Thumper171
New member
The ones that look simalar are from the same mold so if I need some round pieces to fill in, I can epoxy two of them together to make one round one. I mike make a new batch in the next day or two cuz I need some arches.
The Ultimate DIY Rocks!
- Thread starter Travis L. Stevens
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The ones that look simalar are from the same mold so if I need some round pieces to fill in, I can epoxy two of them together to make one round one. I mike make a new batch in the next day or two cuz I need some arches.
Thumper171
New member
I'd trade you for some smaller ones........ My hammer arm got real tired
adnup
New member
I think this was covered somewhere in this post but speeding up the curing process is a hot topic for me. I had a batch of rock in a river behind reefrubble's house for a month. The PH was still off the charts, so I've been doing the w/c everyother day method. Which wasn't lowering the PH too quickly. So in the last week or so I've been adding a cup of vinegar each time. This has seemed to speed up the curing.
My question is how much vinegar can or should I be adding?
I have another batch in the river and another batch waiting to cure. this third batch I want to try using the vinegar to really speed things up.
I'm in a hurry :beer: right Travis!
My question is how much vinegar can or should I be adding?
I have another batch in the river and another batch waiting to cure. this third batch I want to try using the vinegar to really speed things up.
I'm in a hurry :beer: right Travis!
Are we using the term "curing" to describe the actual hardening of the cement, or the time it takes the pH to quit climbing?
Also, what about those solid blocks of salt? Put one in a sack and smash it with a sledge and you'd have some chunks of various different sizes and shapes. That might look interesting.
And Harbour Freight has a cement mixer for about $200.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=31979
Not sure if everybody has one close to them or not.
Also, what about those solid blocks of salt? Put one in a sack and smash it with a sledge and you'd have some chunks of various different sizes and shapes. That might look interesting.
And Harbour Freight has a cement mixer for about $200.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=31979
Not sure if everybody has one close to them or not.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
It's up to you. When I talk to someone that just wants a quick run down, I use "Cure" for the pH part. But if someone wants good details, I use "Cure" for the hardening of cement and "Kure" for the pH part. FWIW, I personally use Kure in this thread because it's so long and detailed making it easy to get confused. (And thanks for who decided to use Kure and Cure)
I don't see why you couldn't use the blocks as long as they are a safe salt such as Sodium Chloride. But, that would take far more work hammering it down to a managable size than it would be to buy a 50 lb bag for $5.
Thanks for the information. The Lowe's and Home Depots around here are selling Cement Mixers for $250. And depending on how much I will attempt to produce will depend on how much money I'm going to spend on one. I'll be more than happy to pay an extra $50 to get better quality.
Insane Reefer
New member
CO2 causes some sort of positive reaction with the cement - and this has to do with calcination or the like. I don't know if you would get enough CO2 from a producer like you are talking - I think in order to get the level up to where it is actually doing what it does, it needs to be like canister CO2. I could totally be wrong, but that is my 2 cents.
All vinegar does is "mask" the pH - sure it will test nice and low, until you resoak the stuff for about a week - then the true pH is revealed - this is from a lot of reading on a lot of sites and forums - vinegar isn't really helping, it just makes it seem that way.
And you're welcome Travis - I love coming up with useful stuff like kuring - makes me feel all fuzzy inside, lol...
All vinegar does is "mask" the pH - sure it will test nice and low, until you resoak the stuff for about a week - then the true pH is revealed - this is from a lot of reading on a lot of sites and forums - vinegar isn't really helping, it just makes it seem that way.
And you're welcome Travis - I love coming up with useful stuff like kuring - makes me feel all fuzzy inside, lol...
Travis L. Stevens
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I thought you were the person that said it, but I didn't feel like going back through 30 pages to find it
Insane Reefer
New member
Wow - that's some serious bubbles, lol. I make a honey "
wine" called Mead, and after taste testing too much one night, got involved in a discussion with another fish geek about how one could run a line from the 'lock to a tank, thus using the byproduct of one to better the other, but never got around to doing it. This was years before the internet, and I got tickled when I first discovered folks using basically the same thing in their planted tanks. Never realized you could produce that much CO2 this way...
wine" called Mead, and after taste testing too much one night, got involved in a discussion with another fish geek about how one could run a line from the 'lock to a tank, thus using the byproduct of one to better the other, but never got around to doing it. This was years before the internet, and I got tickled when I first discovered folks using basically the same thing in their planted tanks. Never realized you could produce that much CO2 this way...
Insane Reefer
New member
mmmm....
Cherry Mead....
And someone was asking about block salt. Feed Stores have a salt lick for cattle/horses/deer, that if you really feel like pounding on it would work - just make sure you don't get the "Fly-Ban" type, this has a pesticide in it, or a mineral lick, and a heavy block is usually about the same as a bag of salt crystal...
Cherry Mead....
And someone was asking about block salt. Feed Stores have a salt lick for cattle/horses/deer, that if you really feel like pounding on it would work - just make sure you don't get the "Fly-Ban" type, this has a pesticide in it, or a mineral lick, and a heavy block is usually about the same as a bag of salt crystal...
I am going to look at HD next time I am there but I remember a small mixing bucket. You add all your ingredients put on the lid and roll it around. I would be good for small-medium batches and a couple would still be cheaper than a mixer. If you were doing one large project you can also rent mixers by the hour/day. I think it wad about the size of a 5G bucket any only about $20.
Insane Reefer
New member
You can flavor Mead with almost any fruit, though the very best I ever had the chance to sample was a Chocolate Mead - no idea how it was done (expect extract was used), but man - that was heavenly... There are also some great honeys out there too, some even are supposed to add an almost hallucinogenic effect (really what you need after drinking a bottle of mead, lol)
I'm currently trying to distill some of the last batch I made, using the ice method, but need to find a way to drastically lower the temp - ice and salt aren't quite getting it cold enough to really get the water out.
ANyway, back to rock, and Pat's suggestion. Those rolling buckets are a pain, IMO. We tried one when my stepdad wanted to add a bit to his backyard pad, and it ended up being more work than a wheelbarrow and spade. A real mixer would be best, barring the cost of course. Next best is one of those mixer paddles you can attach to a drill - used for paint and the like, but if you have a powerful drill, it will mix the stuff we are making.
Arconom - is your avatar a pic of the old Dungeons & Dragons cartoon? LOL - Geek. :lol:
(she says as she pushes her dice out of sight...)
I'm currently trying to distill some of the last batch I made, using the ice method, but need to find a way to drastically lower the temp - ice and salt aren't quite getting it cold enough to really get the water out.
ANyway, back to rock, and Pat's suggestion. Those rolling buckets are a pain, IMO. We tried one when my stepdad wanted to add a bit to his backyard pad, and it ended up being more work than a wheelbarrow and spade. A real mixer would be best, barring the cost of course. Next best is one of those mixer paddles you can attach to a drill - used for paint and the like, but if you have a powerful drill, it will mix the stuff we are making.
Arconom - is your avatar a pic of the old Dungeons & Dragons cartoon? LOL - Geek. :lol:
(she says as she pushes her dice out of sight...)
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kentrob11
Premium Member
Here's one that I made a few years back- I needed something to fill in the middle section of my 90 gallon but I still wanted an open feel so I built a 90 degree palate out of MDF and made the rock on that so that it was perfectly flat on the back and bottom. It fit perfectly up against the back of the tank but looked like a normal rock structure....It's about 17" tall and weights over 20lbs...Made from portland cement and southdown sand....
Insane Reefer
New member
Ken, what did you use to mold this piece to keep it nice and upright while you worked? Sand, rock, dirt, what?
Excellent piece.
Excellent piece.
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