[Rockhounds] Hanksite

[erich kern]

Since you have about 100, pick a couple you can afford to lose and experiment. First, I'd try rinsing the white powder off in water.

Speaking of humidity, I have a hanksite crystal mounted on an acrylic base in our living room that hasn't been treated with anything, and our humidity here in inland So. Calif. is always below 50% and often below 30%, yet after 4 years, I don't have any deterioration of the hanksite crystal except for a small bit of white powder on the surface, which, when I rinse it off, the crystal looks like the day I got it. 

Mineral oil is likely the best coating. I've heard of spraying with clear Krylon, but haven't tried it. 

Erich Kern
Murrieta, CA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Mark Stanley 
To: Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem collectors 
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 9:45 AM
Subject: [Rockhounds] Hanksite


While working through some material I have from a basement cleanout for an
estate, I have found a box of about 100 Hanksite crystals from Searles Lake,
Trona, California, USA.  From the date on newspapers that were used to wrap
them, they have not been looked at for 15 years.  They range in size from 2
cm single crystals to 10 cm groups.  They are all covered in a very thick
white powder.  The wrapping material, cardboard box and the metal shelf they
were sitting on are all damaged or corroded.

The basement where they were stored was quite dry, with a dehumidifier set
to keep the humidity below 70%.  The Halite I found was okay, but about half
of the Pyrites (from various locations) were in various stages of decay.

My questions are: Can I simply wash the white powder off the Hanksites with
water and them coat them with something like mineral oil to prevent this
from happening again?  Is there a standard way to treat them to protect them
from this?

Your suggestions would be appreciated.

Mark Stanley
Norwood, Ontario, Canada

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