Stupid Question #692

[shaman15771]

I was cleaning a rock yesterday with a little Dawn and water and when I finished, it was beautiful! Purples and reds and pinks! YUMMY. Then it dried off and colors are gone? Am I missing something?

 

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[BurntBear]

Sounds like an agate or maybe an opal. Any photos?

 

[shaman15771]

No yet BB but will take some!

 

[antique man]

It's not a good idea to use soap to wash rocks.
I'll be anticipating those photos!!

 

[DDancer]

The colors are still there. You'll probably only be able to see them while the stone is wet. The surface of most stones are very rough and make a matte, dull, appearance across the surface. This matte obscures the internal features of the stone. Water fills in the rough surfaces and allows greater transparency making a dull stone jump out with colors and other internal features you wont see in the dry condition. Polishing or treating the surface with a clear lacquer serves the same effect that water does by removing *polish* or filling in the rough surface and increasing transparency.

 

[shaman15771]

Thanks Dancer, that answers my question nicely. Thought I was hallucinating LOL

 

[DDancer]

You'll be surprised what a spray bottle of water will show you while your out in the field

 

[shaman15771]

I bet it does. I believe I will start carrying one.

 

[hvacker]

You'll be surprised what a spray bottle of water will show you while your out in the field

That's the first thing I pack.

 

[Brian T. Booth]

I was cleaning a rock yesterday with a little Dawn and water and when I finished, it was beautiful! Purples and reds and pinks! YUMMY. Then it dried off and colors are gone? Am I missing something?

The colors will show longer if you put mineral oil on the specimen. This also shows you the color the stone would be if it were polished.

Happy Hunting.

 

[shaman15771]

thanks Brian! Will check that out.

 

[G Freeman]

It's not a good idea to use soap to wash rocks.
I'll be anticipating those photos!!

antique man What harm could hand soap do to rocks as I been using liquid hand soap for a long time. Have I harmed my collection?

 

[BurntBear]

I was pondering that myself. Never heard of that.

 

[DDancer]

Soap and water generally wont hurt anything. Some softer and more porous minerals should not be washed with soap. Gypsum minerals and opal are two examples. Just rinse the soap off well. A good rule of thumb is if its a hard mineral soap is safe, if you can scratch it just rinse it.