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Post by Cher on Aug 20, 2004 1:59:06 GMT -5
I know it's a big no-no to dump the slurry down the drain so what do you do with it? I'm going to pick up a couple of 5 gal buckets but I'm really wondering if that will be enough. (I'm thinking over the winter months.) Somewhere I read that it sets like cement, maybe I could patch my driveway with it. Cher pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/mutley-ani1.gif [/img]
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Post by sandsman1 on Aug 20, 2004 2:04:10 GMT -5
cher i save my gallon milk jugs i use a strainer inside a funnel and dump in there let it settle a day or so and pour off the clear water when it gets a 1/4 or so full of sludge i just screw on lid and put in the trash
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ebechan
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2004
Posts: 23
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Post by ebechan on Aug 20, 2004 5:34:09 GMT -5
couldn't you just dump it on the ground? wouldn't the minerals help the soil?
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Post by connrock on Aug 20, 2004 8:20:51 GMT -5
Unfortunately the slurry is part of tumbling and it can be a problem. I do the same as sands only i use 1 gallon paint cans(i have a lot of them). The problem is that you never get all of the slurry out of the barrel and off of the rocks by just pouring it into a container.You still have to wash the rocks and barrels out. I have set up a 3 step bucket system.The buckets are on a wooden shelf type affair that look just like a set of stairs with the bottom bucket on the floor,the second barrel on the first step and overhanging the bottom bucket and the third bucket a step above the second. After draing the slurry into the paint can I rinse off the rocks and barrels in a large plastic container that fits in my laundry sink.I try to use as little water as possible by swooshing the rocks around in the container. I then pour the rocks and dirty water through a colander which is set on an old refridgerator shelf that sits on top of the top bucket.I pour about 1 quart of clean water over the rocks which rinses off the rest of the slurry off of the rocks. When the top bucket is almost full and the slurry has setteled to the bottom I siphon the water into the second bucket.When the second bucket is almost full I siphon it into the bottom bucket,let it settle and then put it on top of another grate which is on top of the laundry sink and siphon the water into the sink. I've made a little rig for easy siphoning which has a float to keep the plastic siphon tube from taking water and slurry from the bottom. Why do I go through all of this trouble just to rinse off my rocks? SOAP,,,,, We all put soap in our tumbling barrels.If we just dump or wash it into the ground after a while we have created our own little place on earth that we have personally contaminated!! You may think this is a little radical but if you consider that I'm running 7 tumblers all the time I DO have a LOT of soapy slurry and water to get rid of. Now consider how many tumblers there are going round and round in this Country!! Just my thoughts,,,,,,,,, Tom
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Aug 20, 2004 8:42:02 GMT -5
Hey Tom, I use a similar setup. Most of the year here it's too bad to go outside to clean my rocks anyway, so I do it in my basement. I use gallon milk jugs like John and settle in stages with the final dump down the drain. The nice thing about outdoors is that you can use water with reckless abandon, while indoors, using too much water can be a real pain since it all has to be captured and settled out.
Ron
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Post by connrock on Aug 20, 2004 9:29:00 GMT -5
Hi Ron, I've been toying with the idea of making a centrifical washer/rinser for a while now. Kinda like a mini washing machine with a plastic tub but it's still in the "thinking" stage!! LOL I know exactly what you mean about excess water especially in the winter months.I've lowered my water consumption considerablly by using a spray I made. It's a spray jet from an oil lube system used on big drives where the oil is sprayed onto the gears.They come in different orfices so I made mine with the smallest one.I hooked it up to my cold water line.It has a piece of garden hose and a fitting to reduce the size from the hoses 5/8"ID to a female 1/8"NPT which the spray nozzle is connected.I have a well and my max pressure runs 40 PSI to 60 PSI so the little spray really does a nice job of rinsing with a minimal amount of water. I have made so many little contraptions for the hobby you wouldn't believe!! I think I like to do that as much as I do lapidary!!I'm always making something "better" then it was!! I couldn't stand that black crap you get on the tumbler roller bearings from the oil and bearing wear.The rollers are made of steel and the bearings are just some sort of nylon and the oil makes a real mess. I fooled around with different ideas and materials to stop the "mess" and after 3 years I finally did it!! I also found a way to eliminate the plastic barrel guides on the Thumlers Model B which were another pet peeve of mine. The "fixes" work fine but they still look like an experiment gone wild!! LOL When,or should I say if,I ever get them to look like something someone did on purpose I'll take pix of them and post them,,,,,but don't hold your breath!! LOL I love to "tinker" and sometimes I actually come up with a good idea or method that makes life a little easier in the rock shop. I don't know where the time goes when I'm down there but as they say,,,,,,,,,, Time flys when your havin' fun !! ;D Tom
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Post by rockyraccoon on Aug 20, 2004 11:07:37 GMT -5
i save the tidy cat buckets and my colander fits perfectly when i lift the lid. i have a little cart that attaches to the 4-wheeler and drive them around to a ditch and dump them when they are full. or if i'm in a hurry sometimes they get dumped around those holly bushes i hate. when they sludge build up gets to the point that it's making the bucket too heavy to tote around i put it in the back of my husbands truck to go to the dumpster. with 3 cats i always have more of these buckets. our vet asked me the other day why i had all those tidy cat buckets lined up outside.
kim
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Post by docone31 on Aug 20, 2004 11:27:31 GMT -5
I am pretty lucky. I had a gravel driveway and I do not really tumble on a large scale. I was replacing my sink, drain, and faucets so I thought I would just see what happened when I poured my slurry into the drain. Nothing. I do not mean I poured one batch, I poured into the drain for over a year. What little was in the elbow rinsed out with water. It made me go hmmmm. It is not like concrete, it will heavy sludge out, but it powders really easily. I also dumped it under a drain spout. I did not see any vegetation change, nor discolour. I just toss it out now.
