The Ultimate DIY Rocks!

[mr.wilson]

Very impressive neptune.

Cut Kevin some slack IR, I see he comes from excellent breeding stock.

Pdhenderson works at the store I buy my cement from, so we shouldn't expect him to know anything about it. I got a PM from him through our local forum. I hope I was helpful.

 

[pepeinthenavy]

Great job with the artificial rock sunkool!!!!!

 

[pepeinthenavy]

Same to you too Neptune777

 

[Insane Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10563581#post10563581 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mr.wilson
Cut Kevin some slack IR, I see he comes from excellent breeding stock.

Kevin's ok - he knows I'm joking. I hope
He's been on about me making "Bogo Rock", and comes up with some good idea's, mostly
The Pulsing Xenia Propulsion sort of threw me for a loop though, lol.

Pdhenderson works at the store I buy my cement from, so we shouldn't expect him to know anything about it. I got a PM from him through our local forum. I hope I was helpful.

 

[mr.wilson]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10563778#post10563778 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Insane Reefer
Kevin's ok - he knows I'm joking. I hope
He's been on about me making "Bogo Rock", and comes up with some good idea's, mostly
The Pulsing Xenia Propulsion sort of threw me for a loop though, lol.


Confused - the site for the brand he mentioned said very plainly that they manufacture Portland type I (as well as a bunch of others types) - so are you teasing him, or me?

I'm teasing the hardware store he works for.

PDH is a young guy working there part-time, so I don't expect him to know much about cement. The irony is, even the employees can't find someone to help them there.

I gave up asking for help in those places years ago, but you still have to chase those guys down when you need something cut. They are few in numbers, and very elusive. Their lack of a working knowledge of the products they sell is only topped by their ability to avoid eye contact.

 

[Neptune777]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10562446#post10562446 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Insane Reefer
Salt around here is a dollar more a bag than the sand/grit is, and you can't recycle the salt - the stuff stuck on the outside, and the pockets you may have made with it, is mostly lost. I was going through salt like crazy when I used it as a molding material. I can reclaim a lot of the sand I use by rinsing the rock in a bucket, and dumping off the water. I rarely have to replace my sand.
I also stopped using salt to mold in, as it tends to wick moisture from the rock, though honestly, I can't say I've noticed a difference in hydration for rock in salt vs rock in sand/other...

Yeah, there is a very fine line between just wet enough, and too dry/ too wet. And the perlcrete, because the perlite is a much weaker aggregate, really needs the support of well hydrated cement to support it. Once it is done though, it seems to be almost as strong as any of the other recipes.

I am able to recover 98% of the salt every time I cast with it. I am able to get all the salt out of the pockets with my finger or a screwdriver.....still very economical for me.

 

[Chasmodes]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10563581#post10563581 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mr.wilson
Cut Kevin some slack IR, I see he comes from excellent breeding stock.

Now that's why we call ya Mr.!

No worries IR, I have a sense of humor and was cracking up when I read it. The xenia idea was way out there in space. You have to admit, even if it wasn't in orbit, a floating sphere of xenia moving around the tank would be kinda cool!

Neptune, IR, Sunkool, Travis and Mr. Wilson, and many more on involved on this thread have inspired me to create some artisitic rock of my own...but, admittedly I've been procrastinating. Great pictures!

About the air hole idea, I guess it could wind up blowing up in your face...LOL, but I was thinking of ways to salvage the cow pies instead of just crumbling them up and using them for rubble. But apparently it's not a big deal because it seems half of the fun is getting it the way you want it anyway, and this rock seems pretty cheap to make.

Question for Cayar: If we aren't producing rock commercially, but rather for purely the artistic value of our tank (and saving reefs), it seems to me that there is no advantage to adding anything to speed up the process and just kure for 28 days, right (other than our own impatience)? Or is there?

For the reasons stated in my above question I think that I'd use solar salt as my mold simply because there is an end to how much rock I would make. Then again, I could use the excess salt on my driveway in the winter when it ices up...

 

[mr.wilson]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10564624#post10564624 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hypsoblennius
Now that's why we call ya Mr.!

No worries IR, I have a sense of humor and was cracking up when I read it. The xenia idea was way out there in space. You have to admit, even if it wasn't in orbit, a floating sphere of xenia moving around the tank would be kinda cool!

Neptune, IR, Sunkool, Travis and Mr. Wilson, and many more on involved on this thread have inspired me to create some artisitic rock of my own...but, admittedly I've been procrastinating. Great pictures!

