meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
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Post by meviva on Feb 5, 2014 17:00:25 GMT -5
I am looking for a non toxic coolant/lubricant for my saw, grinder and flat lap. I have something called diamond coolant but it says "harmful or fatal if swallowed"! I will be using the tools in the backyard and don't want my dogs to come in contact with the toxic stuff. What can I use that is safe?
Thanks
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Post by kap on Feb 5, 2014 17:08:14 GMT -5
Mineral Oil!
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
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Post by meviva on Feb 5, 2014 17:23:03 GMT -5
Thanks...how much do I use?
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Post by parfive on Feb 5, 2014 18:13:30 GMT -5
The only non-toxic coolant that could be used in all three (saw, grinder, flat lap) is plain old water.
Without an additive like Inland’s Diamond Coolant, you’ll just have to drain the water each day to avoid rust.
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Post by kap on Feb 5, 2014 18:40:33 GMT -5
The mineral oil only in the saw
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Feb 5, 2014 19:25:14 GMT -5
You might want to ask member LarryS forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/user/3057 about this subject. He has posted many times about the same subject and worries with his dog too. Here's a comment of his in a recent thread but I know there are more I use Kingsley North's Gem Lube in my 10" Covington saw with excellent results. Mix 10 parts water to 1 part Gem Lube. My 10" 301c blade has been sitting in this water mixture since I last ran the saw, right before Thanksgiving. Just fired it up this morning. Not a speck of rust and looks like new. Tried all other water mixtures with poor results. I slab nothing but extremely hard jasp-ag. Dump the saw reservoir beind the house and use a garden hose to clean. Chuck
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meviva
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Member since July 2013
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Post by meviva on Feb 6, 2014 0:48:59 GMT -5
kap- So just pure mineral oil in the saw...no water? I only used the saw one time and the water went everywhere especially all over me. I can imagine the mess with mineral oil only.
parfive- I haven't used the grinder or the flat lap yet but I will try them out the next few days. Maybe I will try them out with just plain water to see how messy they are. If they don't spray any water maybe I can use the Inland Diamond Coolant in those two.
Drummond- Thanks for the info. I will search LarryS' posts to see what I can find.
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Post by parfive on Feb 6, 2014 1:35:03 GMT -5
Before you go any further, it might be a good idea if you told us what kind of saw and what kind of grinder you have.
Make, model, etc.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
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Post by LarryS on Feb 6, 2014 7:53:24 GMT -5
I'll tell you what not to use around your pets. A water soluable product called Lube Cool. I spent a small fortune on vet bills and finally found out that my Rat Terrier was allergic to it. Just found out that Diamond Pacific now sells the same product but labeled it under a different name. Plus Lube Cool is a lousy product. Doesn't lube very well and foams like crazy. Marine/RV antifreeze doesn't lube well either. Both blade & slabs were hot to the touch while cutting hard jasper/agates, motor ran hot. Blades wore quickly and required frequent sharpening. Suggest using Gem Lube from Kingsley North or EZ Cut from JSGems. Both are excellent products and are safe to use around people & pets. And you don't have to empty the saw after use. Metal will not rust. Normally you use just straight water on grinding wheels & flat laps. But you can use these products in them too. Only mix 1/2 the ratio. Instructions are on the labels. Your wheels & topper plates will last longer. Clean up is easy, just dump it in the back yard and wash it down with a garden hose. Most important, you and the rocks are easy clean up too! Just rinse in a bucket of water. Bluesky Susan also uses Gem Lube in her 10" BD saw and is sold on the product. She has to deal with the saws with messy oil at her club and like us, no way would she use mineral oil out on her patio at home.
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Post by DirtCleaner on Feb 6, 2014 10:31:26 GMT -5
If your saw is an open top (trim saw) then it will spray and get all over. Water based stuff for that. If the saw is covered and has an auto feed then food grade mineral oil. Pics would be very helpful. If you have trouble posting there is a tutorial forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/56340/photobucket-visual-tutorial or contact me and I can help or post them for you. Photobucket is a site that plays well with this forum. There are others but this one works well for me.
