mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Dec 26, 2010 10:10:21 GMT -5
I'm sure one of the first questions Adam and Eve asked was "Is there any way to clean and reuse this cutting oil?" I've never heard there is, so.....
The tarp blew off my saw during a recent storm here in CA, and water leaked into my Covington through the plastic viewing lid on top. What a mess. So, I need to change my sludge, I mean oil.
It was time the saw get cleaned up anyway. Is there any cheap solvent I could use to clean the ways, threads, clamps, etc. without blowing myself into the next county? I thought of using diesel oil, but figured the saw would stink forever. I thought of using my pressure washer and then immediately wiping everything down with some kind of rust preventative or just refilling and run the saw and get everything coated again.
I am paying $20 per gallon for Rockhound Oil through Covington. Or maybe it was $30. I have read of people using the following for cutting oils: Chevron Superla Texaco Almag Standard RPM Flushing oil Shell Pella 21 Arco Calube SIOS
Does anyone have any experience with any of these? With this mishap, I realized factoring cutting oil into the price of my slabs is necessary (we sell stuff during the summers in Montana outside of Yellowstone).
Also, I was thinking of putting bricks in the bottom of the saw to reduce the volume of oil required to fill. Like putting bricks in your toilet to reduce the water used. Has anyone done this? Can anyone think of any reason this would not be ok?
How long do you guys run your oil? If you keep the sludge out of the bottom, is there any reason to change the oil regularly? It seems running the blade in dirty oil might theroetically reduce its life, but oil isn't cheap so you are balancing blade life vs. oil cost.
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Post by roy on Dec 26, 2010 10:53:15 GMT -5
i use the bricks or rocks inthe bottom of my saw to displace the oil , to clean it up try a good engine degreaser ?
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Post by tandl on Dec 26, 2010 11:01:31 GMT -5
Ihave bricks in my saw , and have used the almag oil and it worked great . I use , used motor oil out of our vehicles now , works great , real messy ;D
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papat
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2010
Posts: 261
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Post by papat on Dec 26, 2010 11:42:03 GMT -5
I use meniarl oil 14.95 a gal
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Post by texaswoodie on Dec 26, 2010 11:44:42 GMT -5
I use the lightest weight tractor hydraulic oil I can find. On sale a tractor supply last time for $26 for 5 gallons. Lot cheaper than $20 a gallon.
Curt
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mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Dec 26, 2010 12:32:37 GMT -5
Are the oils commonly sold by the lapidary houses mineral oils or petroleum based? I guess I would probably prefer breathing the mineral oil fumes to petro fumes.
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Post by jakesrocks on Dec 26, 2010 12:50:08 GMT -5
Almag and Pella are the two oils us old timers used. They both stink to high heaven. I've heard that Shell has stopped producing Pella. The mineral oil being sold in rock shops and lapidary catalogs is very highly refined, nearly odorless and expensive. Go to Tractor Supply and buy yourself 5 gallons of mineral based hydraulic oil for half the price of the oil sold as lapidary oil. It has a little bit of odor, but not too bad. Don
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 26, 2010 17:20:33 GMT -5
Yep, I'm with Jake on this one. Used to use either Pella or Almeg and both reek and stink your slabs up for a long time. I found hydraulic Oil I got at WalMart too viscious for good cooling. Now I run Covington Rockhound oil mixed with WalMart Baby oil when I start running short of the first. Covington's oil is almost odorless and the baby oil smells good. Rockhound oil runs $17 per gallon plus shipping and the baby oil a bit less but no shipping as I pick it up locally.....Mel
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dbrealityrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2010
Posts: 1,084
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Post by dbrealityrocks on Dec 26, 2010 18:33:54 GMT -5
I use white oil 15 (mineral oil). Got 55 gal for 475 but coud have gotten 3 @ $375. Since I cut in the house I wouldn't use the other kinds but next summer when I move them outside I'll probably go back to used ATF which I can get for free from oil change shops and smells worse than any I've tried except diesel. D
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Post by jakesrocks on Dec 26, 2010 18:58:27 GMT -5
Ya Mel, but you know you learned to love that smell. It's been several years since I last used Pella, but I still find myself missing the smell of that stuff. lol
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auntierocks
starting to shine!
