[meteorite-list] wire saw cost (Benefits of the wire overblade?)

From: mail at mhmeteorites.com <mail_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2011 02:54:25 +0000
Message-ID: <1787272132-1299812066-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-670263981-_at_bda2682.bisx.prod.on.blackberry>

I have a photo of a multi-wire saw we sometimes use on Kerfindustries.com (a business of mine). The one we own is a single wire saw that costs about 65k new.

Coolant can be either distilled water, distilled water with a surfactant (for wire longevity), alcohol (yes!!), mineral oil, or compressed air (difficult). The coolant is fed by a standard pond circulation pump into the saw and is recycled.
Matt
------------------------
Matt Morgan
Mile High Meteorites
http://www.mhmeteorites.com
P.O. Box 151293
Lakewood, CO 80215

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:50:04
To: <mail at mhmeteorites.com>
Cc: <meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com>; Greg Hupe<gmhupe at centurylink.net>; <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>; Andr?? Moutinho<moutinho at bol.com.br>
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] wire saw cost (Benefits of the wire overblade?)

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the explanation. Do you have a photo of the wire-saw
setup, or is there a photo of one somewhere on the web? I'm curious
to see what it looks like.

Being able to cut a large 6x6x18 specimen using a wire as thin as
.009" is a definite advantage over using a conventional lap saw that
is big enough to handle a specimen that large.

I am assuming the wire-saw also uses a coolant? Does it have a big
tank for the coolant or can you hook it up directly to a water source
like a tap?

Sorry for all the questions. It's late, I'm bored, and I'm curious. :)

Best regards,

MikeG


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites

Website - http://www.galactic-stone.com
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------



On 3/10/11, mail at mhmeteorites.com <mail at mhmeteorites.com> wrote:
> We can cut a 6" x 6 " x 18" piece with a 250 um wire. A skinny lap blade
> that is 6", you can cut 3", maybe, if you don't use a rotisserie.
> 250 um is 0.009". On avg we lose 9 percent, but that depends on the depth of
> cut, thickness of cut, wire diameter, material, etc. It definitely has
> advantages over a lap saw. I have cut hundreds of meteorites over my 15+
> years and really like the wire saw for rare materials. Plus it is pretty
> easy to mount an odd-shaped rock on the wire saw as compared to a vise on
> the lap saw, wich can be VERY problematic.
> Matt
> ------------------------
> Matt Morgan
> Mile High Meteorites
> http://www.mhmeteorites.com
> P.O. Box 151293
> Lakewood, CO 80215
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
> Sender: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
> Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:28:02
> To: Greg Hupe<gmhupe at centurylink.net>
> Cc: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>; Andr??
> Moutinho<moutinho at bol.com.br>
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] wire saw cost (Benefits of the wire over
> blade?)
>
> Hi List,
>
> Can someone tell me what the advantage of a diamond wire saw is, over
> a conventional lap saw blade? I'm curious, because I have never used
> a wire saw or seen one in operation.
>
> I have seen slices made by a wire saw and they didn't look any
> different (better or worse) than slices made with a blade. One minor
> difference I did notice was the markings left on the unpolished
> slices. Blades make distinctive arc-shaped "saw marks" on the
> specimen, which must be polished out. The rough wire-cut slices that
> I handled also had saw marks on them, but the marks were different in
> depth and orientation. After polishing, I could see no difference.
>
> So, is the advantage that the wire saw generates less loss? (if so,
> compared to what?) Like I said in my previous post, cutting loss is
> in direction relation to the size of the saw being used and the
> thickness of the blade - assuming the cutter is skilled. A wire saw
> might generate less waste in comparison to a 10" lap saw using a .040"
> blade, but I don't see how the wire saw can generate less waste than a
> smaller lap saw using a blade that is the same thickness as the wire
> used in a wire saw. All things being equal, shouldn't the amount of
> loss be dependent almost solely on the thickness of the blade or wire
> used?
>
> I am guessing that the main advantage is cutting large specimens - a
> large specimen requires a large lap saw and a large blade. If a
> specimen can only be cut on a 10 or 12" lap saw, or a wire saw, then
> the wire saw seems like a no-brainer. But for a smaller meteorite
> that can be cut with a .012" blade (or .006"), what is the advantage
> of the wire saw? Can the wire saw make thinner slices?
>
> I'm not knocking the wire saw, just trying to understand the
> advantages over a conventional lap saw.
>
> Best regards,
>
> MikeG
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites
>
> Website - http://www.galactic-stone.com
> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
> News Feed - http://www.galactic-stone.com/rss/126516
> Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
> EOM - http://www.encyclopedia-of-meteorites.com/collection.aspx?id=1564
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On 3/10/11, Greg Hupe <gmhupe at centurylink.net> wrote:
>> Hello All,
>>
>> I don't think the value per gram is the only consideration for deciding
>> to
>> hire someone to cut your material with a wire saw. I am selling slices of
>> my
>> Impact Melt Breccia for $7.50 per gram. It isn't really about how
>> expensive
>> the material is, sometimes it is the quality of the slices and
>> presentation
>> for collectors that is even more important!
>>
>> Just my 2 slices worth... :)
>>
>> Best Regards,
>> Greg
>>
>> ====================
>> Greg Hupe
>> The Hupe Collection
>> gmhupe at centurylink.net
>> www.LunarRock.com
>> IMCA 3163
>> ====================
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Andr? Moutinho
>> Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2011 5:59 PM
>> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>> Subject: [meteorite-list] wire saw cost
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> Does anyone can give me an idea of cutting cost using a wire saw to cut a
>> 300g ordinary chondrite into 3mm slices?
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Andre
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Received on Thu 10 Mar 2011 09:54:25 PM PST