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Post by Devon on Jul 21, 2011 11:06:27 GMT -5
Hello everyone,
The sand I use it very fine. I buy it from Home depot and it is called "Decor sand" and on the bag it says it is made of silica. I don't like how the sand I use it so fine, it doesn't seem to provide great airiness like the larger sand does.
So where do you buy your sand, What's it called, and how large are the grains?
Thanks!
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Post by H2O on Jul 21, 2011 11:27:28 GMT -5
I get my sand from St. Catharines Building Supply Depot. They sell it 11 bucks for 100 pounds and it's 16 grit silica sand. Works amazing for everything I've ever used it for. If you can't find any at places like Rona and Home Hardware try a local Building supply store, they often will have a better selection of that kind of thing, plus it's dirt cheap, I bought 500lbs to put in my bog and it seems to have worked very well, if you add it to peat while your wetting it, it seems to wet much faster.
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Post by bonfield on Jul 21, 2011 13:40:27 GMT -5
Here is a link to the stuff I use, I contacted a water treatment company in the Kawarthas and they were able to pick me up a bag of this from their suppliers in Toronto: www.fairmountminerals.com/interior.asp?page=Lake%20And%20Bank%20Sand&category=Markets&level1=FoundryIt is a little off-white(but looks more natural) and has some trace of iron oxide in it, making it ideal for many CPs(especially Australian CPs and Mexi-pings!). It came to about $25 for a 50lb bag(I bought two), is about 12 grit and has worked great for me so far!
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Post by dvg on Jul 21, 2011 13:55:50 GMT -5
There are a lot of gravel pits in the Edmonton area, so finding different grits of silica sand isn't too much of an issue. SIL Industries in Edmonton carries a lot of different grit sizes, all the way from ultra fine up to very coarse grades and they offer reasoanble prices for their sand, grit and gravel. They also sell bags of garnets that are used for sand blasting. The small deep dark red garnets would make for an interesting top dressing for a mexi-ping. dvg
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Post by Devon on Jul 21, 2011 14:05:31 GMT -5
Thanks for the help and pics. The sand I use is wayyy smaller than what you have shown, bonfield. I need some of what you have!
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Post by nwflytrap on Jul 21, 2011 15:36:50 GMT -5
The sand I use came from the sandtraps at a local golfcourse. One of my clients was given about 100 gallons worth when I set up his 1500 gallon saltwater tank.
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Post by peatmoss on Jul 22, 2011 17:08:06 GMT -5
I got my sand at Merkley's supply in Ottawa. It has a very large grain.
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Post by Devon on Jul 22, 2011 17:17:49 GMT -5
I got my sand at Merkley's supply in Ottawa. It has a very large grain. That would be perfect, since I am in Ottawa. Thanks everyone for the help and replies.
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Post by shoggoths on Jul 22, 2011 18:59:51 GMT -5
Hi,
I use wash filtering pool sand.
It as a very nice grit like the one on the photo by bonfield.
Easy to find but a little pricey.
Shogg
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Post by lloyd on Jul 22, 2011 21:37:36 GMT -5
If anybody knows a source in Toronto for a nice gritty silica sand let me know. The Rona sand isn't bad but I like the grittier ones that other people use. By the way, I hope everybody washes silica sand vigorously before use to avoid the dust which is carcinogenic. Of course the bigger the grain size the less dangerous it is (a big piece of quartz is not going to cause any health risks, unless you drop it on your foot). Wash it well and avoid inhaling the dust. I washed my Rona sand with a hose for about 1/2 hour and keep it in a sealed pail. I also am careful not to stir any residual dust up.
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Post by Devon on Jul 22, 2011 21:45:46 GMT -5
If anybody knows a source in Toronto for a nice gritty silica sand let me know. The Rona sand isn't bad but I like the grittier ones that other people use. By the way, I hope everybody washes silica sand vigorously before use to avoid the dust which is carcinogenic. Of course the bigger the grain size the less dangerous it is (a big piece of quartz is not going to cause any health risks, unless you drop it on your foot). Wash it well and avoid inhaling the dust. I washed my Rona sand with a hose for about 1/2 hour and keep it in a sealed pail. I also am careful not to stir any residual dust up. I always wash my sand, for the reasons you mentioned. (chemicals, salts) I should probably be more careful not to breathe in the dust, though.
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Post by bonfield on Jul 25, 2011 13:13:51 GMT -5
I finally have the contact info for a place that sells various grades and types of silica in Hamilton! They sell it in 50-100 pound bags, and you have to specify that it is for horticultural purposes, they cannot sell it for sandblasting.
They're called Bell and Mackenzie Co. Ltd, their phone no. is 905-527-6000, and they are located at 500 Sherman Ave N, Hamilton. You'll want to call ahead, there's entry procedure/gates/etc.
Please let me know if anyone finds what they're looking for there!
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Post by lloyd on Jul 25, 2011 20:36:57 GMT -5
Toronto seems to be a sand free zone.
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Post by bonfield on Jul 25, 2011 21:34:09 GMT -5
Don't worry, there's a source somewhere in that city, it might just take a little while to find it. Remember, Canada used to be a No-Damp free zone, lol.
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Post by Devon on Jul 25, 2011 22:00:06 GMT -5
Don't worry, there's a source somewhere in that city, it might just take a little while to find it. Remember, Canada used to be a No-Damp free zone, lol. No-damp is back in Canada? btw, thanks for the earlier suggestion for the sand! The only problem for me, and other people that are not near it, is that it would be expensive to get it shipped here.
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