slabber1
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2010
Posts: 15
|
oil
Jan 3, 2011 21:20:23 GMT -5
Post by slabber1 on Jan 3, 2011 21:20:23 GMT -5
can i use motor oil in my slab saw? will it mix with rock cutting oil? thanks for the input
|
|
|
oil
Jan 3, 2011 21:59:13 GMT -5
Post by stonesthatrock on Jan 3, 2011 21:59:13 GMT -5
Any oil will work, it just depends on how much work you want to do to clean your slabs and how much smell you can stand.
|
|
rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
|
oil
Jan 3, 2011 22:09:33 GMT -5
Post by rockhound97058 on Jan 3, 2011 22:09:33 GMT -5
Should pose no problem - I use diesel for a coolant in my equipment and often times we use either motor oil or other additives to lower the flash point a hair more. It takes a good spark or direct heat to get diesel burning, but there's still horror stories out there of shops burning down.
The only draw back to certain oils is the clean-up from your stones. Certain porous stones such as petrified woods soak oil and it takes a fair amount of effort to remove them before you can polish.
|
|
slabber1
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2010
Posts: 15
|
oil
Jan 3, 2011 22:48:55 GMT -5
Post by slabber1 on Jan 3, 2011 22:48:55 GMT -5
thanks for your input
|
|
|
oil
Jan 3, 2011 23:04:36 GMT -5
Post by jakesrocks on Jan 3, 2011 23:04:36 GMT -5
Motor oil ? Next thing we'll be talking about going back to transformer oil. Don't do it. It's too thick. It stinks to high heaven, and it'll be a pain in the butt to clean your slabs. Let alone cleaning the saw when it needs it.
|
|
rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
|
oil
Jan 4, 2011 2:09:46 GMT -5
Post by rockhound97058 on Jan 4, 2011 2:09:46 GMT -5
If he cuts the motor oil with other oil it works just fine I do it often... I agree I wouldn't fill my entire tank with motor oil as the viscosity is too thick and yeah that'd be a mess working with.
Also I should ask to - slabber1 you mentioned mix with rock cutting oil. What kind are you using right now? Many of the "factory" fluids such as lortone sells is just a high priced mineral oil. I was never a fan of the mineral oils, however a buddy of mine just recently got somesort of mineral oil material from a local cherry orchardist in town and they use it as a binder to hold various chemicals on the tree's when spraying. He loves the stuff.
|
|
chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
|
oil
Jan 4, 2011 9:25:37 GMT -5
Post by chromenut on Jan 4, 2011 9:25:37 GMT -5
I've always thought Peanut oil would be great, but I'm so darned fat now that standing around that smell, and getting hungry all the time, just wouldn't work for me! lol
|
|
rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
|
oil
Jan 4, 2011 11:45:46 GMT -5
Post by rockhound97058 on Jan 4, 2011 11:45:46 GMT -5
LOL - A buddy of mine used to go around all the old food joints in Prineville and get the used fryer oil and use it in his saw. I thought the same thing when he cut - made me hungry for chicken and fries LOL
|
|
dbrealityrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2010
Posts: 1,084
|
oil
Jan 4, 2011 12:19:04 GMT -5
Post by dbrealityrocks on Jan 4, 2011 12:19:04 GMT -5
I thought od fryer oil wouldn't work. If it really does would someone let me know cause it would be a free source of oil here.
|
|
|
oil
Jan 4, 2011 14:49:42 GMT -5
Post by johnjsgems on Jan 4, 2011 14:49:42 GMT -5
Any vegetable based oil will gum up and get rancid. Some will hold rock dust in suspension getting thicker and thicker. I'm not sure how automotive oils would work as the detergent oils used nowadays hold the dirt/grime in suspension. Tractor hydraulic oil is fairly cheap in 5 gallons and low viscosity is available. Most highly refined mineral oils are non-toxic and food grade is poured down horses throats by the gallon. Low viscosity/high flash point is a must. Non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, low odor are worth something.
|
|
|
oil
Jan 4, 2011 15:34:16 GMT -5
Post by jakesrocks on Jan 4, 2011 15:34:16 GMT -5
I can't understand why, with good blades as expensive as they are, anyone would want to cut corners on their cutting oil. Especially when good oil can be strained through paper bags, and used over and over again. Any low viscosity tractor mineral oil is cheap when compared to Pella and Almag. It lubricates and cools blades real good, and lasts for years with only a top up at each oil cleaning. My last oil was Lubri-Kool from Kingsley North, which is basically a very low odor mineral oil. At $95.00 for 5 gallons, at my next oil change I'll add Tractor Supply hydraulic oil to it at about 1/3 the cost. I can deal with the slight odor.
