AusBonsai

Hi All,

For the last how ever many years i have been using one of those stainless steel (or it may be gal) 3 in one soil sieves. due to it being 300mm wide and only 50mm deep it takes me ages to sift out enough soil for one tree, let alone the whole collection.

Today i made up two sieves that are much bigger to complete this task more easily. I use fly wire on one with appatures of about 1.5mm. I then have a 6mm appature plastic sieve from a hardwars store. I now need to find mesh with about 3mm appatures so i can make an inbetween sieve.

Does anyone know where i might find this size mesh? I had a brief look at the hardware store today but couldnt find anyhting. Any one have any ideas? or does anyone know where i could buy a large 500mm diameter 100mmm deep sized sieve with 3mm appatures?

What do most people use to grade their soils? What size meshes do you use?

Joe.

I have always wanted to know the answer to this one Joe, as I have wanted to build a soil sifting machine capable of doing 100lt or more of media at a time.

Just Googled this:
http://www.sswm.com.au/Stainless-Steel-Woven-Mesh

Plenty of aperture sizes to soil your needs, the site says that you need to buy a minimum of a 2m length off the roll, doesn't say how wide the roll is, but it's a start I reckon.

Good hunting

Cheers,
Mojo

I happened to Google "Sieves" yesterday and found the Fossickers websites the best; rather than the scientific "Test" sieves which are certified but extraordinarily expensive.

Grant

Joe, Gutter Guard use a plastic mesh with an oblong hole size about 2.5 x 4.5mm.

Mojo Moyogi wrote:I have always wanted to know the answer to this one Joe, as I have wanted to build a soil sifting machine capable of doing 100lt or more of media at a time.

Just Googled this:
http://www.sswm.com.au/Stainless-Steel-Woven-Mesh

Plenty of aperture sizes to soil your needs, the site says that you need to buy a minimum of a 2m length off the roll, doesn't say how wide the roll is, but it's a start I reckon.

Good hunting

Cheers,
Mojo

Every time i sift anything i alway dream of a more automated system. I was thinking today that you could line bread trays with mesh of different grades, and stack them ontop of each other and then suspend them so that you wouldnt have to hold their weight and then just move side to side. Or you could go low tech and use a electric saw like this example.....

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/sieve-screen ... ompost.php

Might be an easy way to slightly speed up the process. Then there is always the roles royce of sifting...

http://nichigobonsai.com/2012/01/31/soil-sifter/

Jow,
I have seen a washing machine drum used as a sieve. Holes are about 3-4 mm and it can be mounted on a stand like a cement mixer. Add a handle to the front to rotate the whole bowl for almost automatic sieving. It will take up a bit more storage room than your current set of sieves though.

I have stainless woven mesh (from the scrapmetal yard) that has about 3mm openings. Much more robust than the light wire in most sieves.
Another option is to use 2 layers of 6mm mesh just offset a little to give 3mm openings.

Thanks for the ideas Neil, The offsetting of a 6mm mesh is a good idea i hadnt considered. I wish i had the space for a mechanical sifter.... Until then its just about how i can make hand sifting easier.

Joe.

I'm looking to get either:
http://www.te2.com.au/Materials-Testing ... tview.aspx
http://www.russellfinex.com/separators/ ... rator.html
http://www.russellfinex.com/eco-separator.html

What sort of coin do they run at?

You call that a sifter, now this is a sifter ... only $350 Joe you might not have room for it though

http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Rural-Mac ... P005136266

Jow wrote:Until then its just about how i can make hand sifting easier.

I was in Katoomba yesterday , down at the old coal mine. There in the bush was a cylindrical coal sorter - fine holes at the entry end, coarser further down, big lumps out the end.

One could start with a barrel of 5mm bird wire and add partial wraps of smaller guage (down to flywire to remove dust)

Mount almost horizontally on rollers and you're away

Try a security door manufacturer for 3mm mesh

modify something like this.. , for large batches of stuff (well I sieve my compost) I use a large wooden frame (fits over wheelbarrow) and it has several layers of parrot mesh ofset to each other.

I know this is a late reply, however, http://www.sieves.net.au have cheap sieves available to the public and ship all over Oz