[meteorite-list] Question about cutting stones on a small saw

From: edeckert at triad.rr.com <edeckert_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 14:38:52 -0400
Message-ID: <380-220095421183852675_at_M2W011.mail2web.com>

Hi Don,

You have a nice trim saw. I had responded directly to Mike about his, but
I missed seeing that link to a picture of his saw. Actually, that is not a
tile saw like you see at Harbor Freight or Home Depot, although it could be
used as one. It is a lapidary trim saw. The saw table should pivot back
or come off completely to reveal a tank that holds the coolant. Pretty
standard for small lapidary trim saws. And lots of them have exposed
motors.

As long as you are not using the saw in a wet environment and the saw has a
3 prong plug, and the electric outlet is properly grounded, he should be
OK. Although, using a GFCI outlet is always a good idea when cutting with
an electrically powered saw where liquid coolant is used - or if using it
in a damp area.

It should work fine for meteorites as long as the clamp vise is used. I
assume Mike got the one that attaches to the table and moves the clamp/vise
parralel to the blade. That will result in nicer slices.

And Mike - yes, steer clear of alcohol as a coolant. Some folks use it all
of the time and swear by it - others swear at it. I wonder though if 70%
Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) is better than using just distilled
water? I know of someone who was given Rubbing Alcohol to use as fuel in
an alcohol lamp. He could not keep the lamp lit. So that may be a lot
safer than pure alcohol. Just a thought. You still need to get the wet
sliced meteorite dry to prevent oxidation.

Best!

Ed Deckert


Original Message:
-----------------
From: Don Merchant dmerchan at rochester.rr.com
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 13:59:18 -0500
To: meteoritemike at gmail.com, meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com,
dmerchan at rochester.rr.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Question about cutting stones on a small saw


Hi Mike. I know Walter Branch made a very nice step by step guide on
cutting
meteorites, but not sure where I still have this site address or even if
the
page is still up. As far as the saw you bought, (I'm no expert) it looks
like a tile saw of a sort. With this you need to use a water hose to spray
on the blade. Your motor seems very wide open to the elements so be careful
and ground your self! Though this is a Lapidary Saw of a sort I would not
recommend this for cutting meteorites. I am sure you could modify it to do
this. The saw I have for cutting meteorites can be found on my Meteorite
Collection Site via Photobucket. I believe I bought this at Kingsley North
Inc. www.kingsleynorth.com or sales at kingsleynorth.com
Was not real cheap as it set me back $400. NEVER NEVER use Alcohol!! Unless
your saw has been designed or modified to do this as "grounding" yourself
will not save you if this ignites or explodes. Anyways here is the type saw
you really need to cut meteorites. Also for all you Collectors out there I
added a bunch more pictures to the Site of my collection. Hope this helps
Mike.

My Collection Pictures
http://s212.photobucket.com/albums/cc276/emflocater/


Sincerely
Don Merchant
IMCA #0960

----- Original Message -----
From: "Galactic Stone & Ironworks" <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
To: "Meteorite List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 1:38 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Question about cutting stones on a small saw


> Hi List!
>
> I have a question for the cutting gurus and saw experts.
>
> Recently I purchased a new Lortone Rock Rascal 6" lapidary trimsaw,
> primarily for cutting small UNWA stones. I also bought all of the
> accessory goodies - the clamp vise, 3 blades of varying thicknesses
> and some lubricant.
>
> Admittedly, I am a total idiot when it comes to cutting - I know
> nothing other than what I have read. Since I have no firsthand
> experience cutting stones, I am wondering about a few things that I
> can't seem to find easy answers to.
>
> I do have experience with power tools and cutting wood with a variety
> of saws, so I know the fundamentals of cutting and saws in general,
> but lapidary saws and cutting stones is alien to me. The saw owner's
> manual is not targeted towards a newbie and there doesn't appear to be
> any online tutorials about how to use it to cut stony meteorites.
>
> So, please forgive the stupid nature of these questions -
>
> 1) How do I lubricate with this saw? It doesn't appear to be a "wet
> saw" - I see no place to add lubricant or no tank to hold it. What am
> I supposed to do in this respect? Am I missing something?
>
> 2) I have a very thin "Lapcraft Laser Dia Blade" that is .006
> thickness. It seems impossibly thin and "floppy" - how is it possible
> to cut a straight line using something like this? Doesn't it wander
> all over the place while cutting? I assume that this blade is only
> useful for friable specimens that would offer little cutting
> resistance?
>
> 3) What lubricant should I use? I have heard to use pure alcohol and
> some use distilled water. I bought something called "Dia-Cut" that is
> a red concentrate to be mixed with water. But I later read that
> lubricants like this should be avoided.
>
> 4) What kind of blade is recommended for general cutting of H and L
> type chondrites? I have the blade that came with the saw (not sure
> what it is exactly), the .006 blade I mentioned above, and a
> "Meteorite" blade that is .012 thickness. The meteorite blade is a
> Johnson Brothers that I bought from Graves.
>
> Here is a link to the saw I have -
>
> http://www.therockshed.com/equipment/modj6.jpg
>
> (I didn't buy from that vendor, it's just the first photo of it that I
> saw)
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> MikeG
>
> --
> .........................................................
> Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
> Member of the Meteoritical Society.
> Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
> Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
> ..........................................................
> ______________________________________________
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> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
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Received on Thu 21 May 2009 02:38:52 PM PDT