Larry
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2008
Posts: 267
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Post by Larry on May 28, 2009 14:13:10 GMT -5
Well, I guess the title says it all. I've been working with my new saw now (thanks John) and I am getting some nice slabs. The problem is they all have the oil smell from the mineral oil I'm using.
I don't mind it too much but others do/will. If I make gifts from these slabs, I don't want them to smell like oil. Most importantly, my 2-year-old daughter loves taking my new slabs and wiping them to see the colors but I don't let her anymore because then her hands smell. (btw a 2-year-old with a baby wipe and a box of slabs / rocks = proud and happy Dad)
So... is there an easy way to remove the odor? I saw someplace where you can use borax to get the smell from your hands but it did not work on the rocks. I'm looking for the cheapest home remedy there is.
Thanks in advance for the help.
-Larry
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Post by johnjsgems on May 28, 2009 14:58:23 GMT -5
Larry, I buy the cheapest kitty litter I can find and keep it in a storage container (make sure it is cat proof). Put the slabs in the kitty litter for at least a day then place in a bucket of a good degreasing cleaner like Simple Green or Dawn. Let soak for a day and rinse with clean water. That should do it.
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Post by rockmanken on May 28, 2009 16:44:16 GMT -5
I use Super Iron Out and soak for a day in it and then for a day in water with baking soda added to it to neutralize it. This is also a good remedy for crystals you want to clean. Ken
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,484
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Post by Sabre52 on May 28, 2009 17:33:28 GMT -5
Boy, I used to use Shell Pella as a coolant and it really stunk up my slabs. I finally got a sack of some sort of oil absorbent stuff from Ron's Rocks that worked better than kitty litter. It's used on machine shop floors but I can't remember what it was called. Maybe one of our machine shop guys knows. I go from the saw to the absorbent, then into a good dishwashing soap. Then, I place the slabs in the hot sun for awhile. Seems to clean most well but some materials retain oil no matter what you do. Nipomo marcasite agate is one and another is lepidoite. Some of the rhyolites are hard to clean too but enough exposure to sun and air will eventually,clean most ...Mel
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Larry
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2008
Posts: 267
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Post by Larry on May 28, 2009 19:46:35 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips guys. I will try these out and see. I appreciate the advice.
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Post by Woodyrock on May 28, 2009 21:40:40 GMT -5
Wow! If the odor from mineral oil is offending you, Pella would do you in. Woody
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Post by johnjsgems on May 28, 2009 22:25:18 GMT -5
Yes, Pella is what I have in my big saw. Thankfully the price is so high now I'll never buy more. I helped my neighbor today with my tractor and he mentioned he bought tractor hydraulic oil at the local WalMart for the antique tractor he is restoring for $45 for 5 gallons. I don't know if it is in all WalMarts. Don't know how much odor either. My friend in CO just bought two 55 gallon drums of reclaimed transformer oil for $28 each. That's about 50 cents a gallon. Next time I'm that way and have room in the van....
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rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
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Post by rockhound97058 on May 29, 2009 0:45:19 GMT -5
Wow the mineral oil I used never had a smell to it... But certain rocks the oil was a pain to remove and get to sand.... I use a product called Castrol Super Clean or Purple Power basically it's a degreaser.... Works fantastic and I run diesel in my saw.
Speaking of oils.... I hope to try something new soon... A buddy of mine works for a large company that builds turbine engine parts and in the large Vacuum chambers they use a special oil which runs well over $100 a gallon... However they change the oil and discard the old.... He has gotten some and used in his 14"... I'm gonna give it a whirl if I can get my hands on enough fluid LOL.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,484
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Post by Sabre52 on May 29, 2009 8:56:00 GMT -5
John. I tried Walmart Hydraulic fluid and the viscosity was too high for my saw. It picked up sludge and started jamming up the blade really fast......Mel
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Post by Michael John on May 29, 2009 14:00:50 GMT -5
Have you tried using orange juice? Just a thought.
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on May 29, 2009 16:46:44 GMT -5
My method is probably overkill- it is pretty much as John described but I am rather diligent about it all and I find it takes care of the problem pretty completely.
Immediately after coming off the saw, each piece gets the heavy coat of oil scraped off back into the saw, then each goes into a litter box full of clay based kitty litter,(yes where cat's don't "go") it gets buried and the whole mess gets turned over every time a new slab goes in.
