The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan • Page 3

The Times Herald 3A Saturday, September .4, 1 976 Huron eyple exeeb rockhounds Ikln i triamsvF. By LINDA HEYBOER First, he makes a wax model of the set I rJnWw I I'll 111' S. rmmn j' Times Herald Reporter Lapidary enthusiasts better known as rockhounds are almost as varied as the stones they track down and treasure. Yoil might spend $20 on a tumbler to wear down a rock's rough edges. Or, you could invest hundreds of dol-lars in the tools and contraptions that make working with rocks a painstaking, rewarding craft.

Patrick and Dorothy Henry went the latter route. For eight years, the Henrys have been a rockhounding team, with hobby headquarters In their Port Huron home. There are times when they 'wonder about their choice of hobbies like the day they found themselves standing waist-deep in Ontario's Parry Sound, looking for garnets. But the Henrys say both-the work and the results make the hobby worthwhile. "I find that lapidary work is provides a nice change of pace," said Henry, an accountant for Michigan Bell Telephone Company.

Neither of the Henrys were slouches at working with their hands, even before they got Interested in rocks. He was skilled at electrical work he put together their color television set from a kit. She was, and still Is, a commercial artist. Finding their raw materials, rocks, takes a team effort. "You buy them, you find them, or you swap with other rock-hounds," Dorothy Henry said.

The couple has searched for stones in several states and Canada. They order their favorite stone, opal, from dealers who get It from Australia. Once they have the rocks they want, there is a division of duties. Pat Henry saws, grinds, and polishes stones, and he is skilled at cutting gems like opals, rubies and jade. His wife designs and makes jewelry settings to enhance the beauty of the gems.

Henry has a workshop crammed with equipment. There's a saw to cut the rocks. There's a machine with several sanding wheels to grind rocks down. There are machines for polishing, faceting and making gem settings. Henry has to be careful in grinding the rocks, to be sure the prettiest part Isn't wasted.

He must also watch for cracks even a tiny one can ruin a stone. Henry has a centrifugal caster to make metal settings for stones. ting he wants. Then he fits a plaster model around It, The model Is heated in a kiln and the wax melts out of It. Henry puts the plaster model In the caster, which has a place for metal to be heated.

The caster rotates very fast, making the metal shoot Into the plaster cast. When the metal cools and the plaster is removed, the Henrys have a setting for a ring or other piece of jewelry. Not all of their settings are made that way, and that's where Dorothy Henry comes In. "We used to order settings," she said. "But they Just didn't seem to do the stones enough Justice." Her solution was to learn how to create settings of her own (she has studied the subject formally in Port Huron and Ann Arbor).

She designs, cuts and polishes metal into jewelry settings, often working with sterling silver, which she likes best. Her paraphernalia Includes clamps, files, steel wool and a soldering iron. She said she likes to keep her designs simple, to place emphasis on the beauty of the stone or gem. She also has been experimenting with touches of wood, shells and coral. Both of the Henrys said the work is engrossing and requires a steady hand as well as concentration.

The couple belongs to the Blue Water Lapidary Society and the Sarnia Rock and Fossil Club. Those memberships and the many rockhound publications they receive help them keep up with the markets and methods of their hobby. The Henrys take pride in rock' samples they'v collected. Pat Henry's personal treasui is a $50 opal, which he hasn't had the to cut yet. While rocks containing such gems as garnets and amethysts may be found not far from Michigan, others must be ordered from dealers.

Commercially popular gems, like turquoise, are expensive and hard to get. Many of the couple's friends and family members end up benefitting from the hobby the creations make good gifts. Occasionally, a friend comes to the couple with a rough stone, asking the Henrys to make it into a ring or necklace. The couple's dream is to open a rock and gem shop in northern Michigan. Tht Ti met Herald ROCKHOUNDS Dorothy and Patrick Henry show some of their favorite stones Faff wardrobes feafure fabric coafs Astronomy By Terrance Dickinson Sewing tips Bv Eunice Farmer localed a pattern in Butterick 4-ISfi.

This coat could be made casual by using corduroy, heavy plaid coatings or melton cloth and adding toggle closings which are easier to achieve than buttonholes. Dnuble-breasted coats are always great for winter; the double layer of fabric keeps the coat from flying open. Because the fronts are double, it's best to choose a fabric that isn't too heavy. I've carefully gone over all the pattern books and there are more coat patterns to choose from than I have seen in years. Plan carefully before selecting your pattern and your fabric.

