johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Feb 16, 2016 20:16:35 GMT -5
Hello all,
I save all of my slurry from each successful stage. However, I fill countless bucketfuls of waste water while rinsing and scrubbing the rocks between stages. I have been simply dumping the water in my backyard. Having just started tumbling this winter, I have no idea what this will do to my lawn/grass. Any info/advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, John
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Feb 16, 2016 20:43:37 GMT -5
If you use borax in any of your stages that will kill grass and plants. I have a 2 ft diameter pit about a foot deep that I dump all of my waste water in and I clean it out a few times a year when it builds up with spent grit. I do not save any slurry from any of the stages. When I am tumbling 40 pounds of rock per week I go through about 15 gallons of waste water.
Chuck
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johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Feb 16, 2016 21:06:04 GMT -5
Wow, I can't imagine tumbling 40 pounds per week. I do use Borax to clean rocks between stages and during the polish stage… thank you for that info. A small pit sounds like a great idea, thanks again!
John
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victor1941
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2011
Posts: 1,983
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Post by victor1941 on Feb 16, 2016 21:47:13 GMT -5
I use the solutions that contains borax as a weed killer.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,687
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 16, 2016 22:02:16 GMT -5
I also have a small pit for waste water,plus I have a wood pile I dump it on,keeps it weed free..........
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johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Feb 16, 2016 22:21:10 GMT -5
If you use borax in any of your stages that will kill grass and plants. I have a 2 ft diameter pit about a foot deep that I dump all of my waste water in and I clean it out a few times a year when it builds up with spent grit. I do not save any slurry from any of the stages. When I am tumbling 40 pounds of rock per week I go through about 15 gallons of waste water. Chuck Just curious, Chuck… why do you not save slurry? Do you get better results using fresh water? Once again, I'm running two, 3 pound barrels at a time. Maybe running 40 pounds a week is just too much slurry to save?
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,341
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Post by quartz on Feb 17, 2016 0:59:40 GMT -5
I find a post hole about 3ft. deep a lot less mess than a pit, and easier to cover.
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Feb 17, 2016 7:17:04 GMT -5
I'm curious about how the borax affects the area around the pits/holes where slurry and waste water is poured. I know some of you have been working with rocks for years and have been using borax for years. Have any of you noticed the area around the holes showing any effects on nearby vegetation from the borax after a year or three? I'm no tree hugger but I am curious about the long term effects of this.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,179
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Post by jamesp on Feb 17, 2016 8:52:43 GMT -5
Lot of attractive rocks have some obnoxious compounds. Blues and greens are usually copper bases and will surely damage plants. 'Most' red yellow and orange rocks are iron based and serve as a micro-nutrient enhancing green growth. Silica slurry from pure agates and quartz is common clay. Pure aluminum oxide and silicon carbide surry is about the same as a common clay.
A batch of mixed rocks can be a chemical smorgasbord. Discussions on the cause of gas in a tumbler barrel are pretty much vanity without a complicated chemical analysis. Rocks containing aluminum, copper, boron and many other metal salts can be poisonous to plant life. People that cab a lot are often aware of poisonous rocks.
I dump borax free slurry on the gravel floor of my greenhouse and the gravel drive just outside. It grows plants just fine if kept moist. If not it turns into a concrete like substance.
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