hsnopi
off to a rocking start
"So, I have a bag of rocks. Now what?"
Member since June 2010
Posts: 18
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Post by hsnopi on Jun 24, 2010 9:03:43 GMT -5
is there such a thing as eco grit? It seems, i dunno, wasteful to just dump all the grit. Not even sure where i would do that.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jun 24, 2010 9:15:08 GMT -5
If you have a yard, the old grit slurry is actually good for your plants as it is loaded with minerals ground from the rocks. Don't dump borax though.
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Jun 24, 2010 9:27:25 GMT -5
No ecogrit, per se.
I thought sludge is alkaline, so it kills grass / plants and it hard on the skin?
If your in the city, dry it and put it in the trash (like latex paint).
You can save it and run it as an in between grit on problem stones that you have to reload several times, and as a starter to get a batch going.
Dr Joe
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jun 24, 2010 10:58:46 GMT -5
I dump my slurry in a compost pile. The grit has usually broken down to mud by that point. Silicon Carbide is a naturally occurring mineral (although somewhat rare), and of course the minerals from the ground rocks are natural.
I would only be concerned with borax (as John said) or potentially poisonous/carcinogenic minerals (like malachite or asbestos).
Chuck
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snuffy
Cave Dweller 
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Jun 24, 2010 11:26:32 GMT -5
I just pour out the barrels on my garden beds, hasnt hurt my tomatoes yet, in fact where I've dumped the most, the plants seem to be the best.
snuffy
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Post by rockrookie on Jun 24, 2010 11:31:32 GMT -5
i just carry it off into the woods along with used motor oil , anti-freeze old TV & air conditioners .and tires & old Shingles .
JUST KIDDING !!! please don't send the tree huggers .
i do pour my slurry and rinse water in a gravel pile next to my parking area .
--paul
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Peter
having dreams about rocks
Member since May 2009
Posts: 51
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Post by Peter on Jun 24, 2010 18:25:40 GMT -5
I let mine settle out in buckets, with the help of a swimming pool chemical that flocks/drops out the particulate, keep pouring out the clear water, more grit...... I must have 500# of mixed grit, saw rock dust. It's free if anyone wants it. Or maybe one day I'll make a 1000Lb tumbler and have the grit for it.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Jun 25, 2010 9:32:35 GMT -5
Grit may not be suitable for garden flowers depending on what kind of rocks you are tumbling. The Silicon Carbide grit is inert. However, Aluminum Oxide polish may be linked to Alzheimers. That's why many old rockhounds can't remeber the names of their rocks anymore, or remeber where they put them!
All kidding aside, many rocks contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, etc. Heavy metals are persistent (they don't break down) and bio-accumulate (they keep adding up little by little). Most heavy metals will be taken up by plants (to the point of acute toxicity), and humans truly are what they eat. I would be cautious about disposing of grit around any edible crops.
Darryl.
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Nov 15, 2024 17:44:51 GMT -5
Nov 15, 2024 17:44:51 GMT -5
