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.

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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UV light

Cheap Shortwave Mineral Lights on Ebay (and other places) - BUYER BEWARE!

This needs to be said. Over the years a few disreputable sellers have been marketing a little 4/6 watt shortwave light for fluorescent minerals.
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Helvetia Mine in Arizona

Helvetia Trip Report

Helvetia. Just the name conjures up all sorts of thoughts, images and expectations. Goddesses, Switzerland, and perhaps even hell itself. Who knew what awaited us in the heart of the Arizona desert?
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2017 FMS Midwest Chapter Annual Meeting

2017 FMS Midwest Chapter Annual Meeting

The Midwest Chapter of the Fluorescent Mineral Society (FMS) held its first annual meeting at the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum in Marion, Kentucky, on Saturday, September 16th.
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Quartz, Calcite, Dolomite

Fluorescent Mineral Collecting Field Trip to the Midwest

I cancelled my plans to take the grandchildren to the fall Franklin Mineral Show. As a Plan B, I decided to go to the Midwest Chapter of the Fluorescent Mineral Society (FMS) meeting and fieldtrips near Cave-in Rock, IL
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Fluorescent Mineral Collecting

Fluorescent Mineral Collecting in Middle Tennessee (The Dry Creek Prospects)

It was officially spring and time to get out to collect fluorescent minerals.
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esperite and hardystonite classic franklin fluorescent mineral

Photographing Esperite (and other "hard rocks")

I have a nickname for esperite pieces – I call them “hard rocks”, very hard to photograph. Our rocks “glow” like a lightbulb. 
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Calcite and Willemite Phosphorescence

Catching the Afterglow - Taking Pictures of Phosphorescent Minerals

Many minerals exhibit an “afterglow” when the UV light is turned off. This glow can last for milliseconds or hours depending on the mineral. 
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Tenebrescent Tugtupite

Tenebrescence Experiments, Theories, Questions, and even some Facts

Recently I posted a question about Afghan sodalite (hackmanite) after reviewing the MinRec article about Sar-E-Sang. Someone reminded me that there was a large discussion on this topic last year. I dug out that discussion and copied it here to the blog. This is one reason we created Nature's Rainbows - to capture these excellent discussions. 
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Greenland Sodalite Hackmanite - Quick Change Artist, Tenebrescent Champion

Greenland Sodalite Hackmanite - Quick Change Artist, Tenebrescent Champion

Tenebrescence of Greenland sodalite is amazing. This is a piece of a deeply tenebrescent sodalite.
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Sodalite Hackmanite and Tugtupite Tenebrescent

Video of Tenebrescent Sodalite (Hackmanite) and Tugtupite

Tenebrescence is when minerals change color when exposed to sunlight, also known as reversible photochromism.
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