playin4funami
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since March 2011
Posts: 87
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Post by playin4funami on Apr 30, 2011 18:42:51 GMT -5
how does everyone get the oil from cutting off their rock peices? I don't have a saw yet, but will soon and just one of the many dumb questions I will probably have. thanks for speeding up my learning curve all, it is much appeciated.
also what type of blades are the best for a beginner?
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snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Apr 30, 2011 18:50:50 GMT -5
Not a dumb question. Personally, I have a container of cat litter that I cover the slabs with when they come off the saw. The next day I put them in a bucket with water and cheap laundry detergent I buy at the dollar store and let them soak, later take em out and rinse em off and they are good to go.
snuffy
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 30, 2011 18:52:19 GMT -5
I sometimes use oil absorbent stuff that looks like kitty litter wen I can find it, or sometimes just kitty litter. I then wash the rocks in dish detergent and place them in the sun to dry.
Unless you're using a tile saw where you often don't have much blade choice, I'd use a good lapidary blade like a MK or a Barranca. I really like the MK 303 I'm running now and the MK301 is a good blade too. Think Barranca's blades are about the same. With saw blades you pretty much get what you pay for....Mel
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jcinpc
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2009
Posts: 722
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Post by jcinpc on Apr 30, 2011 22:39:47 GMT -5
and I never use oil, I use water, but thats a whole different debate. on my 10 inch and 16 inch.I will never use oil, I dont care how much you boil or clean the slabs it never get all of it out of coral, my main rock I cut
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playin4funami
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since March 2011
Posts: 87
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Post by playin4funami on Apr 30, 2011 23:30:06 GMT -5
thanks guys, now for the big one I guess, what are the pros and cons of using oil vs. water, the big tile saw I am looking at getting is set up for water but could be changed to oil easily, water would seem to be alot less messy and I have used many direct water cooled walk behind concrete saws in the past, but never an oil cooled saw. what about a filtration system set up on a oil saw to clean the oil? not nessasary and let gravity work?
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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 Apr 30, 2011 23:48:40 GMT -5
Jeff's exactly right! - the coral holds the oil well! - I usually use the cat litter trick, but anymore on good stones I cut and instantly run into the sink and wash with soap and water. I can then sand and polish in minutes. I use Diesel as a cutting agent as well. Regardless what stone you cut - any stone cut with oil will soak it in. Some heavy and some trace amounts, but it's still there.
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Post by Rockoonz on May 1, 2011 0:38:15 GMT -5
Should be no problem using water with tile saws as long as you keep using sintered tile blades. If you ever switch to a lapidary saw with a true lapidary blade you will significantly shorten the blade life by using water unless the blade is only used for softer stones. The other downside to using water in a saw with a sump is the cleanup. My trim saws I use water in are 10 times as nasty to clean as the oil cooled saws, rock snot may be nasty but scraping it up is easier than chipping out concrete. The ideal way to run any saw is to pump and recirculate the coolant, using a sediment tank to catch the nasties, but is one more system that could fail with disasterous results. If the pump were to go out in the middle of a cut the expensive blade could be ruined before it was noticed in a typical noisy rock shop.
Lee
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Post by Woodyrock on May 1, 2011 1:03:32 GMT -5
After a sawdust, or kitty litter soak, then detergent soak, you can do a soak in household ammonia to degrease. Ammonia is very effectice at degreasing, but the smell is pretty strong. Woody
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Post by tkrueger3 on May 1, 2011 9:18:37 GMT -5
I'm using "Oil-Dry" from the auto parts store. I let the slabs stay in that for a day, then soak them in a pan with water and liquid dish soap. Most of the oil comes off that way, plus the dish soap leaves them smelling good. For me, the hardest part is getting the Gorilla Glue and slivers of wood off the face of the last slab. I cut a thin "window" in the rock, then glue the window to a chunk of 2X2 lumber. Clamp the lumber into the saw vise, then you can use the maximum amount of the rock without having to worry about it coming loose in the vise. All suggestions I have received from various members here.
Tom
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Post by jakesrocks on May 1, 2011 9:52:13 GMT -5
And then along comes someone to throw a curve ball. I use only mineral oil. I also live in a very dusty area. I have an old 45 RPM record rack with every other wire cut out. After cutting my slabs I squeegie as much oil off as I can, Stand my slabs on edge in the record rack and let them sit out in the sun and dust for a few days. A quick rinse under an outdoor faucet and my slabs are oil free. Don
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TByrd
fully equipped rock polisher
Have you performed your random act of kindness?
Member since December 2010
Posts: 1,350
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Post by TByrd on May 1, 2011 11:50:56 GMT -5
I use ammonia, but it has to be lemon scent, not the original, I can not take the smell. I let them soak for awhile, a few hours, then as I take each one out, because you can still see oil, I put a little Dawn in my hands and rub it all over, then I rinse well. I might have to soak a second time if I did not wait long enough. Seems to work for me.
