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Post by rocklicker on Feb 10, 2009 14:33:59 GMT -5
With worries about a drought here in the West, I was wondering if someone has an idea of how to save all the water you rinse your rocks with as you tumble. I figure if I can use it to water plants i'd be saving a good amount of water. I was envisioning something with a 55 gallon drum, some way to collect the sediment/used grit and a faucet to collect the water with. Has anyone ever done this? Steve
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Feb 10, 2009 14:44:30 GMT -5
Well, if you let your water settle in a 5 gal bucket then move it to the drum, you should be able to reclaim quite a bit. You'd want to decant the water out of the bucket so as not to get the sludge. I would not save the post-burnish water if you use Borax.
Chuck
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Mudshark
fully equipped rock polisher
Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. Will Rogers
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,083
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Post by Mudshark on Feb 10, 2009 18:12:50 GMT -5
Steve,What Chuck said will work fine.I posted my rock cleaning set-up in another thread here somewhere.My gritty water gets pumped out of the house into a large plastic trash can outside and the gunk settles nicely at the bottom.If I installed a faucet maybe half way down the side of the barrel I would have plenty of clean water to use over.Connrock replied to my post with a description of his own nicely engineered set-up which gives him some really clean water. Mike
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rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
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Post by rockdewd on Feb 11, 2009 17:45:13 GMT -5
My rock cleaning sink drains out into my backyard so the water goes to a good use in the thirsty high deserts of Colorado. I have been trying different methods to capture most of the grit. I took a 5 gallon bucket and drilled 1 inch holes near the top. I have a colander that fits right on top of the bucket. I then dump the barrel contents in the colander and rinse the barrel over the bucket. After 5 or 6, 12 lb barrels I have about an inch and a half of mostly grit. I scoop it out and keep it in a 1 gallon ice cream bucket. When I put an old baking sheet that has about a 1/2 inch rim around it under the bucket I trap even more grit.
I only use my barrels for rough grinding. I don't think you'll have much luck trying to capture anything finer than 60/90 grit.
Rick
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