Holiday Orders: We recommend placing gift orders prior to December 16th to avoid shipping delays. If you need it sooner, email us at info@minershop.com to inquire about faster shipping options.

MinerShop Blog

Welcome to the MinerShop blog. We write about pretty much anything that sparks our interest. We've sorted our articles into the categories below.

A Detailed Overview of Fluorescent Mineral Displays

A Detailed Overview of Fluorescent Mineral Displays

You’ve got this great collection of fluorescent minerals, how can you show it off? Build a display! A well-designed fluorescent mineral display can really accentuate and add to any décor space you may have. It’s a great way to allow anyone to appreciate the hobby. You can build your own display at home using some simple cabinetry and a good UV display light (and don’t forget a UV filtering clear front panel for safety as any UV escaping from the cabinet is harmful to eyes and skin). Here are some great displays from some of our fluorescent mineral group members to gather some ideas.
Read more
A large display of fluorescent minerals

Displaying Fluorescent Minerals

A fluorescent mineral display will allow others to view the results of your hobby and marvel at its wonders. The presentation can be as complex or as simple as you want. 
Read more
DIY: Converting a Work Light into a Portable Short Wave Lamp

DIY: Converting a Work Light into a Portable Short Wave Lamp

I'm not sure how many people have built the 18 watt SW conversion from Mark Cole's plans on MinerShop, but if you did or intend to do so, here's mine I've finally completed. 
Read more
Fluorescent Mineral Light

DIY 9-Watt Field Lamp

The instructions on this page are for a 9-watt lamp.
Read more
diy portable sw UV light

DIY 35W Portable Shortwave UV Light

A DIY guide for an excellent 35W SW field lamp.
Read more
Lighting Controls - Automatically Cycle Longwave, Shortwave, Midwave, and White light in your Display

Lighting Controls - Automatically Cycle Longwave, Shortwave, Midwave, and White light in your Display

Over the years I've had requests for lighting controllers that would allow us to remotely control our different wavelength lights.
Read more
Fluorescent UV light

Building Your Own Transilluminators - DIY

Rough instructions on how to upgrade your own transilluminator

Read more
A fluorescent light for UV minerals

Transilluminators - Overview

A "transilluminator" typically has 15W MW bulbs installed (312/302nm). Some have 6 bulbs, some have 4. So far, almost every unit I have come across has Hoya U325c glass (SW glass).
Read more
Fluorescent Ballast Selection

Ballasts to drive fluorescent bulbs/tubes

Our UV lights are mostly based on fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs require a special ballast to operate. We always recommend Fulham ballasts.
Read more
.ezsd-arrows .ezsd-arrows_arrow { position: relative !important; padding: 0; height: 100%; pointer-events: all; opacity: 0.9; background-color: white !important; }