Mark K
Cave Dweller 
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,818 
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Post by Mark K on Jan 29, 2024 22:08:36 GMT -5
Just cut a rock from the $20 crate and it turned my oil yucky calf shit yellow. So, after that rock was done I cleaned the saw out. Took maybe 20 minutes. I have everything ready and at hand before time. Put in new oil and good as new. LS 10
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Post by chris1956 on Jan 30, 2024 11:08:16 GMT -5
I need some education on this subject. What is the issue with cutting rocks in oil that is yucky calf #@!$ yellow? Is it that the color may get into the next rock that is cut or does the material in the oil affect the cutting? I haven't cut much that is very rare or expensive (other than jasoninsd Prairie Agates  ) so I haven't worried about contaiminating the next rock too much. I also usually stabilize what I am cutting so I don't worry as much about material getting into cracks and holes. I have cut some softer jasper that will create a mess, but if I am worried about it, I usually let it settle and the next rock isn't too bad as far as much material in the oil. Just wondering. |
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,818
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Post by Mark K on Jan 30, 2024 11:41:29 GMT -5
This stuff was so nasty that it totally prevented me from seeing into the saw to see the progress. Plus, it looked to be something that would stain everything it came in contact with. This was one of the worst rocks I have cut as far as dirtying the saw. As bad as binghamite, or maybe worse. It also started to turn the oil thick like some of the red jasper does. And while it would settle out, the saw would stir it back up as soon as it was turned on again. The gift that keeps on giving.
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,172
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Post by rockbrain on Jan 30, 2024 16:05:30 GMT -5
I guess that's why I don't have to clean my saw as often. No window!
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,818
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Post by Mark K on Jan 30, 2024 16:09:59 GMT -5
There is much more to it than the window. The slime was particularly nasty and in just 3-4 cuts had changed the viscosity of the oil.
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realrockhound
Cave Dweller
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
Posts: 4,495
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Post by realrockhound on Jan 30, 2024 16:50:51 GMT -5
I’ve been there. Once when I was away, my brother brought over a bunch of this agate he found in a river. Cut it up in my 14”, turned the oil to sludge. Every cut left my stuff caked with a layer of thick orange sludge 😂. Told him never again
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agatewhisperer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since May 2020
Posts: 836
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Post by agatewhisperer on Jan 30, 2024 23:59:54 GMT -5
Same with Noreena Jasper for me. Every cut ends up looking like a blood bath and is very messy to clean up for rocks coming after it. It also accumulates sludge on the table part of my saw and stops oil from draining back in the basin as easily. So from now on I usually do Noreena before putting the saw away for the season and cleaning it out.
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,172
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Post by rockbrain on Jan 31, 2024 10:12:15 GMT -5
I'm getting that from the Lavic Siding Jasper.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,818
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Post by Mark K on Jan 31, 2024 12:21:33 GMT -5
I should have taken a picture.
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Post by victor1941 on Feb 1, 2024 10:41:47 GMT -5
Plaster of Paris will also sludge the oil very quickly. One method to cut smaller bouquet plume from Marfa, Texas was to orient the rough, then fill a half gallon cardboard container with plaster and then thin slice it like bread to find the plume. The cutting method worked great but it ruined a 5 gallon tank of oil. Cement did the same to the next 5 gallons of oil and this experiment was over. I hand cut on the trim saw for the remaining material
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Post by Rockoonz on Feb 1, 2024 15:41:21 GMT -5
Some stuff just turns to pudding in oil, others settle out nicely and allow for lots of cutting. I try to plan accordingly, after an oil change it's all white, light colored and clear agate, then the messy stuff later. Even separating the oil filtering, once the oil has a lot of the iron red in it I don't cut anything with it that can be stained.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,818
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Post by Mark K on Feb 1, 2024 16:48:57 GMT -5
Yeah. If this was in the big saw with the everclean on it, I would have poured a couple gallons of clean oil in and turned the saw on with the carriage disengaged and let the saw mix the sludge up with the new oil until all of it was in the can.
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Post by 1dave on Feb 2, 2024 12:02:27 GMT -5
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,818
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Post by Mark K on Feb 2, 2024 12:43:55 GMT -5
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) so I haven't worried about contaiminating the next rock too much. I also usually stabilize what I am cutting so I don't worry as much about material getting into cracks and holes. 