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Post by creativeminded on Aug 20, 2004 12:07:57 GMT -5
I use a Schwan 2 1/2 gallon ice cream bucket to strain my rocks. I noticed that when I let the slurry at the bottom dry out and put some more water in the bucket it did a snap and crackle sound and became slurry again, now I wouldn't dump it down a drain that goes to an up-pump because it could collect on the ball that stops back wash. Before we got our new yard I would just dump it in the yard without any effect, however, now that we have just layed down new sod I might just wait for it to settle and then pour the clear water in my tomato pot and if I can't do that or it is still muddy and I need the container I will dump it in the street with all the sprinkler systems we have around our neighborhood it will get washed away. Tami
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Post by Cher on Aug 20, 2004 13:12:40 GMT -5
Hmmm this is all very interesting. I guess my best bet is to just pour it out in the alley. It's dirt so I guess it won't hurt it too much. It's good to know that it "settles" and you can pour off the water on top. Should be able to make it through the winter then, just need to pick up a few buckets. Can't use milk jugs, have to save the covers for the school. Thanks all, Cher
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shorty
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2003
Posts: 392
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Post by shorty on Aug 20, 2004 16:19:19 GMT -5
;D ;D i throw myne in the drive some day i will have a complete cement drive done. shorty
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Post by cookie3rocks on Aug 20, 2004 18:18:57 GMT -5
Sometimes I go out the front door to the right, sometimes to the left. Same with my back door and balconey. I thank Mother Nature for her gifts and give it back. I start in 220, so when I rinse the rocks individualy (I always do) that just goes down the drain, the water running continuously till I'm done. 600 and up gets alot of water added, running water, and goes down the drain. We are trying to get a replacement for grass in the yard (too steep and rocky to mow, have to weed eat) so it OK by me if the grass dies. Sometimes I take take the whole thing to the carwash and pressure clean it. Like Shorty, maybe we'll have a concrete yard eventualy ;D
cookie
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deepsouth
fully equipped rock polisher
He who rocks last rocks best
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,256
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Post by deepsouth on Aug 20, 2004 22:04:31 GMT -5
I get rid of my slush in the garden , never mind the plants...they're still all alive since I started late december. A bit tricky washing rocks on frosty mornings as my garden hose is not letting any water trhough ;D ;D It has not killed my new lawn either, so no worries in that field.
This morning's frost was not bad , just a white lawn and farmland all around. We had a better one a few days ago , still nothing like you get in the real colder areas of this world. I will not try letting it all go down the sink, hate to have problems with the sewer system.
Have fun
Jack
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dogparkmom
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2004
Posts: 19
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Post by dogparkmom on Aug 20, 2004 23:36:15 GMT -5
This is an interesting thread for someone who is not yet tumbling. You guys are going to teach me a lot.
Has anyone tried a salad spinner for rinsing rocks? I imagine it will not hold much weight at a time, but could be used for smaller polished stones. The centrifugal effect would quickly send the grit to the bottom or sides of the spinner, away from the rocks in the basket. I wonder if it could cut down on the water use? Nancy
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Post by Cher on Aug 21, 2004 1:31:39 GMT -5
I have one of those too and was wondering the same thing Nancy. My mil gave it to me and I'm sure she'll never know it was delegated to the rocks. hehehehe I also picked up one of those 2.5 gal jugs that you pump the top and it wizzes all over. I bought if or my plants but it never made it upstairs. It's got an adjustable nozzle and one that works like a flat fan spray. Bet that thing would be slick for washing off rocks in a colander or salad spinner. Wouldn't take much water either. You guys be good tomorrow (Sat) now, I'll be gone doing the dirty job of partay partay partay and it's an all nighter. Hope we don't get frost again, after two nights of it, I'm dang tired of the cold already and winter is just starting. (Apparently we are completely skipping fall) Cher
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Post by Nancy W on Aug 21, 2004 21:13:06 GMT -5
I dump my slurry down gopher holes and ground squirrel holes. These rodents create so many holes in our pasture I don't want our horses to break their legs. I hope these holes turn to concrete soon. My slurry has always found a home in the yard and nothing has ever died. Nancy Willson
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Post by cookie3rocks on Aug 21, 2004 22:52:13 GMT -5
Someone else mentioned putting slurry down gopher holes, not a bad idea. They may get mad, but there's a whole lot of other places to live!
cookie
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RedwoodRocks
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 762
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Post by RedwoodRocks on Aug 24, 2004 0:28:31 GMT -5
I was the one with the moles or gophers. Actually, it was only one mole. As best as I can tell the tunnel goes under the driveway.
At least I won't have any crazy moles chasing after me!
My kids did find a skunk under the deck today. My daughter that it was a kitten and my son thought it was a puppy. That is.... until they noticed the white stripe on its back. They then ran upstairs screaming for mom.
The things I miss while at work.....
The mole man Cal
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Aug 24, 2004 0:50:22 GMT -5
A pole kitty! That's what my dad called them. PHEW-WHEE do they stink!
I clean my rocks out behind the RV with the hose. Sometimes I use buckets, sometimes not. I just put the barrel on the ground at a slant and start spraying it with the high pressure nozzle thingy. I turn the barrel and keep spraying til the water runs clear. I can't see that it's hurt anything. No grass back there - just cedar trees and weeds. Course, when winter comes, it's back to the buckets in the kitchen sink!
Have given thought to digging a hole back there to pour it in, but never got further than just thinking about it.
llana
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