As that fills up over the course of a couple days, I'll go though and remove any of those that appear "dry"- you can tell pretty easily when there is still standing or film oil residue so I leave those in the litter box a bit longer.
Those that come out then go into a little plastic bin where they get doused with "simple green" cleaner, I use the concentrate in a sprayer, make sure they get fully coated and then let them sit in that stuff for a while- maybe even a day or two.
After the simple green bath, I treat them like dirty dishes -do a little pre-soak with hot water and Dawn, rinse that off then run them through the dishwasher.
After that you can pretty much eat off the slabs they are so clean, although it helps to do a little scrubbing at the Dawn cycle, as sometimes some rock dust just doesn't want to let go, but this (I admit, somewhat tedious) process more than adequately removes any trace of the oil.
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Post by catmandewe on May 29, 2009 19:28:55 GMT -5
The mineral oil I use has almost no smell to it. I too scrape the oil off the slab before it leaves the saw. Then it goes into the bucket. I have a 5 gallon bucket full of dawn dish soap and water, when the bucket starts to get full, I drain the oily water out and dump the slabs into the kitchen sink, fresh dawn soap and water, then I have a brush that I scrub each slab with, after wards I rinse the slab in hot water and put it in a colander. Haven't ever tried the dishwasher trick, but that sure sounds intriguing. Might have to try that!
Tony
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Jun 3, 2009 2:39:44 GMT -5
Hi Larry,
I drain the slabs as I am sawing
Then wash them off in Parafine / or paint thinners
then wash with dish washing liquid and water
stand over night (or longer) in a tray with borax and water in it you will see the oily skum rise to the surface
wash off (use rubber gloves ) and be carefull the borax takes all the oil out of your hands
Jack Yorkshire uk
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jun 3, 2009 12:59:40 GMT -5
My method is similar to Tony's. I find the faces easy to clean, but the edges can be a pain.
Chuck
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Post by stonesthatrock on Jun 3, 2009 13:36:36 GMT -5
my method is pretty much like very one elses here. maybe because this is where i got the ideas from hehehehehh my mineral oil had no smell i really liked it but the hydralic is cheaper but has a slight odor. I'm hoping to go back to mineral oil if i can find a good price.
mary ann
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Larry
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2008
Posts: 267
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Post by Larry on Jun 4, 2009 9:11:00 GMT -5
Thanks again for all of the responses. I am still working on a system to remove the oil odor. I'm going to try everything here, though my wife may not approve of the dishwasher thing, and see what works best.
The oil I was using was from a lubricant supplier, so I'm not sure what's in their mineral oil but I'm sure it's not the drinkable stuff like in the pharmacy. It does have some odor to it but is probably worse for me since I don't do any work with machines or tools, other than rocks. I'm a tool noob so I'm sure I'm just more sensative to it.
Either way, if it smells at all, it's no good for me, my daughter or anybody who gets a gift pendant. I will just keep trying and see what works.
Thanks for the help so far.
-Larry
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10thumbs
spending too much on rocks
I want to be reincarnated as a dog.
Member since March 2009
Posts: 480
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Post by 10thumbs on Jun 24, 2009 6:59:39 GMT -5
I know nothing about cleaning slabs but I've cleaned a lot of reactive urethane bowling balls. All the new balls are reactive urethane and its a porous material. The balls actually soak up oil off the lane and eventually it impacts the performance. I'd soak the balls in water I heated on the stove. The heat leeches the oil out of the balls and it floats to the top.
This method might work on those troublesome porous slabs.
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Post by catmandewe on Jun 24, 2009 8:34:22 GMT -5
LOL Hey Mom, whats for dinner?
Looks like ball soup again! Hey, why did your friend just run out the door?
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10thumbs
spending too much on rocks
I want to be reincarnated as a dog.
Member since March 2009
Posts: 480
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Post by 10thumbs on Jun 24, 2009 10:40:50 GMT -5
LOL Hey Mom, whats for dinner? Looks like ball soup again! Hey, why did your friend just run out the door? Have you seen that chubby bald guy on Food Network? He'd eat it. He eats a variety of the most disgusting concoctions on the planet he has says they're all great.
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Jun 24, 2009 19:50:43 GMT -5
Depending on the rock type you may not want to heat i that much tho.
(I trust you have a dedicated container for your bowling ball stew?)
Dr Joe
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