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[AgateLicker]

Just moved back to N. Idaho from AZ and the motor home we were staying in burned up. What I managed to keep on the trip up was stashed in a metal tool box and is in pretty rough shape. Some slabs made it alright but a lot is either so badly fractured it nearly crumbles, cooked colorless or covered in a creosote-y tar patina.

I know there's no saving the physically and chemically altered pieces but was wondering if anyone has any experience to share regarding cleaning techniques for mostly quartz based minerals. Most I've been able to scratch up offline is vinegar soaks and/or toothpaste.

If anyone is interested in photos I can post some tomorrow when I exhume the remnants.

Any advice or pointers are welcome.

[peruano]

Wow, that's a real bummer.  Sorry you had to endure that.  There has to be a lot of literature on cleaning up fire damage and rocks should be easier than a lot of things that would absorb all that contamination.  Depending on the surface, some of them might be best approached with a tumbler or cab machine. Let the diamonds do the cleaning. 

[vitzitziltecpatl]

Wow. Just saw this.

So sorry to hear about this. Sounds like you are okay - with the same unstoppable spirit we saw in you when we met at the show.

Don't have any knowledge of how to deal with the rock problems.

Do want to wish you the best in dealing with all the troubles a disaster like that must have dumped on you... .

[AgateLicker]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. We all made it out safe and are just focusing on moving forward and staying strong.

As for the tumbler, it didn't make the trip. No cabbing machine, either. It's looking like brushes and a bucket are my options currently and I'll go about the task with a glad and thankful heart.

My husband is leading a crew from our church in demo today to get the chassis and debris hauled off. I am grateful for the opportunity to stay out of the wreckage and have others take care of that end. Seems silly to be worrying about a box of rocks but, you know, they were/are like friends.

[Felicia]

Sorry to hear that, that's awful. Have you tried a petroleum product on the creosote coatings? Acetone is a powerful solvent, also. Best wishes.

[AgateLicker]

Felicia, that is a great idea. Another thing I came across along that vein of thought was olive oil soaks. I figure I'll try anything and see what works. It's not like they can get any worse, hah!

[R.U. Sirius]

Depending how hot the fire was at the location where the toolbox was, there will be more or less fracturing. I've experimented with pet wood and moss agates up to 800 C, and besides some potentially interesting colour changes the main outcome was weakening and fracturing, of course (even with long ramp-down times).

Whatever methods you choose to try for cleaning, I suggest first eliminating stones that are too fragile. That will save you time and effort.

[AgateLicker]

Luckily a few good slabs were stacked and wrapped in shop paper towel and managed to not get cooked to death. A nice Condor, some Sheep's Bridge and a pretty chunk of Maury Mt. look salvageable but just about the rest of the lot is toast. I'll do my best to get the smalls presentable again and look at this as an opportunity to freshen up my stash.

[R.U. Sirius]

This discussion about an unfortunate event made me wonder about my home insurance, and how it would play out with regard to my (uncatalogued!) rock collection... has anyone here gone through making a claim that included semiprecious stones?

[peruano]

Even mineral oil can be a good solvent and certainly is less dangerous on your respiratory system than acetone.  I'd really avoid large scale acetone usage if at all possible (for health and fire safety reasons).  Mineral oil or other less volatile solutions are worth a try first. 

[AgateLicker]

Thank you for your suggestions, all!

[Felicia]

Mineral oil sounds good, less to breathe in than WD-40. Yeah, for acetone you need good ventilation.

[R.U. Sirius]

AgateLicker, would you mind posting a few "before" and "after" pictures? It would be interesting to see how it all worked out.

Also, something to consider instead of solvents or oils:  good, old sandpaper or a flat lap. Tar deposits and charring are likely only on the surface of the slabs.

[irockhound]

I hope you had full replacement on the coach and belongings.  We lost our coach in the fire a couple years ago and it sure came in handy.  Sorry to hear about your fire.  What kind of slabs did you have in your toolbox?

[AgateLicker]

R.U. Sirius, I will try a little bit of everything. Luckily my husband's tools were in a separate shed and made it so we've likely got sandpaper on hand. Pictures are definitely possible, though it's not a pretty sight.

irockhound, nothing was insured, unfortunately. Thank you for your condolences and likewise I'm sorry to hear you lost yours as well. It's never fun to see an investment g
A lot of my more common material was left in AZ. I had a few various purples, I want to say from Wood Creek, one of the feeder gulches running into the Burro Creek area. A big hunk from the AZ Agate Mine with lovely blue bots connecting two veins. A dandy Condor display slice that cracked in half and is crazed throughout... Just stuff, but man, I was bummed going through it today. Other various pieces that were outside the box weren't recovered and I wasn't about to bother the folks in the cleanup crew to keep an eye out for specimens. There was a few chunks of a 10x8x2 Ginkgo pet wood slab found but nothing worth keeping. Everything just got cooked.