Member since July 2009
Posts: 33
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Post by auntierocks on Dec 26, 2010 19:04:48 GMT -5
Can I use the Tractor Supply mineral oil that's used as a horse laxative (just shy of food grade)?
I'm on a well & want to use something that will not poison it when it is pressure-washer time...
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Post by jakesrocks on Dec 26, 2010 19:37:35 GMT -5
Others on here have used horse laxative oil. Never tried it myself, but don't see why it wouldn't work. But while you're at Tractor Supply, you might want to compare the price to tractor hydraulic oil. It's also a mineral oil.
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Post by catmandewe on Dec 26, 2010 20:51:49 GMT -5
I get technical grade mineral oil for $6.45 per gallon from my local oil supply warehouse (United Oil). They have been having a hard time getting it lately though so they have substituted food grade mineral oil for it the last 2 times. My vet told me that horse laxative is the same as food grade mineral oil.
Bricks in the bottom will use less oil, but will also give you less oil to hold the solids in suspension, thus you will gunk up much faster.
I strain all my old gunk through a paper grocery sack inside a 5 gallon bucket with about 100 holes drilled in it and the oil that comes out the bottom looks just like new oil. I cut a hole in the top of a 55 gal drum to set the 5 gal bucket in so when I need fresh oil I can just pump it out of the drum. You will lose about 1/4 to 1/3 of your oil each time you strain it, but it still saves quite a bit.
Have a Happy New Year...............Tony
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 26, 2010 21:05:28 GMT -5
I priced the horse laxative here in Kerrville and it was about $20+ per gallon but I think it would work just fine.....Mel
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Post by Woodyrock on Dec 27, 2010 2:11:18 GMT -5
Like Tony, I use white mineral oil that is $345.00 for 55 gallons. This is a pharmaceutal grade, which is the same as food grade but not packaged in a 'clean room'. I have found that oil recovery is better if you change it well before it is loaded with rock snot. BTW, the oil I buy at this price is the same oil Covington sells, and since I only buy two drums at a time I pay more per gallon than they do.
You can recover the water mix oil by freezing it, and discarding the ice, by sieving it. Woody
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cabjunky
has rocks in the head
Regency Rose Plume
Member since November 2008
Posts: 683
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Post by cabjunky on Dec 27, 2010 18:56:14 GMT -5
I use the horse laxative mineral oil from cal ranch stores, and IFA, and it works fine. About $15.00 a gallon, will have to try the mineral based tractor hydraulic oil next time I need oil. Stay away from the stuff at Walmart it is too thick, unless cut with thinner oil. Add in no smoke from wal-mart it will cut down on the misting.
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Dec 31, 2010 0:24:52 GMT -5
I've gotten quotes of $20 a gal for mineral oil from an oil distributor & $18 a gal for horse laxative from CAL Ranch. I'd love to find 5 gals for $26 like one poster mentioned. What tractor supply store is it & what's the oil called? How does it smell? Our club saw is in the back of a retail store, so we need something odorless.
Lynn
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marinedad
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since December 2010
Posts: 813
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Post by marinedad on Dec 31, 2010 10:38:34 GMT -5
i use the mineral oil from farm and fleet-also used as horse lax. i cut inside and have added a small amount of peppermint or spearmint oil and has a more minty fresh smell.
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Post by frane on Jan 1, 2011 9:48:57 GMT -5
I am glad this thread is going because I need help! I have been reading my Covington 10 inch directions and looking at the very bad diagrams that have been xeroxed so many times it is hard to see. There is not one spot that says approximately how much oil it takes. It came with two tiny sample oil bottles and one coolerent for water mixing....You would think the 2 would be enough to start with and then when we removed the top so I could look into the tank and see how it all works, well, it is a big tank and those two little bottles would be like spitting on it. I went to Wal Mart last night and got 4 pints of pharmacy grade meneral oil because they did not have wal mart baby oil, only Johnsons with all the additives. will this mineral oil do the trick adding in the two little bottles they sent or should I add some baby oil to cut the thickness? Fran
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Post by jakesrocks on Jan 1, 2011 10:05:01 GMT -5
Fran, the pharmacy grade oil should work without adding anything. In my Covington 10 inch, I fill so the oil is about 3/8" up the bottom of the blade. Don
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