Post by andyiii on May 29, 2024 17:37:53 GMT -5
Hello folks! I was about to start a new thread titled "When do I use plastic pellets vs. ceramics?" but I saw this and thought I'd pile on here. I have some of each (plastic and ceramic) but now I see all this conflicting info on what to use and when.
In the past, I've used the plastic pellets in stages 2, 3, and 4 but never stage 1. I always just kept adding rocks to stage 1 and pulling out "readies" each week, which I'd put in water (don't let them dry out, I'm told) until I had enough "readies" to move on to stage 2. Recently, I had a batch that was limited in size so I just started filling it out each week with pebbles from my landscaping (mostly granite river pebbles). Now that that batch has moved to stage 2, I saved those pebbles in a bag labeled "stage 1 filler" for future use since they are already clean and ground down smooth, but may be contaminated with stage 1 grit.
I just bought a few pounds of small-medium ceramics because I've seen/read folks stating that they are better for the final polish (stage 4). I haven't used any yet, and now wonder whether to use them in stages 3 and 4 or just stage 4...
Meanwhile, I was up on the Lake Ontario shoreline rockhunting a few days ago and came upon one of those areas where Mother Nature has piled a bunch of very similar sized, cleaned and nicely rounded small pebbles in one spot - so I brought a bag of that home to use as media also - similar to aquarium gravel but FREE lol.
What do ya'll think about using:
a) plastic pellets in stage 2
b) natural pebbles in stage 3
3) ceramics in stage 4
?
Thanks,
Andy III
In the past, I've used the plastic pellets in stages 2, 3, and 4 but never stage 1. I always just kept adding rocks to stage 1 and pulling out "readies" each week, which I'd put in water (don't let them dry out, I'm told) until I had enough "readies" to move on to stage 2. Recently, I had a batch that was limited in size so I just started filling it out each week with pebbles from my landscaping (mostly granite river pebbles). Now that that batch has moved to stage 2, I saved those pebbles in a bag labeled "stage 1 filler" for future use since they are already clean and ground down smooth, but may be contaminated with stage 1 grit.
I just bought a few pounds of small-medium ceramics because I've seen/read folks stating that they are better for the final polish (stage 4). I haven't used any yet, and now wonder whether to use them in stages 3 and 4 or just stage 4...
Meanwhile, I was up on the Lake Ontario shoreline rockhunting a few days ago and came upon one of those areas where Mother Nature has piled a bunch of very similar sized, cleaned and nicely rounded small pebbles in one spot - so I brought a bag of that home to use as media also - similar to aquarium gravel but FREE lol.
What do ya'll think about using:
a) plastic pellets in stage 2
b) natural pebbles in stage 3
3) ceramics in stage 4
?
Thanks,
Andy III
