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Post by Rockindad on Jan 28, 2019 22:29:04 GMT -5
The more we are getting into tumbling the more we are liking it, except for one thing- the bucket brigade up the stairs to the outside. We are stationed in the basement and are currently building workbenches, shelves, adding receptacles, lights, etc. to have a dedicated area for our new hobby. I am planning to add a cleaning station to eliminate the need to carry everything outside, the temps are going to be highs of single digits to negatives this week plus heavy wind (not to mention the two feet of snow already on the ground)- no hosing outside!
I plan on having a good size sink that will drain into a barrel in which the majority of the sediment will settle. This will drain into a second barrel via an overflow effect that will hold the "clean" water. A pump will be installed in the second barrel a few inches above the bottom and will run off of a switch that can be turned on after a settling period (likely the next day or when we are working there again). The pump will connect to piping run through the basement wall and dump into a discreet place in a garden bed behind a small tree.
Does anyone have a similar setup? Pros/Cons welcome.
Thanks, Al
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Post by fernwood on Jan 29, 2019 4:53:20 GMT -5
Like the concept.
Might take a lot of water to ensure no slurry remains in the drain.
Will the outside pipe be used in winter? If so, will it be heated?
What type of pump? The "clean" water may contain some debris that could cause problems. The pumping action could stir up the debris that settles to the bottom.
Pure slurry is a great fertilizer. If you use any type of soap, especially Borax, it will kill some plants.
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Post by Rockindad on Jan 29, 2019 7:42:53 GMT -5
Like the concept. Might take a lot of water to ensure no slurry remains in the drain. Will the outside pipe be used in winter? If so, will it be heated? What type of pump? The "clean" water may contain some debris that could cause problems. The pumping action could stir up the debris that settles to the bottom. Pure slurry is a great fertilizer. If you use any type of soap, especially Borax, it will kill some plants. 1. There is no traditional drain- everything goes into the first barrel via a short piece of straight pipe off of the strainer assembly. 2. It will absolutely be used during the winter months. Heat trace and /or heavy pitch in the pipe. It will be hidden by landscaping so I could have a really heavy pitch without worrying about aesthetics. Backflow preventer or ball valve will be located inside so there would be no standing water left in the pipe outside anyway. 3. Have not decided whether I will use a nicer pump that can handle small particles or just use a cheap one that won't hurt so much if/when it dies. Either would be hooked up with a quick disconnect so that it could be flushed with real clean water occasionally. One other consideration is that everything will be easily removable for a more thorough cleaning when the weather breaks. Still in the imagining stage now, just fishing for any other ideas I may not have thought about or potential pitfalls. Thanks for your comments! Al
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Post by fernwood on Jan 29, 2019 7:51:59 GMT -5
Sounds good to me, but this is my first winter trying to tumble and use alternative water/slurry discharge methods.
I do rumbling and cleanouts in my uninsulated, but heated utility room, in the house. Temps there are now in the upper 30's. I have a sink that connects to an outside pipe. After clean outs, I run about 5 to 10 minutes of water to flush the pipes. There is an elbow in the sink pipes. Another 2 elbows outside. Once slurry/water goes through the last outside elbow, there is an inclined run to the back yard.
Hoping others will chime in.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 29, 2019 8:25:03 GMT -5
I made an outdoor sink with Grit Recovery that work a little like you are suggesting. The sink drained into a small tub where anything bigger than powder settled and was later dried then recovered for use in Stage 1 tumbles. I could put a colander in there to recover the beads too. This small tub did not allow for a long settling period and if the overflow water was allowed to dry, it would form a loose crumbly mudcake. Sometimes I would not empty the overflow bucket for s few days and the water would clear up enough to see the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket. So as long as you let it settle for a coupla days, and did not stir it up, and did not place the pump intake at the bottom of the overflow barrel, you should be fine.
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gatorflash1
spending too much on rocks
Active in Delaware Mineralogical Society, Cabchon Grinding and Polishing, 2 Thumlers B's and a UV-18
Member since October 2018
Posts: 375
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Post by gatorflash1 on Jan 29, 2019 8:59:33 GMT -5
My Easy Two Bucket Winter Cleaning Station Process -
I've been dodging Jack Frost and his friends by using two of the big orange 5 gal. buckets you can get from Home Depot for not much. All my winter tumbling and cleaning happens in the basement. Here is how I clean up at the end of a stage. This is for a rotary 15 lb. Thumler's Tumbler Model B. These 5 gal. buckets are big so it doesn't take much hauling to empty and refill them as needed.
I first dump all the rocks and slurry out of my tumbler barrel into and through two stacked strainers,colanders positioned over the first of the large orange HD buckets.
Then I fill the 2nd clean orange HD Bucket and pour some of the clean water into the empty, but dirty, tumbler barrel and clean out any remaining slurry, dumping the remaining tumbler barrel contents into the now dirty 1st large HD bucket. This step is repeated until the tumbler barrel is clean. I don't get crazy at this step if I'm going to repeat the stage I just finished since I will not be changing to a finer grit size.
Then I refill the 2nd orange HD bucket with more clean water and pour it over the rocks sitting in the strainers still positioned on top of the 1st dirty HD bucket, which is now holding about 99% of the slurry from the tumbler barrel and the slurry from the rocks and strainer.
Then I take the rocks in the strainers off the 1st bucket and I then pour all this slurry from the 1st HD bucket into my large backyard mulch pile of leaves, dirt, fireplace ash. etc. By this time the slurry is very liquid and it blends right into the mulch pile. I don't save the grit because it is by now very well broken down and it is not useful any more for future stages.
Then I wash out the 1st large HD bucket real good and pour out the dirty water contents into the mulch pile again.
Lastly I put the 99% washed clean stones into one of the big clean HD orange buckets filled with water. I then take them out one at a time, clean them with tooth brush and cloth as needed and let them dry on an old towel before sorting them for the next stage. This step takes the most time by far.
This Basement Cleaning process is not as easy as using the garden hose in the summer in the back yard to do the barrel and rock cleaning, but it works, which is all that counts. And it doesn't take much longer than it does to explain the whole process.
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Post by Rockindad on Jan 29, 2019 11:39:31 GMT -5
I made an outdoor sink with Grit Recovery that work a little like you are suggesting. The sink drained into a small tub where anything bigger than powder settled and was later dried then recovered for use in Stage 1 tumbles. I could put a colander in there to recover the beads too. This small tub did not allow for a long settling period and if the overflow water was allowed to dry, it would form a loose crumbly mudcake. Sometimes I would not empty the overflow bucket for s few days and the water would clear up enough to see the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket. So as long as you let it settle for a coupla days, and did not stir it up, and did not place the pump intake at the bottom of the overflow barrel, you should be fine. Very similar to what i had in mind for the first part.
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speedgoat
off to a rocking start
When you don't know what to be, Be Kind.
Member since December 2020
Posts: 7
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Post by speedgoat on Jan 24, 2021 21:08:32 GMT -5
Do you have pictures of your basement clean up spot?
I’m looking to do something and amd always open to ideas
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reeniebeany
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rotary Only
Member since January 2020
Posts: 125
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Post by reeniebeany on Jan 24, 2021 21:43:18 GMT -5
Trash pumps are made to use with dirty water, they might be less sensitive to the grit and sand.
The benches are a great, back savers too. I am envious of those with a drain that doesn't go to the house plumbing. I would be happy to have one that goes outside to a bucket.
I can rinse and stuff in the laundry room, but then I have to schlep the water outside without dribbling. Or crouch with a hose in a designated dumping part of the yard.
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