UV Lights and Fluorescent Minerals - a fun side hobby to metal detecting !

[GKL]

Interesting about the glow stones, Gary! KT wonders if they have been ceramic coated with a fluorescent ceramic finish.

I am thinking the glow stones are made as solid glowing chunks, especially since the samples included large, medium, and small sizes, the small size might be similar in size to rock salt or even slightly smaller and I just don't think they'd coat something that small.

Anyhow, for now I emailed the contact person at AGT who can answer my questions and I asked him about that, I'll post what he says after he replies, I could still try what you said, but I think he will give me an honest answer

Okay, here is the answer to what you were wondering:

(quote from reply to my email)

"These are solid uncoated stones that glow all the way thru."

(end of quote)

 

[KingTotsalot]

Okay, here is the answer to what you were wondering:

(quote from reply to my email)

"These are solid uncoated stones that glow all the way thru."

(end of quote)

The key is you said earlier, they are made as.......
I assume they are manmade. As for not coating something that small....millions of tons per year of Arkansas syenite is crushed and screened to roofing granule size, slightly larger than sand, and then coated with colored ceramic and fired to produce roofing granule for shingles...any shade that happens to be popular for roofing. So, yes, there are commercial processes to coat even smaller grains than what your glow rocks are. That is why I was wondering...I think they may be ceramic manufactured rocks.

 

[GKL]

The key is you said earlier, they are made as.......
I assume they are manmade. As for not coating something that small....millions of tons per year of Arkansas syenite is crushed and screened to roofing granule size, slightly larger than sand, and then coated with colored ceramic and fired to produce roofing granule for shingles...any shade that happens to be popular for roofing. So, yes, there are commercial processes to coat even smaller grains than what your glow rocks are. That is why I was wondering...I think they may be ceramic manufactured rocks.

Absolutely, my understanding was that they are manufactured stones processed to have the ingredients that cause the "glow in the dark" ability to be thru the entire "stone" and their email reply confirmed they were not merely coated.

(edit to add: not sure if they are specifically ceramic, just manufactured)

 

[KingTotsalot]

Difference between cheap and higher priced LW UV lamps

KT wanted to see the difference in UV from a cheap Chinese made UV lamp and a US made UV lamp that costs about 20 X the Chinese one.

Here is the comparison ....the Chinese lamp was sold as a 365 nm LW UV, is pocket sized, and has a USB port on the back end for charging from any USB port (that is quite handy). It uses 1 18650 Li-ion battery and has an unknown use time. It has 1 Cree bulb and NO purple filter. Cost ~ $5.00 with tax, free shipping.

The US made lamp has a deep purple filter, 3 Cree bulbs, uses 2 or 3 18650 Li ion batteries and is about, with 3 batteries, 10 inches long. Batteries must be removed to install in a wall mount battery charger. Cost ~ $80 including batteries and charger unit.

The pictures tell the tale. First picture is of a specimen of hackmanite from Arkansas in natural light. Second picture is the same stone using the cheap Chinese lamp. It puts out so much white light due to no purple filter that little to no fluorescence can be seen. The third picture is taken with the American made UV Lamp, and the hackmanite can be readily seen as orange spots throughout the specimen.

KT has sent these pictures to the eBay seller who claims he will make the purchase "right". In KT's estimation the only way it will be made right is to refund me the purchase price. However, if he does not, KT will disassemble each lamp for the 18650 Li-ion battery, resulting in a loss of only $1.00 each for the 2 lamps purchased. Since these batteries are about $4.00 each on eBay. KT did email these pictures to the seller and asked if he had a purple filter to fit on the end of the lamp to see if that improves its performance. We shall see!

KT has also ordered another, slightly more expensive "365" nm lamp, from a different Chinese seller. Does not look like the first Chinese lamp and is advertized to have a dark purple filter. This lamp costs with tax and all....$`$11.00. And His Majesty will report back in this thread concerning its performance. It is USB rechargeable and comes with a short recharging cord.
Okay, the new cheap 365 nm LW UV lamp arrived today...and in my estimation it is a winner! If anyone wants one, here are the eBay details: Seller: 2014-bicycle. Listing: 365 nm Stift Light Blacklight LED Flashlight. Total with shipping was $14.30, and it includes both a 18650 Li-ion battery, and a USB recharging cord. No manual. Be certain before trying to use it to remove the battery contact paper so it will work, KT's came fully charged. Check out photo number 4 for how well it works on the same specimen as before. Then there are photos of the $11 lamp and a couple of other LW specimens using it. $11 lamp is 4 1/2" long....next picture was taken 6" from adamite specimen, last picture is of marbles taken 24" from them.

