lilacmoth
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2015
Posts: 160
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Post by lilacmoth on Jun 20, 2015 2:44:18 GMT -5
I've been running my little tumbler in my apartment, and to avoid a huge mess, I wash the rocks in a bucket, which I then put outside to water my potted plants. I then let the bucket dry out outside and throw the resulting mud into the garbage. This works well for the first and second stage slurry but what do I do with the pre-polish and final polish water? Since the rocks don't get formed anymore at that stage, is it safe to dumpthat water down the drain? The polish is incredibly fine and sticky and leaves my hands and strainer and just everything it touches covered in a fine, white film that is near impossible to wash off. It would make my life so much easier if I could just dump that stuff and wash everything with soap instead of trying to catch it in the bucket.
How do you dispose of the slurry?
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Jun 20, 2015 4:37:08 GMT -5
Slurry is basically clay. Water plants grow great in either. You can grow a water plant in a 3-10 gallon pot with no holes and pour the slurry in the pot. Unless you are using Borax/sugar/soap the plant will do fine. Actually just the Borax. Suggested water plants: Thalia, pickerel, dwarf cattails, Sagittarius, young cypress, yellow flag iris, Louisiana iris, arrow arum, rushes, etc. I pour lots off slurry off on the gravel floor of my greenhouse and these plants germinate in it. Research 'constructed wetlands'. You can walk down to the local swamp and pluck up a plant growing in the water. Wetland/water plants grow fine in mine waste/sewage/nitrate pollution/animal process waste/soaps and a bunch of other much nastier stuff LOL. Healthy Orontium Aquaticum (golden club) for example from seed in red clay with a lot of slurry dumped in it, being divided for larger pots: The garbanzo sized seeds still visible at the base of the seedlings: Seed stock planting in bloom, Orontium: Last week, seeds set, must collect. Before the ducks discover them. Nick named 'duck corn'.
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Post by orrum on Jun 20, 2015 5:31:10 GMT -5
Cool blooms!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Jun 20, 2015 6:19:25 GMT -5
it is an arum orrum. Arumorrumarumorrum- get it Bill ? LOL. Most arums have a 'spathe' (white cloak below in photo). Golden club is naked spathless arum. It has no shame. A nudest colony. Which reminds me, those yellow things are now covered with garbonzo bean sized seeds and I got to go swimming to collect them. To be planted for next years crop. Another view at dusk of golden club in pond at lower right of photo. water 3 feet deep. Apologies for the hijack lilacmoth
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Post by Peruano on Jun 20, 2015 7:04:18 GMT -5
I like JamesP's answer, but I'll give you the simple one. Dump it on the ground. I know a Pinon Pine that loves that stuff too. As James said (no Borax - toxic to plants). If you don't like seeing the white residue on the ground, dig a hole and pour the water in the hole and cover the hole until the next time. I have a deep sink setting against my workshop (unplumbed, with a bucket under the drain). Everything is rinsed there, and the bucket emptied when needed on the most needy tree in my yard. With your rainfall you should see the white residue wash away pretty rapidly (unless you live in the country club section where yards must be neat, and then you do it all in the backyard). Tom
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Post by captbob on Jun 20, 2015 9:02:00 GMT -5
Short easy answer...
You rent. Flush it down the toilet. Flush a couple times. Problem gone.
Might not do that if I owned the place.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Jun 20, 2015 9:28:26 GMT -5
I believe snuffy grows tomatoes in slurry. They may grind his teeth flat...
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Jun 20, 2015 9:46:10 GMT -5
I dig a hole near the grape vines in my yard.........Dump away...
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Post by adam on Jun 20, 2015 10:59:39 GMT -5
lol captbob that's dirty but I do it often too. ha
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lilacmoth
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2015
Posts: 160
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Post by lilacmoth on Jun 21, 2015 3:26:47 GMT -5
Last time I dumped the polish water into one of my pots it took for.ev.er. to disappear! Well, I changed a pre-polish barrel today and just dumped the water down the sink, followed by lots more water. Should be fine, I think. It didn't feel like there was any actual mud from the rocks, just some liquid polish. In any case, we're looking for a house to buy as we speak so we won't be here long enough to ruin the plumbing! lol
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Jun 21, 2015 6:31:12 GMT -5
Last time I dumped the polish water into one of my pots it took for.ev.er. to disappear! Well, I changed a pre-polish barrel today and just dumped the water down the sink, followed by lots more water. Should be fine, I think. It didn't feel like there was any actual mud from the rocks, just some liquid polish. In any case, we're looking for a house to buy as we speak so we won't be here long enough to ruin the plumbing! lol There is not much slurry mud in polish lilac. 500 and 1000 steps either. It is the coarse grind that makes so much mud that threatens drains. If you were running a bunch of big tumblers it would be another story.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Jun 21, 2015 8:55:57 GMT -5
Very inspirational photos, James.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Jun 21, 2015 9:56:22 GMT -5
Very inspirational photos, James. if you saw the gravel floor of the greenhouse next to the big tumblers you would smile. About a 20 foot strip is concreted with slurry.
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Post by captbob on Jun 21, 2015 10:57:09 GMT -5
I'd still use a toilet before the sink. The toilet has a much bigger pipe going out than a sink thus harder to clog than the smaller sink drain pipe. Plus, you're releasing a lot more water in a quickness to flush your polish away in a toilet than just running the sink faucet.
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Post by Peruano on Jun 21, 2015 13:46:37 GMT -5
I agree with the big hole strategy (toilet). Its trap is flushed clean as opposed to sink traps that may act as a sediment sump and eventual problem. But seriously scatter that stuff where you won't track it into the house and it will be a good soil additive. If you really need to mask its presence, dress it with a few coffee grounds. The trees and shrubs near our lapidary shop get about 5 gallons of rock sediment (mostly water) every day or so and they don't mind the event a bit. Tom
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chassroc
Cave Dweller
Rocks are abundant when you have rocktumblinghobby pals
Member since January 2005
Posts: 3,586
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Post by chassroc on Jun 21, 2015 15:56:27 GMT -5
In addition, polish can be reused. Save it in a jar and use for the next batch.
I like saving some of the old slurry from other grits to jump start the creation of slurry
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riverrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2010
Posts: 1,395
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Post by riverrock on Jun 23, 2015 19:24:17 GMT -5
Yes save your polish . Get a large bucket. Put your strainer on it and pour you water over your rocks. Let the polish and water sit for a bit. And the polish will settle at the bottom and empty the water out of the bucket.
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riverrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2010
Posts: 1,395
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Post by riverrock on Jun 23, 2015 19:27:19 GMT -5
By a bit I mean a few days.
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