Lining the Inside of a Slab Saw

Maybe you could be the test subject for testing out the super hydrophobic spray that's on the market now. It's called Never Wet.

hydrophobis isn't oleophobic, in fact oil may ruin it's properties. But dang, I am still glad to see the video and the product.

E v e r y

s i n g l e

s h o e

s t o r e

i n

t h e

n a t i o n

s h o u l d

c a r r y

i t.

On my next clean out - which is gonna have to be pretty soon due to cutting Noreena and Lavic - I'm going to try to line the deepest parts of my sump with a sheet tied off in such a way as to be able to lift the sheet like a sort of "bag" and suspend it above the sump for a few days. As long as I can make the sheet "bag" wide but somewhat shallow, I should be able to filter the majority of the sludge out while reclaiming a fair amount of the oil. My custom sump has 3 levels in it - shallow pitch slanted section followed by a 2in "drop off" to a more sharply pitched section which then drops off 4-5in into a 5in wide flat area that is slanted across the back of the sump in a flattened V and funnels the snot to the drain. This "trap" is where a good 80 to 100 percent of the sludge collects, depending on how many slabs I've cut since the last clean out and how deep the snot layer is.

At least that's the plan, anyhow. It'll probably a lot easier said than done, though. I didn't do it the last time because I was in a hurry but more because I still hadn't gotten my head around how to do it.
C-ya,
Rick

You can try lining the bottom of the tub with a piece of "non-woven filter fabric" available from a landscape supplier or construction product supplier. The fabric is a little like a thin piece of felt, available in rolls. It is what engineers and environmental scientists use to filter suspended sediments from muddy storm water runoff on construction sites, etc. It will sieve out the fines a little like a coffee filter.

If you line the bottom of your tub with a sheet and secure the sides, muck will settle on the sheet. When it is time for cleanup, pull the sheet up through your oil removing the sludge and filtering the oil.

I haven't tried this. I'm just thinking out loud.

Darryl.

Yes. Some oils have that type of settlement. Kerosene settles rock particles to that hard paste. It takes a strong wrist to scrape it off the bottom. It almost peels off.

I have used other saw oils and they never made that hard paste coating. The oil just got muddier and muddier. Kerosene hardly gets muddy. The particles just settle to the
bottom and create that dense paste.

What kind of oil are you using?

Caution: Would not advise using straight kerosene. Mix at least 25 percent motor oil with it to reduce fire hazard.

here's an idea. Has anyone tried this? I've been thinking of adding some piping to the ball valve I installed under my 20 and 24 inch saws. Then running that piping to a couple of buckets (depending on volume) where I have paper bags waiting for the dirty oil. Also, adding another set of tubing and a bilge pump or two (as needed) to the clean oil collection area. At the end of a day cutting rock, simply stirring up whats sitting in the saw bottom and opening the ball valve and draining that days dirty oil into the filters. Then the next time I want to cut, close the ball valve and hit the switch for the bilge pumps, putting all the clean oil back into the sump. As I typically get 95% of my really really dirty oil back within 24 hours, I'm thinking if I'm only filtering 1 days dirt, I should get closer to 98% or 99% in 24 hours. Of course, I'd leave the bags to continue draining which, after the first use, would make up the 1% or 2% for the next go-round. Also on the plus side would be that I don't have tons of sludge to dispose of, just small light weight bags that only need to be changed every so often. THE obvious benefit would be always cutting with clean oil, longer blade life (and on a 20 and 24 inch saw, that's not chicken feed!) and cleaner, faster cutting. My saws always cut faster with clean oil.
So... what does everyone think of this system? Cost should be minimal too!
Ball valve, $15 (already installed)
PVC and a few couplings $6
bilge pump $20
tubing $5

And the big bonus!!!! I'd never have to swamp out either saw again! WOOOO HOOOOO!

So critiques? What am I missing as to why this wouldn't work?

Thanks!
Phil

That is a clean saw.

Yes Chuck. But i always get a pile of thick sludge around the bottom of the blade. And the rest of the sump is clean. So i just scoop the build up around the blade and put it to the right side.

If the blade picks up clean oil then i get clean cuts and the inside of the saw stays darn clean too. And the 70% kerosene/30% used motor oil hardly gets dirty. This oil is well used and there is no
rock dust in the oil. It all settles to a hard paste instead of turning to snot. The oil stays clear. Look at the brown stain. This color comes from the 30% used motor oil. And i just drain and burn it when i am done with it. It is 3.5 Gallons kerosene(= to $4/gal)= to $14 and used motor oil is free. So it is very cheap. And putting the slabs in water floats the oil to the top after 48 hours.

Stain is from used motor oil



And this is the fire that burns for 5-6 hours. It leaves basically talcum powder that is totally white and clean.
To get it to burn i have to add a lot of sticks till the motor oil burns off and then the kerosene burns off.
It does not ignite easily.

The people I bought my 18" slab saw used to put paper egg crates on the bottom of the saw. They claimed that helped catch lots of the clay sediment.
Geoff

Yep, I cut a lot of jasper, which makes red/brown mud. Agate is so much cleaner!
The plastic tubing I use is stiff enough that I can use the leading edge to scrape the muck & loosen it enough to be sucked up. Beware of slab scraps in the muck. They can clog the hose. That's happened & I had to poke a long piece of rebar through the hose to dislodge the chunk.
Lynn