If vou intend this coat to be worn over other layers of clothing, be sure it isn't too close fitting. If It Is to be worn with a matching skirt and a silk shirt, it could fit almost the same as a Jacket with very little extra ease. Don't be afraid to tackle a coat, it is Just like a suit hen it comes to construction, only a few inches longer. It is often much easier to make because there is certainly less fitting. Get your courage up.

you can do it and do It well. Dear Readers: This is the year of the fabric coat, poncho, cape, etc. To begin planning our fall wardrobe, we must consider what kind of coat we need, the construction we will use and the type of fabric suitable for our needs. Fortunately, there is hardly a fabric that wasn't shown in some fall designer collection. If you live In warmer climates, you might concentrate on poplins, corduroys, cottons, velvets, etc.

If you want an all-purpose garment," you might consider a reversible coat, cape or poncho featuring poplin on one side and wool, corduroy, velvet, on the olher. These make marvelous travel garments because they satisfy many needs. Mohair is the most luxurious fabric shown this year. It Is as light as a feather, but will keep you warm. Although it terribly fragile, it keeps its shape beautifully.

Most mohairs are treated as a wrap, or a jacket-type coat that is unlined and unconslructed. When working with mohair, since it doesn't ravel. It is usually suggested that you machine stitch the edges or sxrtswcar. Again, any fabric could be used. Many of these are made of poplin and lined with plaids.

They are usually left completely open on the sides and serve as another layer over jackets, sweaters, etc. A suggestion for a collar-less poncho would be Vogue 15W, and for one with a collar, Vogue 1376. That beautifully-tailored coat called the Chesterfield is back. This requires more tailoring skills and Is usually found in camel hair, tweeds, meltons, eic, and often combined with velvet in the back collar. Mv favorite pattern for the Chesterfield is McCall 47H1.

Hoods have been added to many garments this fall. For a coat with a hood, I bind them in another fabric. A designer favorite is using Ultra Suede as a binding. Mohair is expensive however, when you consider that you are eliminating interfacings, buttons, linings, it brings the cost down considerably. Mohair is certainly on the top of the iist for luxury coats.

A pattern I would like to 'suggest for mohair Is Vogue 1513 by Jerry Silverman. It Is a collarless coat with raglan sleeves and no buttons. You can wear turtle-neck dresses, scarves or whatever you wish to fill in the neckline. This is a go-everywhere type coat why not try it? Ponchos are especially popular as A hobbyisf dream Astronomist predicts interstellar contacts "Searching for signals from other intelligent beings in the universe is like searching for needles In a cosmic haystack of inconceivable size." says Frank D. Drake, director of the world's largest radio U'lescoH'.

Drake, one of the founders of the concept of using such Instruments to detect intelligent signals from other planets, believes that despite the billions of possible locations in the universe where intelligent beings may exist we will likely make contact within 50 years. A professor of astronomy at Cornell I'niverslty. Drake is taken seriously when he says: "Contact with other civilizations, apart from being the most momentous event in human history, will undoubtedly enrich our civilization with scientific and technical information which we could otherwise obtain only at very much greater expense." Drake assumes this will be the case because he says It is extremely likely that any civilization we detect would be more advanced than ours. Thus, It would provide us with a glimpse of what our own future could be. From this he suggests we might learn the best course of action in planning the development of our own civilization without wasting time and resources through the trial and error approach, which up till now has been our only available avenue to progress.

"Wc need not be afraid of Interstellar contact" Drake insists. "I'nlikc the primitive civilizations on Earth which came in contact with more advanced technological societies we would not be forced to obey we would only receive Information." Of course, Drake is assuming that contact will be by radio signal and not by a spacecraft landing here. When questioned why he believes advanced civilizations would not travel to Earth to examine us. Drake replied: "Direct contact might be the ultimate result of Interstellar contact that would logically begin with the most Inexpensive mode of communication. Radio transmission across thousands of light-years Is at least to the best of our current knowledge the most economical way to communicate." He dismisses IFOs as cmmlssaries from other worlds.

