JJMoneyman
Well-known member
I'm sure frag disks seem cheap but when you go through 1000+ a month the cost can really add up. Below are the basics for making home made frag disks cheap.
I start with a table and put a sheet of plastic on top of it:
Next in a 5 gallon bucket I mix the following:
2 parts argonite sand (do not use play sand from the hardware store as it can contain silicate based sand)
1 part standard portland cement (this is not premixed cement as it does not contain sand or rocks)
add water to desired consistency
Once it is well mixed I dump it on the table:
And then spread it out with a trowel:
The key is getting it the right thickness.
To cut the disks I use small pieces of thin wall PVC piping. The nice thing about this is you can chose the diameter you want.
I then just cut the disk out of the concrete mix with the PVC pipe.
This is about 350 disks cut out and took less that 10 minutes to cut.
As you can see I did 2 different slightly different sizes. You can cut them any size that you want.
The next day they are pretty much dry and I just break them apart.
Disks all broken apart. You can see they have a smooth bottom and a rough top for perfect gluing.
Once broken apart I will let them dry a few days longer then start curing them. I soak them in water for a couple of months in a 5 gallon bucket. I change out the water every few days by simply dumping the water out and refilling the water. I soak them for a couple of months and then let them dry then they are good to go.
And what is the cost of these disks? The biggest expense is the sand, but I watch craigslist and local boards for cheap or free sand. You don't want to use hardware store sand because of the silicates it can contain. Portland cement is just a few dollars a bag and you can make 1000's of disks per bag. So if you can get cheap or free argonite sand it just takes time. I can make a batch of 350 in less than an hour from start to finish.
I start with a table and put a sheet of plastic on top of it:
Next in a 5 gallon bucket I mix the following:
2 parts argonite sand (do not use play sand from the hardware store as it can contain silicate based sand)
1 part standard portland cement (this is not premixed cement as it does not contain sand or rocks)
add water to desired consistency
Once it is well mixed I dump it on the table:
And then spread it out with a trowel:
The key is getting it the right thickness.
To cut the disks I use small pieces of thin wall PVC piping. The nice thing about this is you can chose the diameter you want.
I then just cut the disk out of the concrete mix with the PVC pipe.
This is about 350 disks cut out and took less that 10 minutes to cut.
As you can see I did 2 different slightly different sizes. You can cut them any size that you want.
The next day they are pretty much dry and I just break them apart.
Disks all broken apart. You can see they have a smooth bottom and a rough top for perfect gluing.
Once broken apart I will let them dry a few days longer then start curing them. I soak them in water for a couple of months in a 5 gallon bucket. I change out the water every few days by simply dumping the water out and refilling the water. I soak them for a couple of months and then let them dry then they are good to go.
And what is the cost of these disks? The biggest expense is the sand, but I watch craigslist and local boards for cheap or free sand. You don't want to use hardware store sand because of the silicates it can contain. Portland cement is just a few dollars a bag and you can make 1000's of disks per bag. So if you can get cheap or free argonite sand it just takes time. I can make a batch of 350 in less than an hour from start to finish.
