lunch. We got a lot done and had a great time.
October work day will be on 10/31
November work day will be on 11/21
December work day will be on 12/19.
John Printz and Ed Deren.
Sign up Sheets
We now have an upcoming event and/or class board. We need your support. You can sign up for more than one shift and for more than one day. You can also sign up to bring more than one food for the pot lucks.
John Printz.
Rags
Ron Midlikoski brought in a big bunch of rags. Thank you Ron. If you have any old rags or material (cotton or knit) such as: towels, washcloths, T-Shirts, etc, we can use them at the club for rags. Thanks.
Quote of the day
A pessimist, they say, sees a glass of water as being half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full. But a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty.
G. Donald Gale—World of quotes.com

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Club news
This seems a little redundant—after all this is a club newsletter—but as I was given so much “club news” this month I felt compelled to create a special section for it.
Club Support/Work Day
Sep. 2009—John Printz.
We had a great work day. We had two to three times as many people show up as usual. We would like to thank everyone who came out and supported their club. We got a lot of work accomplished.
Ron Midlikowski and John Printz cleaned saw #7.
Don Pomerenke cleaned saws # 3 & 4. (I was there to take pictures of the members working to clean up the club and the bottom of those saws was about 10” deep in a thick brown goo!)
Chris Koch and Sheryl Grennell cleaned the Grinding Room.
Everyone helped clean up the parking lot.
Adelina Elizalde, Pat Estes and Marie Gramata brought in hundreds of grab bags for the Gem Show.
Lloyd Guilliam used the pressure washer to clean all of the saws (that were cleaned.)
Ed Deren supervised and helped in all of the areas.
Val Costello cleaned up the kitchen area.
Kerry Molineux completed an inventory of equipment currently

Annual club bbq and picnic

There was enough food for everyone. Members had time to chat with each other.

Pat Estes, Doug and Sara Arnold. Virgil Melton and Don Pomerenke.

Brenda and Andrea pose for the camera. Ed Deren, his wife, Taeko and Chieko Printz enjoyed the meal and had time to stop and talk. There were about 30 people at the picnic—and those who came had a great time, eating and talking with each other—about what—well, lapidary was one of the topics but they enjoyed visiting with each other too!

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Snail
Mail
Stamp

Another
bulletin
Expressly for

Victor Valley Gem & Mineral Club
15056-B Seventh Street
Victorville, CA 92395-3811.
bulletin is the official monthly newsletter published by victor valley gem & mineral club and is distributed free of charge to both members and non members.
Views expressed by authors in the articles which appear in the bulletin do not necessarily reflect those of victor valley gem & mineral club. Responsibility is taken by the editor alone.
Articles from this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in other lapidary news-letters if proper credit is given to the author and the bulletin.

Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
National
Get ready
For
Kindergarten
Month
National
Inventor’s
Month
1
Workshop
1—9p.m.
2
3
4
Workshop
12 noon—5p.m.
5
6
7
Workshop
1—9p.m.
8
Workshop
1—9p.m.
9
10
11
Workshop
12 noon—5p.m.
12
13
14
Workshop
1—9p.m.
15
Workshop
1—9p.m.
16
17
18
Workshop
12 noon—5p.m.
19
20
21
Workshop
1—9p.m.
22
Workshop
1—9p.m.
23
24
25
Workshop
12 noon—5p.m.
26
27
28
Workshop
1—9p.m.
29
Workshop
1—9p.m.
30
31

October 2009