Nov 1, 2007 · The vermiculite did work well when I used to use it, especially sandwiched between a couple of heated bars of steel like Alan mentioned. It was my experience though that the coarser light colored vermiculite, hard to find these days, seemd to work better than the finer brown vermiculite more common now.

Dec 7, 2008 · It seems to me that vermiculite (fine grade) is best for seeds and has the wonderful property of totally eliminating damping off without the need to spend time and energy in sterilising the compost. My method is - for non-crevice plants - basic mix 1 part each peat, vermicompost, fine vermiculite, sand. On this I put ½" of fine vermiculite.

Nov 4, 2019 · Good idea. When I used to anneal 10XX steels I usually preheated the vermiculite, and then put the blade in there with a larger hot bar at the same time. Sandwich a file between two bars of 3/8 x 1 mild, heat to bright orange, then jam it in the preheated vermiculite. Buttery soft the next day! Probably had terrible grain growth, though.

Mar 17, 2010 · I prefer pearlite to vermiculite due to the latter being able to absorb water from the air, just like the wood ash. As far as an acid for etching suppliers, try googling art etching supplies or see if an art store near you can help you out. If the volume of acid is dilute enough and in a small enough, then there are not any special handling ...

Apr 3, 2007 · I cannot find vermiculite to save my life right now, so I found some perlite at Wal-Mart it has volcanic ash in it and some other thing that slips me right now. So has any one ever used it to anneal a blade. Ed Cafferty in his knife making vid, uses vermiculite, to cool a blade over 12 hours to make it dead soft.

Jul 7, 2005 · I also think that the vermiculite would be the better insulator of the two. I have also often heard of light powders, like MgO (lime), ash, and even cement powder being used. Have aslo thought obout using refractory wool - I have seen a table that shows it is a way better insulator than pearlite and powdered MgO at least.

Jul 12, 2012 · I use fine vermiculite to avoid (totally) damping off of seedlings. I used to have huge loss of seedlings to damping off but since using ½-1" of vermiculite as the growing medium over the compost, I have not lost a single seedling to the infection. My big beef is that garden centres tend to massively overcharge for small volumes of vermiculite.

Aug 22, 2012 · Perlite and/or vermiculite. We used perlite and didn't sift out the bigger pieces, so we had some pretty rough-textured mix. Experiment with different combinations and see what you like. Sand. A layer of damp sand in a shallow box can help support your project, especially if you're putting the mix on the outside of your mold.

Aug 20, 2022 · We all know about compost, vermiculite and minerals such as lime and potassium, however there are some little-known options that you can use to improve the health and structure of your container and in-ground growing mediums that are available that will give your garden a great boost. Bat guano improves your soil

Feb 5, 2014 · The best potting mix for lavender is one that offers excellent drainage. Use sterile seed starting mix available from the garden center. You can mix more vermiculite into the seed starting mix to increase the drainage. Avoid mixes with added fertilizers or excess peat, which increases moisture.