[lgalla]

Ger21&Geof
I see you guys are check'in the posts.Your feedback is always good and respected by me.Any comments on the last posts before I retire?It's 12:55 in TO land.
Thanks
Larry,Granite chip sweeper.

[walter]

Since posting in this thread I tend to keep my head down and look at the concrete sidewalk and curbs checking for cracks and trying to determine the aggreate used.I look at landscaped gardens and wonder where they got the cool aggregates.Is this a sign ofE/G addiction?Any one else have the problem?

Yep.... Hanging around those fake granite countertops and getting thrown out of Home Depot... Good times.

[walter]

Speaking of countertops.. Here's an article from HGTV wbsite:


"Ever since the invention of Formica in the '20s, kitchen countertops in America have been simply covered in laminates. During the past decade, though, natural stone surfaces have landed in ever more kitchens: granite, marble, soapstone and even concrete. But now there's a new countertop contender on the design scene: engineered quartz.
Boasting the best qualities of laminate and stone (along with its own unique features), quartz began appearing in U.S. homes just a few years ago after gaining popularity in Europe for the past decade. Today, quartz countertops are exploding in popularity, with U.S. sales increasing 60 percent in 2004 alone.
Although some quartz countertops are actually made of quarried slabs of the natural stone, the new engineered material is actually created through a manufacturing process that mixes approximately 95 percent ground natural quartz with 5 percent polymer resins. The result is a super-hard, low-maintenance, natural stone-look countertop available in a dazzling array of colors. And for many of the homeowners choosing quartz, those virtually unlimited color options are what sold them.
"Color was most definitely a huge factor," says Gay Lyons, a college professor in Knoxville, Tenn. who replaced the white laminate countertops in the kitchen of her 1970s rancher with blue quartz. "Our kitchen is part of a large area that includes dining and seating areas, as well as an adjacent sunroom. The countertops needed to coordinate with not only what was in the kitchen, but what was in those other areas as well. The color I chose coordinates perfectly."
Joe Everitt, an independent contractor who has spent the last decade remodeling New York City brownstones and lofts, says that homeowners love the fact that quartz allows color choices never before available in stone. But he says the best features of quartz are actually invisible.
"These countertops are close to indestructible," explains Everitt. "They're so durable that most manufacturers offer a warranty, something you won't find with, say, granite. And quartz isn't porous like other stone surfaces, so these countertops are much more sanitary in a home kitchen. You can keep them 99.9 percent bacteria-free."
This durability also means that, unlike other types of stone countertops, quartz resists staining or corrosion from cooking oils, liquids and most household cleaning products — so there's no need for periodic resealing of the surface. Quartz can be damaged by excessive heat, however, so homeowners should use trivets or heating pads.
Quartz countertops allow for a variety of edging options, just like natural stone. Unlike stone, however, engineered quartz also offers other design possibilities. Because it's more flexible to work with and is held in place using glue and epoxy instead of screws, quartz can be used on larger vertical surfaces like backsplashes and even shower enclosures, without the fissures and seams often all too visible with natural stone.
Despite its many advantages, installation of engineered quartz countertops isn't a job for the average do-it-yourselfer; the companies that make and sell engineered quartz certify their own installation experts.
"Installation is a bit of a pain," says Lyons. "You have to obtain it from a (certified) distributor. They send people to measure and then they send installers. There's a bit of a wait involved between each of these steps."
Also, because engineered quartz is significantly heavier than other stone surfaces, there are some special installation considerations.
"It's important to make sure that you look at structural issues before installing quartz countertops, especially on upper floors" says Everitt. "The installer also needs to be sure that the cabinets are sound."
The cost of engineered quartz countertops appears to be dropping as they grow in popularity and as more manufacturers make them available. In general, however, they are more expensive than laminate and comparable in price to granite, ranging from $100 to $200 per square foot."

[jsage]

Good article,

I new they were engineered but didn't make the connection. Hmm, carbon black or similar. I went to a rock shop a while back. Owner told me some of the cut and polished were stained.

