Empty Pockets Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Hey all, I have been shooting a 50:50 mixture of Aluminum Oxide and Sodium Bicarbonite and it is still a bit abrasive for most of my prep. Where can I find a good source for Dolomite? Or...... What do the rest of you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squalicorax Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I use dolomite as my abrasive powder as well. I source it from Swam Blast via Paleo Tools. Not the most economical way of getting it because its 10 dollars for 5 pounds of a 44 micron. It most cities there is an abrasive blasting supply company. I do like ordering from Paleo Tools as they have good customer service but I do use through the 10$ container in 5-6 hours of work. My Flickr Page of My Collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79424101@N00/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 (edited) We're extremely cheap, so we go to a local dolomite quarry and fill a bucket with powder from under the crushers. We then bake it to remove all moisture and then run it through several sieves. It's pretty time consuming. If you don't have access to a dolomite quarry, or your time is worth more than ours, I would suggest Paleo Tools. Edited August 24, 2012 by Caleb Caleb Midwestpaleo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Empty Pockets Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 (edited) Swam Blast seems quite expensive! There is a local quarry that has both dolomite and limestone so I suppose I could inquire as to what they have been processing lately and see if they will sell a few buckets of powder. I have a good quality sieve shaker and several test sieves so that may solve my problem. Getting my wife to let me bake the powder could prove to be a far more difficult endeavor! (just kidding, she is a true rockhound) Edited August 24, 2012 by Empty Pockets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raistlin Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I am on my phone so I cannot link it but I made a thread about making your own material. The stuff I use is the limestone/dolomite from Lowe's. I think you can find the thread in my profile. I f not I will link it tonight when I get home for you. RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Empty Pockets Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 I am on my phone so I cannot link it but I made a thread about making your own material. The stuff I use is the limestone/dolomite from Lowe's. I think you can find the thread in my profile. I f not I will link it tonight when I get home for you. What size particles are you able to screen out without wasting most of it? I forgot the size of my smallest sieve but I like shooting the 50 micron and below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raistlin Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I want to say 120 and 80 not sure at work and having a brain fart. I use a " blow bucket" to rove all the talc size stuff. Not much waste really. #40 for I think $4 or so. All that is mentioned in the thread though. I wish I could link it for you. I think the title is making your own blasting material. RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 LINK to Raistlin's topic. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raistlin Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Thanks Auspex. I remembered you giving me a hard time about the title lol. I could not recall the name though. The Lowe's limestone/dolomite does a great job. It is also cheap, just have to work a little. RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I'm not sure I understand the blow bucket... it sounds like you are blowing away all the fine grit... which is exactly what you want for air abrasion. But back to the original question. Pottery supply places can get you a 50 lb bag of fine dolomite powder for about 12 bucks.... the expensive part is the shipping... abou 2x or 3x the cost. I used to use Mile HIgh Ceramics in Denver, but they have been out of dolomite the past few times I needed it. Now I order through my local communbity college's art department. They order a palette's worth of stuff from an outfit in KC or St Louis and mine just gets thrown on top... no shipping fee. Its all who you know. OK, granted I work at the same Community College, so that helps, but the point is still there... try a pottery/ceramics supply place. And then invest 50 bucks on a number 40 or soil sieve. While I am a big fan of both Crystal Mark and Paleo Tools, the presifted stuff is very expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Empty Pockets Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 (edited) Some GREAT advice here! I have been wanting to shoot dolomite for a long time but SWAM BLASTER was the only place I could find and the price would eat you alive. I figured the bulk bags would be way too coarse in particle size but it sounds like the pottery supply's FINE powder will yield suitable material. I have a stack of test sieves and a good ro-tap sieve shaker so I can separate it into super-fine, medium and large with no problem. Am excited to give this a try. Edited August 24, 2012 by Empty Pockets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raistlin Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Jpc the only powder blowing away is the super fine talc. The bucket creates a vortex leaving the usable grit. Of course how well this works depends on your setup and how long you run it. For my setup it seems about 20-25 minutes works best. My eraser will not use the talc size grains. It really depends on the size of grain desired for length of run. RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raistlin Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 A good grit should flow and not stick together. This process simply removes the clumping talc stuff. RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Empty Pockets Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 (edited) I have shot 17 micron and never had any clumping problems and believe me it looks like talc. The vibrator on your blaster should keep it flowing as long as it is dry. I dry my air down to minus 40 deg dew point also with a regenerative desiccant air-dryer. Edited August 24, 2012 by Empty Pockets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raistlin Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Yeah my blaster will not use that small a grit. I believe mine will only go as low as 50 or 55. RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raistlin Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I use the Paasche AECR air eraser. I forgot to mention that. RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Empty Pockets Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 This is just a beautiful thing! I learned something today! Called a local pottery supply and they have 50 lb bags of dolomite for $16.70 and it is #200 mesh size which equates to 75 micron (and smaller I am assuming) powder. It will still need to be sifted to get any particles out that don't belong. I am thinking (a dangerous thing) that my smallest sieve was 45 micron so I'll recover that and smaller for my main powder and keep the 45-90 micron separate to shoot as needed. Larger than 90 micron can go in the trash unless I can give it away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I find that sieving the pottery stuff at 40 mesh sieve leaves usually only a few chunks of larger dolomite. Still those few bits would clog my Swam Blasetr if Iet them go through, so worth the effort. Thanks for the blow bucket explanation raistlin, but as a part-time geology student, I must correct your us of the word talc. Talc is a soft rock... softness of 1 ont he rock-hardness scale. The talc stuff you are talking about is more like talcum powder sized grit pieces of dolomite, which is a different rock, hardness of about 3. Hate to be nit picky, but we are all here to get edumacated, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raistlin Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 jpc LOL it is fine really. I was just trying to find a way of explaining the stuff too small to be used by my blaster RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Packy Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Has anyone tried hydrated lime? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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