About the air hole idea, I guess it could wind up blowing up in your face...LOL, but I was thinking of ways to salvage the cow pies instead of just crumbling them up and using them for rubble. But apparently it's not a big deal because it seems half of the fun is getting it the way you want it anyway, and this rock seems pretty cheap to make.

Question for Cayar: If we aren't producing rock commercially, but rather for purely the artistic value of our tank (and saving reefs), it seems to me that there is no advantage to adding anything to speed up the process and just kure for 28 days, right (other than our own impatience)? Or is there?

For the reasons stated in my above question I think that I'd use solar salt as my mold simply because there is an end to how much rock I would make. Then again, I could use the excess salt on my driveway in the winter when it ices up...

Cayar is producing it commercially on a small scale - brother.

 

[southgate2004]

Question About Timing

Question About Timing

Okay so I have been watching this thread for awhile, and I am going to try to make my first batch of DIY rock this weekend. I just have a quick question about timing that I couldn't quite understand from v5.1 of the latest summary post.

So, I'm going to cast in salt and I am going to use salt in the recipe.

How long do I let it sit in the casting salt before pulling it out and starting the curing process? About 24hrs?

Now, what about removing the salt that has become part of the rock, the salt that I used in my recipe? Do I first let the rock cure for a few weeks in a humid environment, then remove the salt, then kure?

Or, do I need to remove the salt by soaking in water bath, then go on and cure in a humid environment, followed by in-water kuring?

Thanks.

 

[eshook]

southgate,

Usually you can pull rock out of the mold after 1-3 days (it really depends on the wetness of the mix). Once you pull the rock out of the salt mold you can remove any remaining mold salt by hand. Then let the rock sit in a humid environment for AT LEAST 7 days (we have not determined an exact time, but I believe longer is better) if you can wait the full 28 days that would be good. Once this is done a nice hot (preferably boiling) bath will remove a lot of the salt that you could not get at. Then a few freshwater kures to remove the rest.

Hopefully that helps at least a little bit.

 

[Neptune777]

Or you can add calcium chloride to speed it up dramatically. I can pull from the mold the next day w/calcium chloride added (2% by weight)

 

[Neptune777]

Hydration Chamber Idea

Hydration Chamber Idea

Looks like I will try this idea for a Hydration Process Chamber.....what do you think?

 

[impur]

That looks pretty simple and easy Neptune, good idea. I say go for it.

 

[Insane Reefer]

Neptune, that is pretty much what I have designed in my head, however, that tank heater won't do much - you will need more heat to produce steam, or even significant humidity.
I found a electric grill at Wal-Mart for $29.99 - the heating element has a temp control on it - 200-250° and 400-450°.
I'll add a pan for water, and the element will be right below that - that should get the water boiling, without the high heat of an oven bake...

 

[Insane Reefer]

Hey.
I was out at the farm, trimming my horses hooves, and found a bag of "Road Runner" brand Ice Melt in the barn from last winter or maybe the winter before. It is a blend of Calcium Chloride and Magnesium Chloride.

This will be safe, correct?

 

[Neptune777]

It should get plenty humid as the lid will be on top...the only difference is it will be Warm humidity (maybe 100 degrees?) This should provide a perfect environment for a warm cure.....7 days with Micro Silica Calcium Chloride in theory....if not shorter. This is just to provide an abundace of constant warm high humid air.

 

[Insane Reefer]

If that is all you want to accomplish, just putting it in plastic outside in the sun will do that.

 

[badfish03]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10566875#post10566875 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Neptune777
It should get plenty humid as the lid will be on top...the only difference is it will be Warm humidity (maybe 100 degrees?) This should provide a perfect environment for a warm cure.....7 days with Micro Silica Calcium Chloride in theory....if not shorter. This is just to provide an abundace of constant warm high humid air.

Let the sun do the work for you paint the can flat black and place it in a location that is in the sun at least from noon till dark. It should get well over 100 during daytime hours and the vapor will condense at night when it cools down.

Robert

 

[Azazael13]

Re: Hydration Chamber Idea

Re: Hydration Chamber Idea

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10565774#post10565774 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Neptune777
Looks like I will try this idea for a Hydration Process Chamber.....what do you think?

Looks good, except your rocks look very sharp. I would dull the edges than try it. They also look kinda flat, which might be good for stacking, but also might make them too brittle.









Yes that was my attempt at humor, work is rather boring atm.

 

[Insane Reefer]

Oh, if you do the rock sauna, you can add the co2 while doing the moisture - I think the humidity should allow the co2 to penetrate the rock better, to get that carbonated layer...

LOL, Az.