wanted - pvc or plastic shavings

[Benny Z]

just like the title says...looking for pvc or other plastic shavings from your diy adventures.

or, if you could think to save them next time you're diying, that would be great too.

 

[brad23]

***

 

[Horace]

LOL, I take it your making some DIY rock? Just get some PVC pipe and a circular saw and go to down bro .

 

[Benny Z]

yes, this is for diy rock.

i probably will go pick up some pvc and start shaving away. ...but i figured if by chance someone local has some, i'll take what you have.

 

[Horace]

I dont know many folks who keep this stuff around . I think the wife would shoot me if I said, to leave it on the floor, I might use that for my tank! LOL. Also I dont know if I would even want shavings from somone elses project. Who knows the crap that is all over it from falling on the floor, being stepped on etc. I would just try and shave some in a semi controlled environment yourself. Im sure you could get quite a pile of shavings from a single 4' piece of PVC. Just curious how do you plan on curing this stuff???

 

[lglamb]

Haven't paid attention to this area of DIY, what's
the advantage of plastic shavings?

Thanks.

 

[Benny Z]

creates a more pourous texture and also supposedly grows coralline faster...

 

[Benny Z]

here is a picture of what i'm trying to replicate.

he used portland cement, crushed oyster shells, and plastic shavings...(no sand)...

 

[Horace]

Man that doesnt look very pourous to me. Have you heard of using pasta? That will just disolve leaving holes in the rock so that you can pour water right through it. The plastic probably will help with coraline growth though too. Perhaps you should do both?

 

[Benny Z]

i'm going to add cement salt to the mix... it should essentially do the same thing as pasta.

 

[brad23]

That's way to much work

 

[Benny Z]

too much work, huh?

it's either a little work or invest $1k+ in liverock. :þ

 

[lglamb]

Dumbo again. What's "concrete salt"?

And I guess if pasta (etc) gets completely encased in
the agrocrete (?) it will still end up either withering/leaching
out, or not matter since it's completely encased?

 

[Benny Z]

concrete salt = salt that you put in the concrete mix that disolves away during curing, leaving behind a pourous texture

 

[brad23]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6893495#post6893495 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Benny Z
too much work, huh?

it's either a little work or invest $1k+ in liverock. :þ

You could probably buy $350-$400 of base rock online and get 200lbs or so. Then use LR to seed it.

Seriously how long do you think it will take you to make that amount of rock from PVC shavings?

 

[Benny Z]

what? it wouldn't be made primarily out of pvc shavings.

i'm going to use a 1 part mixture of all the ingredients to start with and adjust from there. if it's a 4-part mixture, only 1 part would be pvc shavings. i should be able to get plenty of shavings out of a single piece of pvc piping. i just need to find the most efficient way of grinding it up.

someone i work with suggested plastic pellets that are used to stuff beanbags and bean animals. i might ask the diy forum if this is a good idea.

 

[Benny Z]

i may have just found the weener!

http://www.indoplastic.com/

http://uniquecapability.com/products05.asp

 

[seldon]

Just rent yourself a nice big chipper-shreader and go to it...

 

[Benny Z]

might have to look into that.

good call!

 

[hubris007]

I was thinking more along the lines of a cheap coffee grinder or even a cheese grater or lemon zester.

I'm very intrigued by the idea. I've definately noticed that any pvc bits that have made it into my system always seem to be the first to turn purple.

Actually, i remember an old forum on making rock where they would use sand as the mold for the rock, thus leaving the outside coated...you could mix pvc shavings into the sand to get the pvc where you want it, as i don't think it would do you any good anywhere but on the surface.