Composting is a great idea that helps you and the planet at the same time. But all that stuff is going to break down at different rates, and depending on what you put in there and how soon you want to use the compost, you’ll probably have to sift out some unwanted stuff first.
[Minnear Knives] had a bunch of apricot stones in his compost pile, and it was the pits. He did some research and decided to build his own rotary trommel to tumble out the trash. As you will see in the video after the break, it works really well. All he has to do is turn on the motor and shovel raw compost or dirt into one end. Bad stuff tumbles out the other end into a wheelbarrow, while the good stuff is sifted down into a pile under the cylinder. Just look at that rich, fluffy compost.
The best part is that he was able to make it mostly from stuff he had lying around, though he did trade some beer for the v-belt pulley. The cylinder is essentially made from mesh that’s zip-tied to bicycle rims. A 1/4 horsepower motor mounted up top uses that v-belt pulley to spin the cylinder’s rims against casters that are mounted to the frame. Thanks to the pair of bike wheels on the back, he can cart it around the ranch unassisted.
Composting doesn’t have to be any more difficult than a pile in the backyard. But if you don’t have a backyard, why not build a rotating bin that you can monitor from your phone?
Works really well! But I’m not a huge fan of open rotating equipment at head height for kids with small fingers and long hair, or dusty rocks in eyes. But nothing some ply wood cant fix.
exactly
highly dangerous apparatus and machinery, mains powered in outdoor, at moisty ground, offering no protection against electric shock
Tell him to keep his machine out of reach of children, when off and off,
via instructables
https://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-Soil-Sifter-Rotary-Trommel/
https://www.instructables.com/member/Minnear+Knives/
Meh. Kids (and bits of kids) make great compost.
Two thumbs up!
Peanut shells (hulls) and egg shells do not compost very well, but I say, “What the heck, if the rest of the compost is good, it’s going into the garden.”
Egg shells will break into very small pieces and will be eaten by worms and the calcium is absorbed into your plants.
I’ve never had a problem will peanut shells, they vertainly decompose better than pine needles.
I do wonder if the coffee grounds have composted, or not?
Once they are mixed in, it is hard to tell.
B^)
Coffee grounds contain phosphor, nitrogen and potassium – basically what you pay for when you buy fertilizer. Earthworms love it.
Simply be careful not to fertilize seedlings with it, the coffeein might be too much.
Really appreciate your suggestions. Do you know if coffee is a bug and ants repellant?
So much for repurposing an old 1400 speed washing machine and sending the dirt everywhere.
Just use the inner drum of a top loader, turn it 45 degrees off vertical and set it to agitate!
I like it. Door hinge brackets cool. Probably doesnt need to be that tall. Next is a two stage screen filter counter rotating drums with WiFi or at least Bluetooth?
That thing is spinning too fast. It needs to be slower and longer.
+1
I like your contraption. Stroke of ingenuity!!!
Not just that but you still have to break up the dirt clods. They end up in the fill-trash.
At this speed it can cut fingers nicely. Open frame helps it well too.
That’s an undocumented feature! Blood has lots of nutrients that plants can use.
It’s only called ‘Blood and Bone’. It doesn’t actually contain either blood or bone :)
Actually, it does. Hence the name. What did you think it was made of?
Dried blood is a common fertilizer!
I just want to add this about composting, it is a booklet (63 pages) my Father-in-law gave me.
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Compost-14-Days-Editor/dp/B001KGMFSS