The first Chinese UV lamp is unusable in a darkened room as it puts out too much white light! Stay tuned for more results.

 

[GKL]

KT wanted to see the difference in UV from a cheap Chinese made UV lamp and a US made UV lamp that costs about 20 X the Chinese one.

Here is the comparison ....the Chinese lamp was sold as a 365 nm LW UV, is pocket sized, and has a USB port on the back end for charging from any USB port (that is quite handy). It uses 1 18650 Li-ion battery and has an unknown use time. It has 1 Cree bulb and NO purple filter. Cost ~ $5.00 with tax, free shipping.

The US made lamp has a deep purple filter, 3 Cree bulbs, uses 2 or 3 18650 Li ion batteries and is about, with 3 batteries, 10 inches long. Batteries must be removed to install in a wall mount battery charger. Cost ~ $80 including batteries and charger unit.

The pictures tell the tale. First picture is of a specimen of hackmanite from Arkansas in natural light. Second picture is the same stone using the cheap Chinese lamp. It puts out so much white light due to no purple filter that little to no fluorescence can be seen. The third picture is taken with the American made UV Lamp, and the hackmanite can be readily seen as orange spots throughout the specimen.

KT has sent these pictures to the eBay seller who claims he will make the purchase "right". In KT's estimation the only way it will be made right is to refund me the purchase price. However, if he does not, KT will disassemble each lamp for the 18650 Li-ion battery, resulting in a loss of only $1.00 each for the 2 lamps purchased. Since these batteries are about $4.00 each on eBay. KT did email these pictures to the seller and asked if he had a purple filter to fit on the end of the lamp to see if that improves its performance. We shall see!

KT has also ordered another, slightly more expensive "365" nm lamp, from a different Chinese seller. Does not look like the first Chinese lamp and is advertized to have a dark purple filter. This lamp costs with tax and all....$`$11.00. And His Majesty will report back in this thread concerning its performance. It is USB rechargeable and comes with a short recharging cord.

The first Chinese UV lamp is unusable in a darkened room as it puts out too much white light! Stay tuned for more results.

Thanks for sharing the research KT !

Definitely seems to fit to old adage "you get what you pay for" (at least in this instance)

But hey, there are times when you might get a good product that exceeds what you might expect for the price, I think I have at times in the past.

Looking forward to how the seller responds to the pics you sent.

For now I think I will be quite content with my UV Beast flashlight

 

[KingTotsalot]

Thanks for sharing the research KT !

Definitely seems to fit to old adage "you get what you pay for" (at least in this instance)

But hey, there are times when you might get a good product that exceeds what you might expect for the price, I think I have at times in the past.

Looking forward to how the seller responds to the pics you sent.

For now I think I will be quite content with my UV Beast flashlight

KT is hoping to find something adequate in that LW 365 nm wavelength for a cheaper price than the Royal UVBeast.

KT's entire purpose with checking out a few cheapo LW UV lamps is to find something that might be reasonable for a beginning rockhound or pebble pup. It is not so great to tell a beginner that you need to spend, to them, some big bucks to get into the hobby...this is for that person who might think spending $20 on a specimen is very expensive! HA HA

When KT was actively collecting and came across something unusual He never batted an eye at spending $200 for it. Of course later when He began selling his collection that same piece brought in $500 into the Royal Coffers!

 

[GKL]

KT is hoping to find something adequate in that LW 365 nm wavelength for a cheaper price than the Royal UVBeast.

KT's entire purpose with checking out a few cheapo LW UV lamps is to find something that might be reasonable for a beginning rockhound or pebble pup. It is not so great to tell a beginner that you need to spend, to them, some big bucks to get into the hobby...this is for that person who might think spending $20 on a specimen is very expensive! HA HA

When KT was actively collecting and came across something unusual He never batted an eye at spending $200 for it. Of course later when He began selling his collection that same piece brought in $500 into the Royal Coffers!

