Hobbies And Interests
Shovels and Hoes
Tim Sheffler of Sheffler's Rock Shop, in the magazine Rural Missouri, dispels a common misconception. "A lot of people come here expecting them [geodes] to be laying all over but it does not happen that way. You have to dig them. It's...hard rock mining." The Rock Pick Legend Co. suggests the use of round point shovels, hoes, and a garden trowel when you begin digging for geodes. These tools make it easier to penetrate the ground and get down to the geode beds. Rockhounds -- amateur rock and mineral collectors -- use the hoe to break up large clumps of dirt in or near the geode bed. Small trowels are helpful when you have reached a source and a smaller amount of dirt remains to be removed.
Picks and Crowbars
Once you have reached rock that could be a source of geodes, you will need other tools for digging. You need chisels, picks and crow bars or wrecking bars when digging for geodes. Discovering geodes always depends on the removing and removal of dirt and rocks. Crow bars or wrecking bars are invaluable for removing or leveraging large chunks of rock. Chisels and picks are used for a more precise chipping away of large, useless chunks of rock from the desired specimen before removing it from the ground.
Hammers and Chisels
Hammers and picks play an integral roll in digging for geodes once the specimens have been collected. Picks are used to chip away excess stone from the outside of the geode specimen. Hammers are then used for cracking open the geode. Though inexperienced diggers think tools are interchangeable, Geo-Tools has found that the shape and the heft of the hammer make a world of difference to the entire process. The Rock Pick Legend Co. recommends a rock hammer with a sheath. A regular construction hammer will not work because it's made out of wood and steel. Rockhounds need special hammers made entirely of steel that will not break easily. This makes them safer for use. Storing the hammer in a sheath, at your waist, will prevent the hammer from getting lost.