Nessalco Posted November 15, 2016 Posted November 15, 2016 I received a very nice gift last night - about 30 pounds of yttrium stabilized zirconium grinding media. This is 'junk' from a local company that produces calcium carbonate for the food and drug industries, and buy the media as 1" balls, by the multiple ton lots. This is worn down to between 1/4" and 5/8", but still completely serviceable for pyro needs. I'll be making a new (big) mill to grind charcoal using this media. I looked at the prices for this stuff online, and nearly fell off my chair. Kevin
Mumbles Posted November 15, 2016 Posted November 15, 2016 Nice find. Most people who have used it love it, but like you said the price tag makes for a heck of a sticker shock. If that company has any more "junk" to get rid of, let us know.
NeighborJ Posted November 15, 2016 Posted November 15, 2016 Nice score, I bet it'd even hold up well for MgAl. It sounds like its worth building a new mill for.
Nessalco Posted November 16, 2016 Author Posted November 16, 2016 Never occurred to me that this media might grind MgAl. I want to experiment with some very fine MgAl in TPA flash, and have some coarse stuff I'll probably never use. Seems like a good experiment. I've read that when milling MgAl you need to open the mill jars periodically in order to avoid problems with heat generation due to oxidation. How often should I crack them? Every hour? Every six?
NeighborJ Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 August could tell you better but I don't think it is near the concern as plain AL. The possibility still exists so once every hour is standard for AL, I'd do the same.
August Posted November 21, 2016 Posted November 21, 2016 I can run twenty four hours continuous without much heat generation. I also know my drums breathe a bit. Received enough ceramic media for four drums that used to be used for grinding up egg shells. Retired it from MgAl grinding due to chipping.
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