cutter
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2008
Posts: 129
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Post by cutter on Mar 10, 2008 15:50:20 GMT -5
Well yesterday I finally got my cheap oil in my 36" saw. Someone should have been there with a camcorder. I've got oil every where. Spilled a bunch on the garage floor trying to hit the bucket from a 55 gal. drum. Switching buckets I bent over and stuck my head in the flow and got oil on my favorite felt hat. Found out that the lid doesn't always fit just right and when I turned it on, I had oil pouring out every where. When I was first ready to turn it on, I had the lid up so I have about a 30' stripe of oil across the ceiling and opposite wall, big dummy. I had put plastic on the back wall so it all ran down the back onto the floor. Found out that it leaks oil around the pulley. I'm glad I got a few extra gallons as it looks like I might need them. Then I clamped up a Brazilian and took off a couple of slabs. I put them in some ground up Sphagnum moss to absorb the excess oil. I then laid them out on the drive so I could take them down to the house to clean up. Then I started to clean up all my messes and put tools and truck away. You guessed it I backed the truck right over my slabs. Now I have gravel. I think I'll send to John over in Jeff City to tumble. I hope things go better the next time I get to play with my new toy. So h ave a good laugh on me. Here is the agate that I didn't destroy.
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Post by captbob on Mar 10, 2008 16:07:05 GMT -5
This story may well become a RTH Classic! Thanks for sharing it. Nice agate slab! It's a shame that the final end nub of the cut broke off. Polished up, that would have made a beautiful drink coaster... " Someone should have been there with a camcorder." That tape might have made it on one of those funny video TV shows!
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cutter
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2008
Posts: 129
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Post by cutter on Mar 10, 2008 16:55:49 GMT -5
I actually have most of the rock still intact. I'll get a few more slabs out of it and still have a nice speciem.
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agatemaggot
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2006
Posts: 2,195
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Post by agatemaggot on Mar 10, 2008 17:11:08 GMT -5
That story sounds like a rerun of my first cuts on my saw. Thank the lord for small favors, I only have a 10 inch. Being as it was too cold out in the garage to be sawing the wife suggested we set the saw up on top of a short cabinet we have in the corner of the kitchen. First cut, you guessed it. A 6 inch wide pin stripe all the way across the kitchen floor and all the way up the cupboards to the ceiling. That included me from the waist to the top of my little pointed head. Left the lid open. Next mistake was burying my freshly cut slabs in a beerflat full of kitty litter to soak up the excess oil. This is a very good way to remove excess oil except don't leave the beerflat sitting on the floor if your wife has a cat. It would be a great idea if all lapidary saws came with a video camera attached somehow to record all the neat things that go on during the first few cuts.
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Post by akansan on Mar 10, 2008 19:11:46 GMT -5
Agatemaggot - ewwwwww.....
My first few cuts, I needed something to absorb the excess oil, reminded myself of that mechanics use kitty litter, dumped them in a pan with kitty litter, never once considering the difference between clumping and non-clumping kitty litter. I finally had to take the soggy kitty litter slabs inside to clean off. But hey - they came out of the litter smelling baking soda fresh!
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darrad
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2006
Posts: 1,636
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Post by darrad on Mar 10, 2008 19:59:24 GMT -5
Great story! I had to laugh although I am sure it was not funny at the time. On the bright side the "gravel" will tumble very nice and you did get one nice slab to save.
Remember, If we can not laugh at ourselves who can we laugh at?
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Post by Woodyrock on Mar 11, 2008 1:28:44 GMT -5
You still have a chance to open it up before it stops turning to re-oil that stripe......everybody does that at least once. If you do not want to put out for a drum pump, you can buy a tap that threads into the small bung. Then it will be an easy job to transfer oil to smaller containers. Woody
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Post by BuiltonRock on Mar 11, 2008 5:52:05 GMT -5
LOL Brad,
I can see the whole picture in my mind. Somehow we lose our common sense when it comes to rocks. Did I just say that? Must be true it is on the internet!
Can't wait to see and hear more!!!! john
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Post by Titania on Mar 11, 2008 7:04:50 GMT -5
I hate to laugh at the misfortune of others but.....LOLOLOL!! What a great story! Put a smile on my face this morning, that's for sure.
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huffstuff
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since August 2007
Posts: 1,222
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Post by huffstuff on Mar 11, 2008 8:38:14 GMT -5
What a great story! Oh, but what an awful feeling when you realized you ran over some with the truck.... What a beautiful agate, glad you have some left.
Thanks for the laugh!
Amy
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Post by Michael John on Mar 11, 2008 16:21:19 GMT -5
You should invest in one of those little hand-crank siphons for getting oil from 55 gallon drums. It may take a little while to crank it out, but I doubt it would take as long as a massive oil cleanup.
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Post by MrP on Mar 11, 2008 20:40:43 GMT -5
I can't believe a person would leave the top up and start the saw. Wait a minute, I think I did that 1 no 2 OK may more times but it WILL NOT happen this year! Maybe. Great story. Have fun with that SAW.....MrP
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