......no offense taken KT , but with my budget for "hobby stuff" I might somewhat fit into the category of feeling like paying $20 for one specimen is a tad pricey for my hobby budget to do real often, so it better be a really spectacular looking "wow" specimen

Hey, I agree the UV Beast, though worth it, is somewhat pricey for a flashlight

I can appreciate and applaud your efforts to research for a more affordable LW 365nm lights that a beginner or someone on a tighter budget for hobby stuff can more easily afford. (like me )

Hey, we ourselves are not poor, but not rich by today's "official" standards either, we might "officially" fall into the upper lower class for our state yet God has blessed what we do have to work with, our home has been paid off since we moved here about 16 years ago, we have 3 vehicles, one of which is a Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, we don't have to "pinch pennies" but we still enjoy stretching our buying power by shopping sales and clipping coupons (a lot easier with today's electronic coupons )

I said that to say that I also like to research for the best possible deals on hobby stuff, stuff that performs well enough to be worth getting, but still at a good affordable discount. Yes, I did buy the pricey UV Beast myself, as far as my limited budget for "hobby stuff" it was more than "pocket change" to me but I felt the performance of the UV Beast was worth paying for anyhow ......but I definitely can appreciate that a beginner to the hobby might not want to pay much to just try out a hobby before deciding whether the hobby is for them or not.

Hey, my congrats to you KT for being able to get well over a 100% return on selling a specimen for way more than you bought it for ! (I bet you likely wish you had originally bought more of that specimen )

 

[GKL]

When KT was actively collecting and came across something unusual He never batted an eye at spending $200 for it. Of course later when He began selling his collection that same piece brought in $500 into the Royal Coffers!

Just thought to ask, what specimen mineral was that that brought in $500 ?

(........I imagine it's not easy to find, so I guess no sense in checking the local fields for one )

 

[KingTotsalot]

Just thought to ask, what specimen mineral was that that brought in $500 ?

(........I imagine it's not easy to find, so I guess no sense in checking the local fields for one )

It was a documented specimen of reddish rutile in a large crystal cluster from a depleted location at Magnet Cove, Arkansas. It had the original museum label with it which often adds some value to some collectors. KT had heard of these specimens, collected from 1850 until 1900, after which the site had been depleted.

On a separate note, KT just purchased some rare uranium-bearing micro minerals. They will be shipped from Europe, so when KT receives them, pictures will be forthcoming in this thread! Both natural light and UV. These will be taken with KT's USB led microscope.

On a final note, the seller of those "UV 365" lights never admitted that they were not 365 nm, but he did come through with a refund, to keep from getting a bad review. So KT had some success on that situation. KT still awaits the delivery of the $11 unit to try it out on the same specimen!

 

[GKL]

It was a documented specimen of reddish rutile in a large crystal cluster from a depleted location at Magnet Cove, Arkansas. It had the original museum label with it which often adds some value to some collectors. KT had heard of these specimens, collected from 1850 until 1900, after which the site had been depleted.

On a separate note, KT just purchased some rare uranium-bearing micro minerals. They will be shipped from Europe, so when KT receives them, pictures will be forthcoming in this thread! Both natural light and UV. These will be taken with KT's USB led microscope.

On a final note, the seller of those "UV 365" lights never admitted that they were not 365 nm, but he did come through with a refund, to keep from getting a bad review. So KT had some success on that situation. KT still awaits the delivery of the $11 unit to try it out on the same specimen!

Wow, mineral specimen collecting with some sites being long ago depleted almost sounds like some metal detecting areas that have been "mostly" hunted out (note I said "mostly" as there still always might be a few items previously missed and some members like to say no place is ever completely hunted out )

Maybe you should invest in a Geiger counter with getting uranium bearing specimens

Congrats on the refund, I guess he figures he gets enough non-refunded sales that he'd rather refund you than risk a bad review causing him to miss some sales from first time buyers.

Looking forward to the review of the $11 unit, I know it is possible to occasionally get some good bargains on stuff that actually preforms reasonable well enough to be worth getting.

 

[KingTotsalot]

Wow, mineral specimen collecting with some sites being long ago depleted almost sounds like some metal detecting areas that have been "mostly" hunted out (note I said "mostly" as there still always might be a few items previously missed and some members like to say no place is ever completely hunted out )

Maybe you should invest in a Geiger counter with getting uranium bearing specimens

Congrats on the refund, I guess he figures he gets enough non-refunded sales that he'd rather refund you than risk a bad review causing him to miss some sales from first time buyers.

