Capt.
The paver sand you are testing is probably not a washed material. It is probably a quartz and not even granite. If its a brown rusty color then they have added fine metal particles to color the sand. The rusting metal filings will give it the brown/rust color the cheap way (imported from an Asian country). If your looking for natural products for ballast and ground cover then make sure it is a washed product. Be aware that even a washed sand will have metal in it also but not much to worry about. Try looking at a sanded grout or even look for play sand or fine mason sand.
I have worked for sand and gravel producers most of my life and offer my years of experience to you.All our plants have tramp metal magnets and all our sand is washed by screws. Our stone products are washed once in the plant and then again in a separate wash plant when specified.
Silicosis is the most worrisome to me. The hard rock quarry will have 2 inches of dust settle on top of a puddle. It looks like dry land until you step in it.
Pete
Also watch out for Thorium. It’s often found in sand from the southern Appalachian area, and it’s radioactive.
Just wanted to report back. Scenic Express has responded, saying that they’d gotten the same request for a “guarantee” that no magnetic particles were in their real rock ballast. They ran magnet(s) through and found only one tiny fragment in a large batch. So they sound like a safe bet.
I have, in the meanwhile, decided to go ahead with W.S. for ballasting my yard. With some 20 yr. old W.S. bags I’ve had stored, which are a slightly different color than the current stuff, I was able to blend a duplicate of the decomposed granite I’d sifted into 3 grades. Using alcohol and NO water I was able to avoid any floating and the finished area looks/ real.
I will use real rock for mountain scenicing later as I agree nothing looks like real rock in that application.
As always, thank you everyone for your very valuable feedback! Once the yard area is fully sceniced I will finally post some pics of the layout that couldn’t have been built without your generous advice and insights.
Jim
Jim,
Thanks for the feedback, looking forward to the photos.
Wayne