[meteorite-list] cleaning Millbillillie ?

[tett]

I now have a much deeper appreciation for Millbillillie.

I will not attempt cleaning and will reflect on the "subtle" beauty these 
meteorites have.

Many Thanks!

Mike


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alexander Seidel" <gsac at gmx.net>
To: "tett" <tett at rogers.com>; <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>; 
<bobl at peaktopeak.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 11:24 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] cleaning Millbillillie ?



>> I agree that there is a special characteristic that would be lost if the

>> red staining were to be removed from a Millbillillie individual. 

>> However,

>> it is also great to have meteorites pristine with no terrestrial 

>> alteration.

>> The priciest Millbillillies are those that with dark black glassy crusts.

>

> No, a meteorite like Millbillillie should be looked at in a much more 

> subtle way!

>

> It fell in 1960, and was collected no earlier than 10 years later! Talking 

> about

> Millbillillie is exciting in many respects, as it e. g. displays different 

> textures on

> cut slices, but talking about exterior surface, I would always prefer a 

> piece with

> natural (laterite) patina over a piece which was somehow "cleaned" (..if 

> this were

> possible..) or has only got some more or less glossy black crust alone 

> rather than

> the brownish-reddish surface stains that are so very *typical* for this 

> meteorite,

> and are part of its "character", so to say...!

>

> You are right insofar as, when we are talking about may be fresh Eucrites 

> or fresh

> Howardites, we are looking and longing for fresh glossy black crust in the 

> first place,

> as will be the case with e. g. the early collected pieces of a historical 

> fall like Stannern,

> or some rare other finds and falls, but things are a quite a bit different 

> with a fall like

> Millbillillie, even if it occured as late as 1960, considered a "fresh" 

> fall....

>

> Well, nothing but my two (Euro-)Cents,

> Alex

> Berlin/Germany

>

>

>