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meviva
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Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on Feb 6, 2014 11:44:24 GMT -5
parfive- The saw is a Skil 7" wet tile saw, the reservoir is on the bottom and the blade spins through the water. I replaced the blade with a thinner lapidary blade I got in Quartzsite. The flat lap is an Inland 8" Swaptop and I got the grinder conversion for it. I just got them yesterday so I'm just learning about them.
LarryS.- Thank you for the info. I will order either Gem Lube or EZ Cut today. When I saw the label of the Diamond Coolant and read that it could be fatal if swallowed, I started worrying that the dogs might drink it if it got on the ground.
David- The saw is an open top and the water did spray and got all over. The Inland Diamond Coolant is water soluble but poisonous.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Feb 6, 2014 12:00:02 GMT -5
Meviva,
Skil 7"? I have one of those too. I abuse the heck out of it. Sparks really go flying! Noisy little thing huh? Use it to square up the over sized rocks so they'll fit in the vise of my 10". Just run water in it and dump it out when done. Key thing, stand behind it and pull the rock towards you. Otherwise you'll get a good shower. That saw really kicks out the water. I cut hard agate with mine and the original tile blade has held up pretty good just using water. And if you use any type of water soluble coolant in that thing, it could get expensive since it slings out so much water. Never measured it but I bet it spits out 1/2 gallon per minute, mostly on you!
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Post by pghram on Feb 6, 2014 12:11:05 GMT -5
I would think water for that saw, just dump it each time. You will be much happier w/ that saw than the swoptop saw, the motor is underpowered for a saw, at least the one on my 6 inch swoptop was.
Watch very closely that the laps don't fall down on the plastic collar through which the arbor extends. I am very careful about this & have not had a problem in over 4 years of use. I have read, however, that some have had the lap grind down the collar which let water into the motor - NOT GOOD.
It has taken me a long time to learn how to cab using this machine, & I've made a bunch of modifications. If you want some help, let me know.
Now start grinding & have fun.
Rich
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meviva
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Member since July 2013
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Post by meviva on Feb 6, 2014 13:53:26 GMT -5
LarryS- Yes it is noisy, I used earplugs when I used it. I ordered the Gem Lube from Kingsley North. I'll give it a try but I can see how it will get expensive using it in that saw. I will definitely stand behind the saw next time I use it, although getting soaked when it's 110 degrees here in Arizona might not be a bad thing Rich- After reading what you wrote, I'm glad I had the saw before I ordered the Swaptop. I was debating if I should get all three tops. I will pay attention to the plastic collar. What kind of modifications did you make to the machine? I can't wait to start using it.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Feb 6, 2014 19:22:36 GMT -5
Oh Meviva, a few other things. If your dogs are like my Goober, the nose is always working. When I spill rock snot on the patio or on the dirt, it turns into powder after it dries. Good idea to hose it all down otherwise the dogs will be sniffing the very harmful rock dust. And since our Skil tile saws are so messy by throwing water all over the place, it would be a good idea to go to Home Depot or Lowes and pick up one of those short extension cord adapters that has a GFCI protected circuit. Not fun sitting in a puddle of water while getting sprayed using that darn saw. And Idave's plastic hood idea would work great on that saw. Home Depot & Lowes sells sheets of clear Lexan which bends pretty easy.
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meviva
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Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on Feb 7, 2014 12:55:40 GMT -5
LarryS: Yes, the dogs are always sticking their noses into everything. I will hose the area down when I am done. I did plug the extension cord into a GFCI outlet and made sure the connection was off the ground by hanging it over the doorknob so it would not sit in water. I can't find the plastic hood idea you are referring to. I searched a few things but nothing came up.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Feb 7, 2014 13:29:13 GMT -5
It's under 1dave's post "Trim Saws." link
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