|
|
rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
|
oil
Jan 4, 2011 17:18:56 GMT -5
Post by rockhound97058 on Jan 4, 2011 17:18:56 GMT -5
True - a good oil is good oil. That's why I've used diesel for 15+ years. Tell the gas station it's for offroad use and uncle sam won't get his road tax. In my case though we recently took out the oil fired furnace and put in a fancy heat pump. Now I have 100 gallons of rock oil to last a life time LOL. I've ran the stuff non stop for years and have never had a minutes problem. Several years ago I went ahead and experimented with different fluids such as Antifreeze mixed with water... worked great, just didn't like the slickness on my hands, the toxicity with critters around even though the new stuff isn't sweet tasting like the old juice, and the clean-up of the saw is different. The antifreeze would really pack in the muck. I then tried the food grade mineral oil at 12 bucks a gallon and after two weeks of cutting that stuff sucked! The 18" frantom I just bought about 2 years ago had hydraulic fluid in it, worked great as well, until I priced a bucket of it, and the cost of diesel is much more friendly. I personally don't see the reason for high priced oils other than personal choice for smell and what you want to play with. I keep a fancy pair of chemical gloves handy to keep my hands girly feeling The rock saw is a simple machine. It has a blade, it spins and needs lube to pass through the stone. As far as a coolant - I could never see any fluid acting as a coolant... If I cut rock during summer my saw oil is as warm as it is outside. During winter time it's as cold as it is outside. I do know the blade creates heat due to friction, but unless your maxing out the saw capacity all day everyday there should be no problem. Only one time in my life I sprung a blade due to heat, however I was cutting a stone meant for a 24 to 30" saw in my 20". My plan was to cut a kerf and spall the stone into smaller chunks - lesson learned!
|
|
snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
|
oil
Jan 4, 2011 18:07:18 GMT -5
Post by snuffy on Jan 4, 2011 18:07:18 GMT -5
Not to hijack, just to help, O'Reilly's auto parts has their A32 hydraulic oil on sale this month,$29.99 for a 5 gal.bucket. Thats the cheapest I've ever found here.Got 2 buckets.
snuffy
|
|
Roger
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since August 2005
Posts: 1,775
|
oil
Jan 31, 2011 18:51:04 GMT -5
Post by Roger on Jan 31, 2011 18:51:04 GMT -5
I use Bad transmission fluid from a tranny shop.If they don't burn it they pay for disposal.
Roger
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
oil
Feb 5, 2011 15:02:01 GMT -5
Post by zarguy on Feb 5, 2011 15:02:01 GMT -5
Don't discredit transformer oil. I got mine from a friend at the power company. It doesn't contain PCBs like the old cancer causing stuff of the past. It doesn't smell & cleans off your hands easily.
We're going to get five 55 gallon drums from a different source at the power company for our club & members. That should last us a few years. Lynn
|
|
|
oil
Feb 5, 2011 15:46:21 GMT -5
Post by jakesrocks on Feb 5, 2011 15:46:21 GMT -5
Lynn, you scared me when I read transformer oil. I'm an old goat who can remember using the old type transformer oil. I still have some geodes that were cut using it, then set aside and forgotten about. Now I'm trying to find a safe way to clean that old hardened oil off of them. Don
|
|
drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
|
oil
Feb 5, 2011 17:37:09 GMT -5
Post by drjo on Feb 5, 2011 17:37:09 GMT -5
zarguy, have you got any #'s on this stuff? MSDS sheet(s)?
Dr Joe
.
|
|
|
oil
Feb 5, 2011 21:49:45 GMT -5
Post by johnjsgems on Feb 5, 2011 21:49:45 GMT -5
Many of the recommended oils are used by power companies for transformers. The PCB carcinogenic stuff was outlawed in the 60's or 70's.
|
|
cornorstone
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2009
Posts: 19
|
oil
Mar 18, 2011 10:46:18 GMT -5
Post by cornorstone on Mar 18, 2011 10:46:18 GMT -5
I feel very blessed in that the company I work for uses a water-soluble vegetable based oil in a 50:1 water/oil mix for cutting steel bars. I just grab a gallon the beginning of every season and use it straight. Lubricates fantastic & clean up is awesome. When it mixes with water it turns white, so it is very easy to see to clean off of rocks or equipment.
|
|
spokanetim
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2009
Posts: 656
|
oil
Mar 18, 2011 16:38:29 GMT -5
Post by spokanetim on Mar 18, 2011 16:38:29 GMT -5
Cornerstone you are blessed, I just searched "water-soluble vegetable based cutting oil" and found lots to read. ULTRACUT Pro or Green sounds like the perfect cutting fluid but its $200 for 5 gallons.
|
|