Pyrite and Marcasite

[@VividAuroraSkies]

Woah great finds!

[@joedadbod8450]

Thank you! It’s always fun going “on the hunt”.

[@VividAuroraSkies]

@@joedadbod8450 I'm looking forward to your next video 🙂 I'm still super new to all of this so learning a lot!

[@wrightrocks6303]

I’ve been meaning to ask you recently if some of that out there was marcasite. Great finds out there that day.

[@joedadbod8450]

Thanks, my friend!! Yeah, there’s limonite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, marcasite…all of that stuff. 🤣

[@JonasBergqvist-r4w]

Thank you for sharing this video :) I have been collecting nodules a couple of times and i find them in a Alum shale quarry that is located an hour from here. I like the structure of Marcasite because it is very complex. The problem i have is to clean them and make them look even better. Like you said, they are very brittle. I have tried soap, acetone, oxalic acid, caustic soda, and baking soda, but none of them have worked very well :) I have given up cleaning them with any solution other than water and now i use a sharp blade etc. to peel of the shale and bitumen.

[@RagnarRocks]

That is some beautiful material, wow! Road cuts can be a bit hairy!

[@joedadbod8450]

Hello, Ragnar!! Yeah, road cuts can definitely be that way sometimes…thankfully this shale wall is about 25-30 feet off the highway, and always seems to produce some pretty good material.

[@soul_adventurist]

Those little cubes are awesome! Amazing that you found all that on the side of the road. It’s also a little scary to think how delicate shale is and the cliff side is so high . Does it create traffic issues when it rains?

[@ashmysoul]

Love this! Was this north of Fayetteville or south?

[@joedadbod8450]

North of Fayetteville, close to Jane, MO. About 2 miles off of the AR/MO border. There is plenty of shale in the Fayetteville area, so there should be some pyrite in that area as well. If you are able to park safely around some road cuts, it may be worth taking a peak to see if you can find some?

[@ashmysoul]

Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing! We’ve passed through that exact area and wanted to check out the shale! Today we’re going to explore the shale south of Fayetteville to see if we can find any there as well! Will come back here and comment to let you know if we find any this afternoon! 😁

[@joedadbod8450]

@@ashmysoul hope you do well!! Today’s my son’s birthday, otherwise I might come out to join you! Ha!

[@dustinfindsrocks]

Quade... Start the reactor! LOL

[@joedadbod8450]

Ha! As you get to know me more and more, I quote movies quite a bit. lol

[@dustinfindsrocks]

@@joedadbod8450 you found some beautiful pieces! I love the colors

[@joedadbod8450]

@@dustinfindsrocks thanks, my friend! It’s always a lot of fun to get out and get your hands in the earth and pull out some treasures. Hope you and your family has a great week!

[@andymyers8560]

When you speed up the footage the cars sounds like you are at a race track

[@DR_SOLO]

Do you keep and collect the water as you're spraying off the nodules the capture any gold that might be lying on top of or microscopic pieces embedded in the fire right?

[@joedadbod8450]

No, I really don’t. I typically just spray them over my yard so that the grass gets any overflow.

[@DR_SOLO]

@@joedadbod8450 collect the soil around that main area you spray off and pan it and see what you might find we might be pleasantly surprised. Unless you're not into having a bunch of AU. I really don't know anybody who has a problem having too much AU. It's nothing but a try and a look.🤗😉

[@joedadbod8450]

@@DR_SOLO thanks for that tip!! I don’t have a gold pan currently (it’s one of the mining things I am hoping to be able to do/learn soon). Once I get a set up, I’ll definitely give it a go!!

[@DR_SOLO]

@@joedadbod8450 what are we doing we were kids and we wanted toys and we couldn't afford them now we're adults and we have money and can buy whatever we confuse that with being able to make also whatever we want. You can get something from the dollar store some kind of Bowl party Bowl chip bowl and heat it up and mold it you know maybe with a little date of metal banding and mold the party Bowl to be corrugated boom 🤯a mining pan. Just got a torch to melt some possible AU. 😒forgot the borax. My life. LoL

[@lisacook3219]

Here is some information on how to protect your specimens from pyrite disease from an excellent collector: Here is how I treat them and I guarantee it will work on the most unstable pyrite or marcasite. First you wash all the oxidation off and soak the piece in water for a few days. Then you dry the specimen and submerge it in a water displacement protectant like WD40 for a day or two. Then you dry it and then submerge it in clean regular motor oil for a few days. After you take it out of the oil you set it in the sun on something absorbent and let the motor oil drain for a few days. The motor oil gets into the cracks and leaves a thin film on the surface that creates a reducing environment, end of problem.

[@joedadbod8450]

Thank you so much for that! I might try a few test pieces and see how they turn out. Right now I have them in an air tight bag until I’m ready to wash them again to try to knock off a little more shale.