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rocpup
spending too much on rocks
Pink Limb Iris
Member since March 2011
Posts: 465
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Post by rocpup on May 1, 2011 14:40:59 GMT -5
Here in AZ I run two 14 inch saws. The Hilandpark I run Pella A from Shell. This is a very nice oil because it settles out very nice. When I return next fall the sludge will settle to a dense cake and I will Peel off much of it from the bottom of the saw toss it in a bucket and let it set. I will add oil from last year and will be good to go for the season. The Hilquest 14 inch saw I use pure anti freeze. Many of the rocks I cut from this area are porous and the antifreeze washes off instantly. The anti freeze does not settle out well and becomes very dirty but does not seem to effect the blade or the way it cuts. I go to the dollar store and get dish soap in the colored bottles. Some colors smell better than others. I use one bottle of dish soap with one gallon of water. This solution removes the Pella very easily. Most of time I just toss the slab into the bucket and when the solution will no longer cover the slabs I take them out and rinse in water. I never have a oil problem in or on my slabs. I do not have a need for one But i have looked at the 10 inch tile saw from Harbor tool. If I had one I would use a saw blade designed to run in water. No mater what you use as a coolant/lubricant you will have spray from this open saw. Water spay is a whole lot better than oil spray all over everything not to mention the oil cleanup.
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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 1, 2011 19:15:09 GMT -5
Another good cleaner I use is both Castrol Super Clean - and Original powder tide soap.
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on May 1, 2011 19:40:42 GMT -5
Maybe a little off subject but I just learned & tried it already in my tile saw about using Borax in my water. What a difference it made with my cutting. Evidently it has some rust preventative qualities & it also made the cutting easier. Check out this thread for a little more info on Borax. gemstone.smfforfree4.com/index.php/topic,7239.0.html
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,750
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Post by Mark K on May 4, 2012 20:13:33 GMT -5
A couple weeks ago I came up with the idea of using floor dry in one of my vibes to deoil the slabs. It worked fantastic in a very short time. It was a little bit dusty, but it was a winner. Until the vibe croaked.
Otherwise I use a bucket with coleman fuel in it to cut the oil and then use dish soap. Works good, but not as good as the vibe and floor dry.
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Post by johnjsgems on May 4, 2012 20:31:43 GMT -5
Oil cools blades better than water but best to use water in tile saws made for water. I use lapidary blades (Mel, MK and BD are same exact blades with same part number) on my MK 10" tile saw and they work well. Abusive fast cutting dulls the blade but they cut like no tile blade will. Most tile saws have a plastic tub that will eventually dissolve with oil use. Anti freeze is a deadly poison and I've heard of 4 shops burning down using diesel so not the most effective cost saving idea. If the tile saw is larger than 10" (wouldn't hurt on 10" either) pulley the speed down to something more like a lapidary speed and lapidary blades will work fine. Dry the blade after use.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on May 4, 2012 23:07:08 GMT -5
Once I take a slab out of the saw, I wipe off the excess oil with a paper towel and then drop the slab in a tray of lacquer thinner. Keep the lacquer thinner covered to prevent evaporation. The lacquer thinner will cut the oil pretty quickly. I usually leave the slab in the thinner while the next slab is being cut. Then remove the slab from the lacquer thinner and wipe dry with a clean paper towel. Then a quick wash with soft hand soap, a brush and warm water pretty well takes care of all of the oil residues and smells. Note: Only use lacquer thinner in a well ventilated area, keep away from flames or sparks, and wear neoprene gloves when handling the thinner.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,750
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Post by Mark K on May 6, 2012 17:14:12 GMT -5
Yesterday I was looking for something an found my bucket of oily coleman fuel. I had forgot to put the lid on and the gas had evaporated and the oil was aqll that was left except for the little bit of sludge. I poured the pure oil back in the saw and out more gas in the bucket to clean some other rocks that needed to be cleaned before the final scrub before glueing to wood.
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Post by Pat on May 6, 2012 17:41:39 GMT -5
We used to use oil on a bigger saw, and did what snuffy does with the cat litter et al.
Now I just use water in my little 4" tile saw.
Donnie, thanks for the link.
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Post by talkingstones on May 6, 2012 20:05:08 GMT -5
I do the kitty litter thing usually for a couple of hour to a week depending on my schedule. After that I spay down with Simple Green, let set for 10-15 minutes if I'm not in a hurry and then soak in clean water for a few and wipe off with a paper towel or let stand on a paper towel to dry. The Simple green and soak are to get the kitty litter and dust off the stones because by the time I get them out of the litter, the oil is gone. Cheap clay litter works fine.
Cathy
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