[brunog]

One problem I see is you wan't to eliminate right angles as they will be obvious stress points. You can see that in one of the anocast flat v profiles --\____/--

Jsage,
you must fillet the right angles at approx 3/4 inch radius.

Regards

Bruno

[brunog]

Since posting in this thread I tend to keep my head down and look at the concrete sidewalk and curbs checking for cracks and trying to determine the aggreate used.I look at landscaped gardens and wonder where they got the cool aggregates.Is this a sign ofE/G addiction?Any one else have the problem?
Larry

I was at a home building show today, there was fluorescent green quartz or granite counter tops being displayed. I looked at everythingthat was concrete and tried to discover what kind of size ratio they had in their pours. I saw awsome aggregates from people doing ciment refinishing the guy at the booth never wanted to tell me who supplied him. LOL

Regards

Bruno

[martinw]

Jsage,
you must fillet the right angles at approx 3/4 inch radius.

Regards

Bruno

Dear all,

OK, I don't do aesthetics...but..

there is a whole lot of really good information to be had from people who make "lifestyle" concrete countertops.
just google
FU-TUNG CHENG

There is a lot of stuff about moulds, surface finishes, re-inforcement etc etc. in his book. Loads of it may be useful for E/G. It might even make Walter's
gizmo more "sporty".

Very best wishes

Martin

[lgalla]

Walter
Good you posted the engineered stone or quartz.I remembered some of the machine designers used quartz for greater strength and density.Good granite is 66% quartz.It appears quartz is better.Lets name itE/Q.This is defenatley worth researching.I think sand has high%quartz as it is left after the granite erodes away.
I searched a bit on the quartz engineered stone and found little.As Bruno said
the guy at the show would not reveal his source and I am having the same problem on the web.No apparent raw materials suppliers.One thing I found on the quartz countertops is they shake or vibrate and pull a vacuum at the same time.This is necessary as their ratios are 95%.Silica sand is probably a good starting point as it is mainly Quartz I beleive.As far as 1/4"to3/8" quartz aggregates I have no luck finding any.I ask the Zone boys to help in the search.Thanks
Larry

[davo727]

Well I have my R45, 7045 type base ready to do the final fill. The plumbing for the way lube is in as well as the tube inserts for the bench mount bolts to go through are attached with a little 5 min epoxy. The bolts that hold the inner frame in are just snugged down and a little locktite put on them as I didnt want to distort or stress the base by cranking down the bolts and pulling the two parts together too tight. The frame just keeps the epoxy where I want it. I will do the fill thursday and post more pics thur night. Dave

[BobWarfield]

Let 'er rip, Dave. Should be a great improvement to the mill. I eagerly await the pix and commentary.

Best,

BW

[jsage]

Brunog,

Thanks. I noticed in my extreme mockup I flat filleted the bottom right angles but neglected the upper corners. Well, to be reasonable I'd probably want to reduce the weight by 75%.

On finishes, I found some references on something called near diamond surfaces which were quartz based. Also when I went to new IMAX theater nearby I noticed they had a dark black granite like material that had patches that were blue iridescent. I don't know if saved the links, I was thinking out of scope but not for other decorative applications. I was looking for clearly identified in mold processes.

Martin, checked out that guys work and materials. Nice. I have a couple books. I'm looking at one "Design Ideas for Decorative Concrete and Stone". The other one has better how to info. Picked em both up at Barnes and Noble. Also what type of medical VAC do you have. My last job was for a company that had specialized VAC units. They had thousands of retired models, so the application crossed my mind, however they were very concerned about models outside of their service model.

Last when I went to pick up the concrete acid stains, the floor samples they had were clear epoxy finished. Was told while expensive it held up much better, saving contractors refinishing work.

