Paint on cement mixer--making live rock

[wooden_reefer]

I just bought a mini-cement mixer. 1.25 Cu ft. The kind that has a top open drum that tumbles.

The purpose was to mix portland cement to make artificial live rock. Getter old. Too much strain on wrist to mix too much at once by hand.

Now I suddenly realize that there is a problem with the paint on the drum. I think certainly some of the paint will be rubbed off.

I am afraid that even a few weeks of curing may not get rid of any paint particles that become trapped inside the rock.

Perhaps if I used the cement mixer for other concrete work for long enough to wear away the paint inside, then I could use it for making live rock, but it will be too long to wait.

I think it is a lost cause.


Any opinion?

[FOSELONE]

buy rocks...

[samtheman]

Remove the paint.

[bosborn1]

Originally posted by FOSELONE
buy rocks...

Geeeeezzzz. People love to toss money away. Try building a 1k tank and using real live rock. Its hard to find pieces as big as they need to be.


As for the paint you can remove it by tossing pea gravel and mason sand for a bit. Every mixer that I own loses the paint within days of purchase.

That being said. Is this a mixer made for concrete or is it made for plaster? Just asking because the mix that you need to make for Liverock is about a 1" slump. Some of those electric mixers dont have the power to turn such a stiff mix.

IME Its just better to suck it up and use a mub box and a garden (not motar) hoe. There is some techinque that you can use to not tear yourself up...

Scott

[customcolor]

i make the rest of my rocks for my 125 cuz i payed nearly $500 for 90lbs 4 years ago. i didnt want to pay another $500 just to fill my new tank and sump. plus making them is fun to see what shapes you will get in the end

[wooden_reefer]

Thanks

I think I found a way.

I'll open the halves Then secure by bolts a 5 gal bucket. (10 gal if I can find one sturdy eough) For buffle I will use blots attached vertically on the bucket.

Small batches. A few pieces of rocks at a time.

I can't say for sure yet, but, IMO, buying hundreds of lbs of live rock for over $1,000 is foolishness, may be absurdity.

I'll be buying only some uncured live rock as seed of biodiversity. I will cycle with the artificial rock and will not cycle with the uncured live rock. My small amount of uncured live rock will not face high ammonia for any duration longer than necessary, to preseve as much of the biodiversity as possible.

I bought this mixer new for $85, plus tax. So I don't believe I'll return it after two to three hours assembling it. I'll use it later for small concrete jobs.

[wooden_reefer]

Originally posted by bosborn1
Geeeeezzzz. People love to toss money away. Try building a 1k tank and using real live rock. Its hard to find pieces as big as they need to be.


As for the paint you can remove it by tossing pea gravel and mason sand for a bit. Every mixer that I own loses the paint within days of purchase.

That being said. Is this a mixer made for concrete or is it made for plaster? Just asking because the mix that you need to make for Liverock is about a 1" slump. Some of those electric mixers dont have the power to turn such a stiff mix.

IME Its just better to suck it up and use a mub box and a garden (not motar) hoe. There is some techinque that you can use to not tear yourself up...

Scott

Thank you very much.

I have decided to remove the paint.

I'm going to let it tumble with dry gravel. Perhaps the actual time may not be long, just a day or two.

After most of the paint is rubbed away, I will then use a solvent to remove the rest. All I have to do is to hold a sponge with acetone and let it rotate.

The stirrer or buffle will be a little more work.