Diy Rock Curing
- Thread starter n2deep
- Start date
squidd
Active Member
Nope...4-6 weeks, change the water every couple days (more often really won't help) and test the pH in "day old" water to see if it's still rising over acceptable levels...
Adding Acids such as Muriatic acid or Vinegar will "cleanse" the surface and temporarily lower pH levels, but the deeper alkalinity will leach out and continue to raise pH as the rock continues to "cure"...
Has anyone tried "Baking" the rock to speed the curing process...??
(It will affect the "strength" of the product, making it more "brittle", and a continual rinsing period will still be necessary to wash the rock, but it may shorten the process by what...a week or so...?? Not worth the hassle)
Adding Acids such as Muriatic acid or Vinegar will "cleanse" the surface and temporarily lower pH levels, but the deeper alkalinity will leach out and continue to raise pH as the rock continues to "cure"...
Has anyone tried "Baking" the rock to speed the curing process...??
(It will affect the "strength" of the product, making it more "brittle", and a continual rinsing period will still be necessary to wash the rock, but it may shorten the process by what...a week or so...?? Not worth the hassle)
n2deep
Member
In the curing process- besides the leaching out does the actuall drying time have to with the increase in ph?I made some rock and I tried to cure it for several weeks and then gave up and its been sitting out in the air for six months or so. Will this rock still need to be soaked in water? Since it is fully cured as in dried will this shorten the leaching out time?
thangbom
Active Member
no it would not shorten curing time.. the chemicals from the cement did not get diluted/ leech out of the rock when it was dry.. and [erdy much the only way to get these out is to soak them in water.. ( a big factor in these diy rock curing time is your sand/shell ratio to cement ratio.. it's the cement that has the bas chemicals in it.. so the less u use, the less curing time it would take.. but too little cement and the rock wont hold )
thangbom
Active Member
welll i cured my rock in the ocean.. so.... i got a big jump start.. i left them there for about 2 months.. then went to get them.. ( the ocean is huge.. and changes a lot.. took me 4 hr or so to find them.. and i know where they where drop too...) but anyhow.. sometime in the near future i will post some pick of my rocks..
thegrog
Active Member
Originally Posted by ThaNgBom
welll i cured my rock in the ocean.. so.... i got a big jump start.. i left them there for about 2 months.. then went to get them.. ( the ocean is huge.. and changes a lot.. took me 4 hr or so to find them.. and i know where they where drop too...) but anyhow.. sometime in the near future i will post some pick of my rocks..
Not a bad way to do it.....the problem is that an ocean is a little hard to find in central Illinois!
I am back to curing mine as I recently moved and they sat out of the water for a few months until I could get everything squared away.
welll i cured my rock in the ocean.. so.... i got a big jump start.. i left them there for about 2 months.. then went to get them.. ( the ocean is huge.. and changes a lot.. took me 4 hr or so to find them.. and i know where they where drop too...) but anyhow.. sometime in the near future i will post some pick of my rocks..
Not a bad way to do it.....the problem is that an ocean is a little hard to find in central Illinois!
I am back to curing mine as I recently moved and they sat out of the water for a few months until I could get everything squared away.
pbienkiewi
Member
If the rock is small enough or your toilet is big enough. Put it in the upper chamber. Think of all the water changes it will receive in 1 day
schadiest1
Active Member
garf.org suggests soaking the rocks in white vinegar for 12 hours before puting them into fresh water.