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[Gary McCarthy]

So when you sift, what size screen or mesh do you use? Thanks

I have 1/4", 1/8", 1/16" mesh sizes.

I generally just use the 1/4" and 1/16" screens. What doesn't pass through the 1/4" screen I use for the bottom layer. What passes through the 1/16" I use for cuttings and seeds unless it's very much like a fine powder. Everything else gets used for the trees.

 

[Wee]

I got the first bag sifted today....There was almost no dust. I used a 1/16" sieve. See below for the tub after sifting. Weighted 29 lbs.

Brian

 

[August44]

Brian...do you use hardware cloth for screen?

 

[Wee]

Nope....It's a dome screen that goes over the top of a cake. I'll post a pics tomorrow. I would like to have a set of sieve screens but right now I make due with what I have on hand.

Brian

 

[TN_Jim]

Nope....It's a dome screen that goes over the top of a cake. I'll post a pics tomorrow. I would like to have a set of sieve screens but right now I make due with what I have on hand.

Brian

Completely unrelated, why would you need a dome screen to go over a cake?

 

[Wee]

Flies at a picnic...

 

[Gary McCarthy]

I got the first bag sifted today....There was almost no dust. I used a 1/16" sieve. See below for the tub after sifting. Weighted 29 lbs.

Brian

NICE!

I hope to sift my bag in the next day or 2.

 

[TN_Jim]

Flies at a picnic...

Sir, it sounds like you know how to throw a picnic

 

[August44]

I knew it was that or yellow jackets

 

[Wee]

To be honest I had no idea what it even was when I bought it at the thrift store.....My wife had to tell me. It works great, I wished I had one with 1/8" holes.

Brian

 

[Gary McCarthy]

@Wee you mentioned above that after sifting you ended up with 29 lbs. My bag of VOLCANITE is 40 lbs. Did you really loose 11 lbs after sifting?

 

[Dav4]

You can make sifters with some scrap wood and hardware cloth... I'll be going that route when my current sifters eventually rust out.

 

[Wee]

Mine was 37 lbs but also real wet.....So part of that lose was water.

Brian

 

[Gary McCarthy]

Finally got around to sifting a sample size of my volcanite. It's still winter here so I wasn't able to get outside and use my large sifting bins to do the whole bag like Wee did. I did a sample size of a little less than 1 gallon.

I used 2 screens sizes, 1/4" and 1/16". Here's what stayed on top of the 1/4" screen.

Here's what passed through the 1/4" screen and stayed on top of the 1/16" screen.

Here's what fell through the 1/16" screen.

Greater than 1/4" on the left compared to the 1/4" to 1/16" on the right.

I also tested the water retention and air rentention properties of the volcanite compared to the General Pumice Products.
Volcanite was 18% water retention and 39% air retention.
General Pumice Products was 23% water retention and 40% air retention.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the volcanite product particle size. Certainly the price is much better since I can source it locally and save on shipping.

 

[Wee]

Nice report....I was happy as well and feel I got better usable yield from this than I did the Dry Stall for the price.

Brian

 

[BackyardBonsai]

Please wear mask when you sifting these volcanic rock. The fines can get you in health trouble. Unless the price is significantly lower than some of the sources available I wouldn't bother. A lot of times and effort to do the sifting! I am cheap but I feel like this one worth the price.

 

[Gary McCarthy]

Please wear mask when you sifting these volcanic rock.

ALWAYS!!!

Unless the price is significantly lower than some of the sources available I wouldn't bother. A lot of times and effort to do the sifting! I am cheap but I feel like this one worth the price.

I guess I don't know any product you wouldn't sift even if you're buying it from somebody that says it's already sifted by size. By the time it gets sent to you and is bounced around during shipping there are always some fines.

 

[BackyardBonsai]

ALWAYS!!!


I guess I don't know any product you wouldn't sift even if you're buying it from somebody that says it's already sifted by size. By the time it gets sent to you and is bounced around during shipping there are always some fines.

I bought premixed from bonsai Jack. It came with no fine at all. You use it right out of the bag. You save a lot of times. I have way too many trees and two little kids so time is a previous commodity.