robsrockshop
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2012
Posts: 715
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Post by robsrockshop on Sept 18, 2013 19:53:28 GMT -5
the website says it contains "chlorine, amines and boron" Chlorine by itself is an oxidizer and not a good idea in a saw. amines by themselves are also not a really good idea. So, I extrapolated that to say chloramines (kills bacteria) and borax because borax also is a rust inhibitor. I assumed there was soap as a lubricant. Perhaps an alkali soap that will also aid in rust inhibition. I could not find an MSDS for Gem Lube. I wonder why it turns blue? Maybe the amines making aldehydes. What is the mix ratio recommended? And exactly where did you learn all this?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2013 21:50:42 GMT -5
Kingsley North says: The rest is supposition based on some chemistry lab background. I did about 5 years in a chemical plant production, quality control laboratory. If someone will get a copy of the MSD Sheet for Gem Lube we can learn a lot more.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Sept 19, 2013 10:01:07 GMT -5
Scott, the way I read this is that it is FREE of chlorine, amines, and boron?? Or am I missing something? I still can't find an MSDS for it. Do you know who actually makes it?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2013 16:50:10 GMT -5
ha! I quit. Going back to bed. I wonder why they would even bother to mention that?
Bye all.......................
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Sept 22, 2013 11:00:29 GMT -5
With my 10" Covington, I've tried just about every product you can mix in water. They all failed while cutting local hard agates & jaspers, which is all I cut. And I cut up to 3 1/2" in the vise. I've had excellent luck with Gem Lube. I use 301 & 303 blades. Rarely have to sharpen the blades. Recently my saw sat for 9 months while the blade was sitting in Gem Lube & water. Not one speck of rust. Clean up? I take the saw behind the house and rinse it out with the garden hose. Think I'd pick another hobby before using oil. And yes Shotgunner, you mis-read the ingredients. And someday I'd like to give JSGems coolant a try. Also have my saw sitting on top of a plastic Rubbermaid type wheeled cart and roll it out from my shed onto my patio. Harbor Freight sells them for less than half price of Rubbermaid and every bit as good. Talked Susan in buying the cart. Only coolant disposal issues I have is after I cut Lavic jasper. Everything turns burnt orange color. I dig a small hole and bury the sludge behind the house. Adds minerals to the soil!
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Post by Jugglerguy on Sept 22, 2013 11:28:15 GMT -5
Larry, I'm confused. You said that every product you tried failed, but the you said you had excellent luck with Gem Lube. I'd like to find a good water additive for my saw.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Sept 22, 2013 11:38:39 GMT -5
All but Gem Lube. Tried Lube Cool, complete garbage. Had to constantly sharpen the blades, rough on the motors, things were rusting and worst of all, my dog was alergic to it. Tried RV anti freeze. Misted too much, dulled the blades, bogged down the motors and you end up with a product that doesn't evaporate. Dump it in your yard, it stays muddy. And no, don't confuse this with automotive anti freeze. This type is the same stuff they put in E-cigarettes, Hollywood smoke machines & ice cream. Tired borax. Little rough on the skin and didn't lube all that well. I wouldn't be afraid to use Gem Lube on a larger blade than 10". Works perfect. Costs $55 for 1 gallon, mix it 10 parts water to 1 part Gem Lube. Can't get much cheeper than that.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Sept 22, 2013 11:46:03 GMT -5
Ok, I thought you were lumping Gem Lube in with the others. I'll have to give that a try. Thanks!
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Sept 22, 2013 12:08:45 GMT -5
You'll be pleased with Gem Lube. Susan and I really get a kick reading all the posts from the oil users. What a mess. The saw, you and everything around you. Then you have to soak the slabs in cat litter and/or wash them with soap to remove the oil. Some of you guys probably spend more on hand soap cleaning up than we do on buying Gem Lube! We just dip our slabs and hands into a bucket of water. Dump the water in the flower bed. Wipe your hands off on your T shirt. No running your coolant through coffee filters, brown paper bags. It's so cheep, just dump it your yard and refill the tank. Won't break the bank. And while using the other products, the saw blades made much more noise, besides wearing them out prematurely. I kept JSGems John busy shipping me new blades in the past. If you cut soft rock, I'm sure some of the other products would work. But not on my hard rocks. I'm not suppose to be sawing out on my patio. Kind of against the home owner's association rules. We can't even change oil in your car out on the driveway (but I do). So I have to be careful with the noise and hand out finished cabs to the neighbors!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2013 12:14:29 GMT -5
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Sept 22, 2013 12:27:35 GMT -5
What's the recipe for Classic Coke? We'll never know. All I know is it works great and user friendly.
"Full 100% synthetic water coolant, quality coolant free of chlorine, amines, and boron. 100% biodegradable, for medium to heavy duty cutting applications. Operator friendly, high stability and high lubricity. Mix 10 parts water to 1 part Gem Lube."
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2013 13:34:48 GMT -5
The reason I ask, is there is a single product in another realm that is head and shoulders above the rest. AND it occurs to me that that product would work well in a saw.
That product is "water wetter" and is used for engine coolant in racetrack vehicles. I wanted to compare the two.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Sept 22, 2013 14:13:45 GMT -5
Might be "propylene glycol" based, aka RV antifreeze. Worked great for rust protection but didn't have any lubricating properties. Saw blade was hot and would turn brown. My clutch motor would run hot and would lock up the blade motor. Plus it made the ground muddy. Heck, give it a try. I sure did my share of experimenting with water based coolants. What a nightmare! I was close to putting all my lapidary equipment up for sale until I found Gem Lube. All the teenagers now days are snorting propylene glycol in E-cigarettes. Wanna be cool by blowing out smoke!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Sept 22, 2013 14:27:54 GMT -5
Kerosene and used motor oil for me. When it is time to replace oil i drain into a steel pot and set it on fire(which is hard to do).(20-25% used motor oil and flash point is darn safe)(no open flames in mist) Burns hot and clean for hours and leaves a dry white powder behind. The smell is nasty but it seems to disappear away from the rock quicker than Covington Rock Saw oil. I can say this. The particulate settles quickly and the oil is always crystal clear. The lubricating performance is exceptional.The vibration of the saw compacts the particles into a compact sludge that can be peeled up like a cast rubber coating. Amazing what petrol can do. And how cheap it is. And how long it lasts. And it is potentially flammable.
Of course, the pollutive substances always perform great.
Like comparing trichloroethane to citrus cleaner.
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