Looking forward to the review of the $11 unit, I know it is possible to occasionally get some good bargains on stuff that actually preforms reasonable well enough to be worth getting.

It is a somewhat similar situation, in that the present owner has the ground as an unplowed hay field. When it was row cropped, there was fresh soil exposed yearly, but now it has not been plowed in over 100 years.

KT already has a scintillometer, which is a bit better unit than a geiger counter. The scint gives an actual meter reading so one can calculate exposure, whereas a g. counter only goes off. But the thing is Uranium in mineral specimens is unregulated, only harmful when refined into yellow cake, unless you are someone who wants to wear it uptight to the family jewels via a cord!

KT tore one of the fake UV lamps apart to see if the rechargeable battery might be useable, but it was soldered into the guts of the lamp, so KT just tossed both of them!

 

[GKL]

It is a somewhat similar situation, in that the present owner has the ground as an unplowed hay field. When it was row cropped, there was fresh soil exposed yearly, but now it has not been plowed in over 100 years.

KT already has a scintillometer, which is a bit better unit than a geiger counter. The scint gives an actual meter reading so one can calculate exposure, whereas a g. counter only goes off. But the thing is Uranium in mineral specimens is unregulated, only harmful when refined into yellow cake, unless you are someone who wants to wear it uptight to the family jewels via a cord!

KT tore one of the fake UV lamps apart to see if the rechargeable battery might be useable, but it was soldered into the guts of the lamp, so KT just tossed both of them!

Not been plowed in over 100 years ? wonder what the detecting would be like

I figured the amount of Uranium in such mineral specimens had to be pretty small for them to be so easily bought/shipped, I was partly being funny about the Geiger counter, though still better to be safe

I guess they figure it was cheaper to solder the battery than have the expense of a batter holder, but I would think using a soldering iron you could unsolder the battery, but then again not sure how sensitive those batteries are to heat it might not be worth the risk, especially since they likely might be one of the cheapest batteries available for such a low cost unit.

 

[KingTotsalot]

Not been plowed in over 100 years ? wonder what the detecting would be like

I figured the amount of Uranium in such mineral specimens had to be pretty small for them to be so easily bought/shipped, I was partly being funny about the Geiger counter, though still better to be safe

I guess they figure it was cheaper to solder the battery than have the expense of a batter holder, but I would think using a soldering iron you could unsolder the battery, but then again not sure how sensitive those batteries are to heat it might not be worth the risk, especially since they likely might be one of the cheapest batteries available for such a low cost unit.

KT seriously doubts if anyone has ever metal detected that field! Unfortunately the battery was one of those shorty Li ion batteries, and KT has nothing it fits, not even a charger.
Yep, no federal regs on natural radioactive unrefined minerals.

 

[KingTotsalot]

Just to share another pair of pictures....this specimen is termed columnar calcite and is from China. First picture is just natural light. Horizontal Field of View is ~4 inches. Second picture is the same specimen, same orientation with 365 nm UV LW iight from KT's UVBeast T-3 flashlight.

This specimen was listed as having pink fluorescence, but darned if it does not look nice and orange to His Majesty! KT loves the composition of this piece. It does glow in 254 nm SW UV, but not nearly as brightly. Enjoy the pictures!

 

[GKL]

Just to share another pair of pictures....this specimen is termed columnar calcite and is from China. First picture is just natural light. Horizontal Field of View is ~4 inches. Second picture is the same specimen, same orientation with 365 nm UV LW iight from KT's UVBeast T-3 flashlight.

This specimen was listed as having pink fluorescence, but darned if it does not look nice and orange to His Majesty! KT loves the composition of this piece. It does glow in 254 nm SW UV, but not nearly as brightly. Enjoy the pictures!

Neat specimen KT !!!!

.....it sure looks orange to me too, maybe the translator in China couldn't find the English translation for what they call orange ?

 

[KingTotsalot]

Been awhile...

KT has been patiently waiting for some specimens to arrive, several from Europe and they and another finally arrived today.

Pictures - Pair 1 Diopside labeled in quotation marks, Bancroft, Ontario. While waiting for this specimen to arrive, KT spent some time investigating Diopside from Bancroft area and found a nice article by a knowledgeable collector. KT wrote him asking about this specimen because it did not look right, and he agreed with His Majesty, likely from the well known localities around Sterling Hill, New Jersey, so that is how KT has labeled it. First picture is in natural light and second pic is in SW UV 245nm. Third picture is using UV LW 365nm. FOV is ~2 inch horizontally. It does have a nice blue fluorescence in both wavelengths!