[romihs]

Walter
Good you posted the engineered stone or quartz.I remembered some of the machine designers used quartz for greater strength and density.Good granite is 66% quartz.It appears quartz is better.Lets name itE/Q.This is defenatley worth researching.I think sand has high%quartz as it is left after the granite erodes away.
I searched a bit on the quartz engineered stone and found little.As Bruno said
the guy at the show would not reveal his source and I am having the same problem on the web.No apparent raw materials suppliers.One thing I found on the quartz countertops is they shake or vibrate and pull a vacuum at the same time.This is necessary as their ratios are 95%.Silica sand is probably a good starting point as it is mainly Quartz I beleive.As far as 1/4"to3/8" quartz aggregates I have no luck finding any.I ask the Zone boys to help in the search.Thanks
Larry

Larry,

I have found a good supplier of quartz sands and stones (unfortunately in Slovenia), so I will be doing some testing with it when I have the time. I have the epoxy and quartz already, just waiting for me to start experimenting.
I will post my results here once I have done something.

Sandi

[walter]

I will be buying from them:

http://www.u-s-silica.com/

50lbs bags of 99.5% purity, up to 250 micron. LV Lomas sells their stuff.

Larry, how about those countertop engineers- the shifty bunch.. Mixing epoxy with sand and charging $100-200 per sq ft? Isn't that a little excessive?

Maybe we should do some of that on the side, you know, give them run for their money lol..

Just kidding, with 50.000 members.. I'm sure they're here (I expect to get hit with a chair momentarily)

Davo, thanks for the pictures- that machine will be awesome!

[lgalla]

Walter
The $100 to 200 persqft is I imagine the quartz is very high grade.You can see deep into the material.Our castings will not have the beautiful countertop look.Also some of the producers polish after molding.
I asked in my last post.Does everyone agree quartz is the way to go?
Is E/Q the reference name?
Larry

[romihs]

Walter
I asked in my last post.Does everyone agree quartz is the way to go?
Is E/Q the reference name?
Larry

If quartz is stronger, as has been mentioned several times in this thread, then I think it is the way to go. Another plus is that it is sold clean and dry, and it is packaged according to granular size (almost).

E/Q sounds good to me.

Regards

Sandi

[brunog]

if you are looking for good quality quartz sand, pool filtration sand is quartz sand only, even better, it's coarse sand.

Bruno

[walter]

Our castings will not have the beautiful countertop look.

Really? I am surprised...

(just kidding)

The name EQ sounds great. And I hope we can really test this "quartz only" theory.. What do they mean by "nearly indestructible"? Would that make the machine forklift resistant?

Otherwise some large aggregate would probably cost less (?).

We're still brainstorming...

[walter]

if you are looking for good quality quartz sand, pool filtration sand is quartz sand only, even better, it's coarse sand.

This is also very interesting. I think I'm going to check out the pool store..Thanks Bruno!

[martinw]

Martin, checked out that guys work and materials. Nice. I have a couple books. I'm looking at one "Design Ideas for Decorative Concrete and Stone". The other one has better how to info. Picked em both up at Barnes and Noble. Also what type of medical VAC do you have. My last job was for a company that had specialized VAC units. They had thousands of retired models, so the application crossed my mind, however they were very concerned about models outside of their service model.

Dear jsage,

The book I have by Fu-Tung Cheng is called "Concrete Countertops" published by the Taunton Press. I picked it up in Canada about four years ago, and it is very good.

My vacuum pump came from a one man vacuum outfit and is "no-name". I think the guy bought the motors and pumps from different suppliers and just bolted the motor shaft to the pump. Mine is (from memory) only about 1/10th horsepower, and is about 11 inches long. If you are not squeamish, you may like to know that they are used to suck gunk and goo away from the surgeon's knife! I would imagine that a new specialist medical vac. pump might be very expensive, but I would guess that there must be lots available on the second-hand market that are in excellent condition.

Anyway, I use this tiny pump in a large vac. bag veneering system and it's great. The bag is about 10ft by 5ft on plan and I have a vacuum switch hooked to the pump which can maintain any negative pressure up to about 14psi. ( Do not forget to put in an in-line non-return valve just before the pump) It was mentioned in a previous post that some components of epoxy might vapourise at high negative pressures if you use a vac. pump. With a vacuum switch, you may be able to set the pressure at a level low enough to prevent this, but high enough to void air bubbles. Just a thought.

Best wishes

Martin

[brunog]

Larry,
your next door neighbour sells granite and quartz aggregate and sand and you didn't tell us ??

Take a look at www.colouredaggregates.com

Regards

Bruno