Ballast 'washing'

[cnw1995]

I've collected a huge bucket full of 'free' ballast recently - pebbles swept up from the bottom of my driveway - and I'm just blanking on how to prepare it before using it on the layout. I would deeply appreciate your brainstorming on how to best clean and dry all those little rocks - it's about ten gallons worth (sign of a long winter). I could just poke a garden hose in the bucket, but I'm unsure how to dry it all out. Any ideas?

[FJ and G]

That's what I've done, Doug. I've washed and re-washed in 5 gallon drywall mud buckets. Also, it wouldn't hurt to run a magnet across it. I once visited the last remaining hand-fired metal place in SE Pennsylvannia, and the ground outside was littered with magnetic rocks.

Also, now is the time to stain the ballast, if you don't like the color. Just dump paint into the water and ballast and stir. Let dry on a tarp in the sun should do the trick; just ensure it is really dry.

Also, if you have a screen, you can screen the rocks to the desired size.

dave vergun

[mpzpw3]

I washed all my rocks with a garden hose and strainer. I then put them in the oven for about 15 minutes. I was told this killed all the neat little stuff that lives on natural products. I think it worked, because 4 years later, I have no strange growths forming on my layout. I can't remember where I read it, but it is very important to cook the pebbles before putting it on a layout. another word of advice, I picked up a lot of my pebbles/rocks in Colorado, and tried to microwave it to save time. Big mistake, as there were a lot of minerals (mainly fools gold) in it, and the microwave created quite a few sparks.

[FJ and G]

mpzpw3,

That's a funny story about the sparks!

I see you picked up ground material in Colorado, perhaps modeling that area?

I've often dreamed filling up my pickup truck with rocks and dirt from New Mexico, which I'm modeling, but it's so far away and there's plenty of rocks and clay here in Virginia that matches the colors of the geology/topography that I have in photos of the area I'm modeling.

dav

[cnw1995]

It never occured to me to run a magnet over it and to cook them - can't wait to see my wife's face when I do that. Thanks for the great suggestions.

[Algonquin]

Hi Doug,

I rinse mine in the sink in a collander, then bake them on a cookie pan in the oven at about 250F to kill the little critters. The oven helps to dry them out also. Then I store them in gallon jugs until I am ready to use them.

Regards,

Tim Pignatari

[daan]

@ doug, my wife has got used to that already. I once used the dishwasher to clean an engine block of a motorbike. (and she was NOT happy with that[B)])