Is Vermiculite Being Pulled From The Market??

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hcambron

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I went by my local Home Depot today to pick up some Vermiculite but the shelf was empty. According to the clerk at the Service Desk, they can no longer sell it - some new Federal regulation. Thinking that maybe this was just some rumor she had heard and not the facts, I went to another H.D. Again, I got the same story. By the way, the first H.D. was their "showplace" store, near the H.D. corporate headquarters in Atlanta.

Next I went by Lowe's and they had three bags on the shelf but that was all. The clerk - fresh out of high school - said that the inventory showed 100 bags but he could not find them anywhere.

So my question, has anyone heard that Vermiculite is being pulled from the market?

I did find this article on the internet ( http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/211169_libby08.html) about the chemical company W.R. Grace being indicted on federal charges because "they knowingly put their workers and the public in danger through exposure to vermiculite ore contaminated with asbestos from the company's mine in Libby, Mont."

And what about Perlite, which the stores do have. Can you use it just like Vermiculite?
 
perlite is a bit higher temp. actually, the homemade refrac guys use it.
like backyardmetalcasting.com
IIRC they have a recipe useing perlite.
perlite.net for mo info

Vermiculite, vermiculite.net
 
I was told vermiculite was being pulled for cancer reasons. I got the last of mine from Agway. They also carry a pearlite/vermiculit mix that seems to work well, though, too.
 
If this is true and people need vermiculite I can talk to the people we store stuff for at work. I recently had to unload about 3 or 4 tons of the stuff. They were going to insulate some machines with it but changed their minds.

ws
 
I've had luck just heating and let cool slowly right in the furnace. I annealled 5 used files that way. I guess it may not work as well that way in a forge. :confused:
Scott
 
I used to sell vermiculite in 4 cu. ft. bag for $11 when I worked at a garden supply store in So. Ca.

Whats it go for now?
 
Strange how some things happen.... I was flippig the channels on t.v. last night and I heard the word vermiculite. There was a documentary on # 345 - the Encord Drama Channel on Dish Network. It was called "Dust To Dust" and it was about the Vermiculite mine in Libby Montana. Apparently asbestos was found in the ore and it was causing Asbestosis is many of the miners and local residents. Over 200 people have died from exposure; Kids who played on a ball field that had the ore mixed in the dirt, residents of Libby who did not work at the mine but breathed the dust from passing trucks and trains loaded with vermiculite.

Vermiculite was originally called "Zonolite" and it was used to insulate walls and attics in homes. Take a look at what the E.P.A. has to say about it: http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/insulation.html.

After I watched the show, I went down to my shop and gathered up the bags that I had bought at Lowe's. They all went in the trash.

Anyone who is still using vermiculite needs to watch this video. I noticed at the ending credits that there was a web site listed for the producer and there is a trailer that you can view online - http://www.mbpvideo.com/dust_to_dust.html.

I'm switching to kitty litter.


"apox77 asked: Whats it go for now?" It was just under $3.00 a bag.
 
Vermiculite and perlite are mined in other places besides the mine in libby montana. If i remember correctly most of it comes out of mines in south africa now. All vermiculite from the libby plant is supposed to be pulled from shelves because of the asbestos contamination in it. If you have some or find it to buy just look to see where it came from before you buy or throw it out.
 
Kitty litter or floor dry is a good insulating material. Many machine shops bed parts in this clay very effectively for slow cooling. Cats will sink into vermiculite and won't poop in it but they will poop in kitty litter so keep it covered.

Forge anneals work well, very close to textbook numbers; the heavier the forge and the more refractory the better.

A 1250 degee ten minute soak will give you about RC 20, plenty soft. Overnight slow cool will give you textbook results, about RC 8-12.

Take Care...Ed
 
I use nice, clean fluffy wood ashes mixed with very fine sand, which I keep in a half-barrel. It's always worked well for me.
 
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