djsparkles
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since June 2010
Posts: 79
|
Post by djsparkles on Jul 29, 2020 21:09:48 GMT -5
Yet another question from the insatiable thirsty for knowledge me I have heard various ways of thickening the slurry - sugar, clay, etc. Here's the question. Why thicken it? Wouldn't that cause the action to slow too much? And if thickening is a good thing (which I've seen enough people talking about it that it must be) would clay cat litter work as a suitable thickener? Thanks in advance yet again!
|
|
|
Post by pauls on Jul 29, 2020 21:18:33 GMT -5
Yes clay cat litter is OK. It is Bentonite. Be careful though a little bit of Bentonite goes a long way.
|
|
|
Post by knave on Jul 29, 2020 22:02:38 GMT -5
Gravy does 2 things. Pulls the rocks together for better grinding and reduced the clatter that could fracture weak material
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,178
|
Post by jamesp on Jul 30, 2020 8:01:48 GMT -5
Gravy does 2 things. Pulls the rocks together for better grinding and reduced the clatter that could fracture weak material Evan makes a key point. You only have on average 5 to 15 pounds of rock in a rotary for instance. They are all you have for the grinding/rubbing force. If you add a pasty stick slurry it sucks the rocks together increasing the force between them. Try rolling a rotary barrel 2/3rds of rocks and water and watch it roll down a given incline. It will probably roll. Try rolling the same barrel 2/3rds full with sticky slurry and note that it probably won't roll down the given incline. Certainly slower. Because there is way more friction between the rocks. You will notice a sharp drop in abrasive life with a slurry thickener. This is good. Simply because the grinding forces increase. As does the wear on the rocks increase. List of other reasons. lubrication, better grit suspension, better particle distribution, increased particle scavenging insuring all particles get worn. And no need to waste space in the barrel with media since the slurry protects against rock bruising.
|
|
Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
|
Post by Wooferhound on Jul 30, 2020 8:23:13 GMT -5
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,178
|
Post by jamesp on Jul 30, 2020 10:12:02 GMT -5
Funny thing Wooferhound, clay and slurry are formed in a similar fashion. All by basic rock abrasion. The clay around Atlanta is mostly composed of felspar and quartz since granite is the predominate geological surface. In Florida a lime based clay is formed from limestone. It also has silica in it due to a high amount of diatomaceous matter in the limestone. Not sure where bentonite clay comes from. Perhaps basalt.
|
|
|
Post by HankRocks on Jul 30, 2020 11:05:26 GMT -5
Funny thing Wooferhound , clay and slurry are formed in a similar fashion. All by basic rock abrasion. The clay around Atlanta is mostly composed of felspar and quartz since granite is the predominate geological surface. In Florida a lime based clay is formed from limestone. It also has silica in it due to a high amount of diatomaceous matter in the limestone. Not sure where bentonite clay comes from. Perhaps basalt. I was told that the bentonite clay deposits I have seen in the Texas Big Bend area were from volcanic ash. I have seen the same ash, I think, in Utah in association with the pits at one of the Septarian mines. My middle son ran through a foot deep bentonite(?) puddle while we were there. It dried on his legs and it was a pain to get off, both for me and him.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,178
|
Post by jamesp on Jul 30, 2020 15:23:57 GMT -5
Hairy Texas legs may not have helped that situation HankRocks. It is the stickiest goo on earth.
|
|