-
Home
| Where
to Find
Rocks | Field
Equipment | Home
Tools | Organise
Your Collection | Storage
and Display | Field
Safety | Blog
Geological Hammer and Other Field Equipment
On this page you have your field
gear.
Geological hammer, chisels, hardhat, gloves and goggles, pens and notebooks, sample bags and containers.
Also do bring a magnifying lens, a compass, a GPS and a waterproof camera.
Geological Hammer
The most important item of your field equipment is a proper geological hammer.
It may seem like a regular hammer will do, but it can be dangerous to use it to hammer rocks.
A proper geo hammer is made of a special steel so that it does the proper job safely.
Chisels
Chisels are used as a further help to get a piece of mineral or rock out of a larger piece of rock.
There are a few different types of chisels. Cold chisels, Gadpoint chisels are shorter and thicker.
Broad-bladed chisels, also short and thick, are used for splitting rocks are long and thin - perfect to get minerals out of cavities.
Hardhat,
Gloves and Goggles
You do need the safety gear. Protective glasses (goggles) are a must when you're using your geological hammer. Hardhat is best to wear in all times but necessary when you're collecting rocks next to high cliffs where rocks can fall down from above. Some rock collecting localities now require a hardhat so you may as well get one anyway. And gloves will protect your hands - if you are new to the hobby you'll be surprised how quickly rocks ruin your nails and the skin of your hands.
Magnifying
Lens
Magnifying lens, aka hand lens, is an excellent tool out in the field as well as once you have taken your rocks back home and start identifying them properly.
There are different strengths, but 10x is a good one.
You can buy one from that website for just a few dollars.
Compass
and/or GPS
For remote localities, it is very handy, if not necessary, to bring a compass (particularly if you visit remote
areas with no obvious landmarks where it is easy to get lost).
You don't want to get lost.
Again, you can choose between different compasses on that same website, and they are NOT expensive!
GPS (Global Positioning System) is good if you plan to go back to that remote locality and find the exact spot.
Or if you want to have the coordinates of an exact location on the labels in your collection.
Sample
Bags and Containers
You need to bring bags and containers too. Bubble wrap is good for weak samples. Make sure each specimen is separated in its own bag or container and put them all into your backpack. Backpack is a good bag to bring because it leaves your hands free for collecting, taking photos etc. Even better is a real rock collectors bag, which leaves your hands free, and doesn't require that you get it off your back every time you want to use it. As with all your gear, you find the bags on that same website.
Notebook,
Pens and Sticky Labels
As you pack your samples into bags, use sticky labels on the piece of rock or bag, and make notes about each sample into your notebook (with the number that is on the sticky label of course). The notes need to be made in the field - you may think you will remember them once home, but you won't, not in detail anyway. Write down where the specimen was found - without location your rock/mineral won't be worth anything!
Camera
And finally - a camera - an important piece of equipment for anyone working in the field. Take photos about the rock as you first found it.
And, take photos about the surroundings. It will help you to remember the place and also give you more information later on if you wonder about something. The ideal camera is a waterproof one, so you don't have to worry if it's raining a bit.
Custom Search
What's New
About Us
About Using Content
PHOTOS
MAKE MONEY BUYING AND SELLING GOLD!
CRYSTAL HEALING
[?] Subscribe To This Site
Home | Site Map | Site Search | Site Policies | About Us | Contact Us
This site uses British English, which is the English we use in Australia.
Disclaimer:
Although
best efforts have been made to ensure that
all the information on this
site is correct,
collecting-rocks-and-minerals.com is not to be blamed should there be a
mistake.
Copyright notice:
All contents of this website are strictly protected
by the Law of
Copyright. What does that
mean?
Copyright 2010-2021 collecting-rocks-and-minerals.com. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.