The other 3 specimens from Europe. KT took both natural light and LW UV 365nm light source images.

The first one is Uranospinite from Haje, Pribram, Czech Republic at 40X natural light, and the mineral does very weakly fluoresce under SW UV but too dim for a decent image at 40X. It is a pale yellow.

The next 2 pictures are of Natrozippeite from the Kovagoszolos Uranium mine, Pecs District, Baranya County, Hungary. First image is natural light at 40X. Second image is with LW UV 365nm at 40X. This mineral also fluoresces strongly in SW UV 245nm but no picture was taken.

The final two images are of Schopeite, from the same mine as the Natrozippeite. First image is natural light at 40X, second image is using UV LW 365nm at 40X. Also this mineral fluoresces the same color in SW UV 245nm but no picture was taken.

All three of the European Uranium minerals were identified by XRD so KT has confidence in those identifications.

Hope the viewers enjoy these pictures!

 

[GKL]

KT has been patiently waiting for some specimens to arrive, several from Europe and they and another finally arrived today.

Pictures - Pair 1 Diopside labeled in quotation marks, Bancroft, Ontario. While waiting for this specimen to arrive, KT spent some time investigating Diopside from Bancroft area and found a nice article by a knowledgeable collector. KT wrote him asking about this specimen because it did not look right, and he agreed with His Majesty, likely from the well known localities around Sterling Hill, New Jersey, so that is how KT has labeled it. First picture is in natural light and second pic is in SW UV 245nm. Third picture is using UV LW 365nm. FOV is ~2 inch horizontally. It does have a nice blue fluorescence in both wavelengths!

The other 3 specimens from Europe. KT took both natural light and LW UV 365nm light source images.

The first one is Uranospinite from Haje, Pribram, Czech Republic at 40X natural light, and the mineral does very weakly fluoresce under SW UV but too dim for a decent image at 40X. It is a pale yellow.

The next 2 pictures are of Natrozippeite from the Kovagoszolos Uranium mine, Pecs District, Baranya County, Hungary. First image is natural light at 40X. Second image is with LW UV 365nm at 40X. This mineral also fluoresces strongly in SW UV 245nm but no picture was taken.

The final two images are of Schopeite, from the same mine as the Natrozippeite. First image is natural light at 40X, second image is using UV LW 365nm at 40X. Also this mineral fluoresces the same color in SW UV 245nm but no picture was taken.

All three of the European Uranium minerals were identified by XRD so KT has confidence in those identifications.

Hope the viewers enjoy these pictures!

Very neat specimens KT !!!!

I really like the both blue as as well as the green glows !

.....some of those specimen names like Uranospinite and Natrozippeite are something else they do manage to come up with some strange sounding mineral names

 

[KingTotsalot]

Very neat specimens KT !!!!

I really like the both blue as as well as the green glows !

.....some of those specimen names like Uranospinite and Natrozippeite are something else they do manage to come up with some strange sounding mineral names

Royal Thanks, GKL! Yes, the naming of minerals run the gamut from those named after scientists to localities to chemical components to historical names that have been grandfathered in by the IMA Committee on Mineral Names. Yes, uranium minerals, either as major components as in these minerals or as traces in common opal and chalcedony causes green fluorescence of varying intensity!

 

[GKL]

Very neat specimens KT !!!!

I really like the both blue as as well as the green glows !

.....some of those specimen names like Uranospinite and Natrozippeite are something else they do manage to come up with some strange sounding mineral names

Royal Thanks, GKL! Yes, the naming of minerals run the gamut from those named after scientists to localities to chemical components to historical names that have been grandfathered in by the IMA Committee on Mineral Names. Yes, uranium minerals, either as major components as in these minerals or as traces in common opal and chalcedony causes green fluorescence of varying intensity!

......and don't forget that really really strange sounding mineral name..... "Mikehowardite" (....just kidding KT )

https://www.mindat.org/min-55313.html

 

[KingTotsalot]

......and don't forget that really really strange sounding mineral name..... "Mikehowardite" (....just kidding KT )

https://www.mindat.org/min-55313.html

Perhaps, KT should have requested KingTotsalotite!