"There's not a shred of solid evidence to support such a notion and until there Is. radio communication will be my first choice." Drake and his colleagues have pointed out that If IFOs were fruitful ground for communicating with olher civilizations, scientists would be the first to take up serious research Into such con-tad. Current research Is confined to establishing the fundamental nature of IFOs, which may very well be a physical manifestation In nur own atmosphere totally unrelated to anything beyond the Earth. Those who believe the detection of intelligent radio signals from other beings are tanlallzed by the thought that alien radio signals may be passing through their laboratories every second but the equipment now used to detect such signals is cither pointed In the wrong direction or tuned to the wrong frequency. An old milk carton is invaluable Leisure Craftsman By Phyllis Harotta both papier mache and gesso.

Gesso Is a thick paint like substance which Is used to smooth out a rough surtacc. It is mainly used by painters to smooth out the pebble grain surface on canvas. If Is water-based (some are acrylic-based) and several coalings, each followed by drying periods, minimize any flaws. Gesso is painted over a papier mache frame to "finish it off." You can buy an Instand papier mache at your craft center or make it yourself by shedding a dry pulp and mixing it with wallpaper paste and water. Mix both to a consistency of dry mashed po-taloes.

Glue a photo, picture, or original art on a piece of corrugated cardboard that Is cut Inche or larger (depending on the thickness of the frame you want) on all sides. Paint on a protective plastic-base or decoupage finish over the picture to protect it. When it comes to kids, the milk carton Is the greatest Invention ever. It Is a sturdy paper structure that every household has, that Is, unless you still get bottles delivered to your doorstep. The milk carton is a free craft item In a sense, something that Is discarded, a symbol of our throwaway society.

This simple fold out house can be eas-' llv made by kids and grownups alike, the kids can construct a village of Interesting buildings. The older folks can take the same principle and turn it into a tablctop standing case for a special collection of miniatures. 1. Cut away one side of two milk cartons (the side with the pouring spout). Tuck In the spout and cut up and across the edge where the spout begins.

2. Staple the top closed with the spout tucked inside. 3. Paint the cartons with spray paint. Add painted detail, such as, bricks, shrubbery, and flowers.

4. The windows and doors can be cut so they swing nut or can be painted on or appliqued with colored paper cut-outs. 5 A floor to fit the Inside of the container Is cut from sturdy paper, with 1 Inch extra for ifc-inch tabs on each of two opposite sides. 8. Fold the ty-inch tabs over and slip the floor Into the cartons.

Glue into place. 7. Glue wallpaper to the different floor levels, paper windows on the outside walls, and doors on the Inside walls. 8. Place the two cartons together, open sides facing each other.

Cut a "hinge" from a strip of felt the height of the carton. Glue it to the bark side of each carton, across the seam. Dry, Books to read Do not add the roof Paint brown or some other color. The Inside can be spray-painted once the shelves are in place. You can decoreale the outside with trims, beads, or decals.

To make a frame, start by applying papier mache to the area around the picture. Bring the mache slighly over the edte of the picture and over the outer edges of the cardboard. You can make a simple rounded frame or a sculptured masterpiece. A great deal of texture can be added by pushing such objects as sculptured buttons, butter molds, or screw head into the mache. Give the dried mache frame a coating or two of gesso before the final coating of paint To receive a free 32 page booklet, "Sewing with Embroidery and Lace." send your request along with a stamped, self address business-size envelope to 10.

Cut two roof shape and glue them to the top of the rontalner. You can draw shingles on the with a crayon or felt marker. 11. Start collecting miniatures for the house, adding scrap fabric rugs and accordion folded paper stairs. 12.

Create a village of craft shops, department stores, and a flrehouse. 13. To make a stand up case for miniature collections, cut away the spout as well as the side from the carton. Glue rattier than staple the top of the carton. This Is a selection of new books at the St.

Clair County Library: TALKING WITH HORSES, by Henry Blake. A man's lifetime of raising and training horses. RATNER'S STAR, by Don DeLillo. A novel of astronomers and a message from miter space. THOSE WERE THE DAYS, by Stan Flschler.

The lore of hockey LORETTA LYNN, COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, by Loretta Lvnn Memoirs of a great country music star. HOW TO BEAT THE EMPLOY MENT GAME, by David Noer. Secrets of the personnel recruiters. MESSENGERS OF GOD, by Ellezer Wiesel. Portraits of the Old Testament prophets.

Question: I nave an extensive cellec-Hon of gesse-tvpe pictures, which I in-derstand were done In the lS3(s. Are these pictures glued to hoard with a framcowrk done In paplef mache? Evelyn Mysolf. the Leisure irattman in care of the Answer; The framework is made up of Times Heralds,.