MinerShop Blog

Welcome to the MinerShop blog. We write about pretty much anything that sparks our interest. We've sorted our articles into the categories below.

A Detailed Overview of Fluorescent Mineral Displays

A Detailed Overview of Fluorescent Mineral Displays

You’ve got this great collection of fluorescent minerals, how can you show it off? Build a display! A well-designed fluorescent mineral display can really accentuate and add to any décor space you may have. It’s a great way to allow anyone to appreciate the hobby. You can build your own display at home using some simple cabinetry and a good UV display light (and don’t forget a UV filtering clear front panel for safety as any UV escaping from the cabinet is harmful to eyes and skin). Here are some great displays from some of our fluorescent mineral group members to gather some ideas.
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A large display of fluorescent minerals

Displaying Fluorescent Minerals

A fluorescent mineral display will allow others to view the results of your hobby and marvel at its wonders. The presentation can be as complex or as simple as you want. 
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DIY: Converting a Work Light into a Portable Short Wave Lamp

DIY: Converting a Work Light into a Portable Short Wave Lamp

I'm not sure how many people have built the 18 watt SW conversion from Mark Cole's plans on MinerShop, but if you did or intend to do so, here's mine I've finally completed. 
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Fluorescent Mineral Light

DIY 9-Watt Field Lamp

The instructions on this page are for a 9-watt lamp.
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diy portable sw UV light

DIY 35W Portable Shortwave UV Light

A DIY guide for an excellent 35W SW field lamp.
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Lighting Controls - Automatically Cycle Longwave, Shortwave, Midwave, and White light in your Display

Lighting Controls - Automatically Cycle Longwave, Shortwave, Midwave, and White light in your Display

Over the years I've had requests for lighting controllers that would allow us to remotely control our different wavelength lights.
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Fluorescent UV light

Building Your Own Transilluminators - DIY

Rough instructions on how to upgrade your own transilluminator

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A fluorescent light for UV minerals

Transilluminators - Overview

A "transilluminator" typically has 15W MW bulbs installed (312/302nm). Some have 6 bulbs, some have 4. So far, almost every unit I have come across has Hoya U325c glass (SW glass).
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Fluorescent Ballast Selection

Ballasts to drive fluorescent bulbs/tubes

Our UV lights are mostly based on fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs require a special ballast to operate. We always recommend Fulham ballasts.
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