Lapidary / Gemstone Community Forum

Hi everyone. I have been using pella oil for a long time now. I really dont like the stuff. Is there another oil that is better, less toxic. I cut a lot of hard material,  agate etc. Any suggestions? Thanks, Eric.

I use Shell Diala Oil Ax. I have been very happy with it. No bad smell. Hope this helps...


Gary

I use a food grade mineral oil that has no smell or toxicity.  It has a high flashpoint and works great in my 14" Covington slab saw.  Covington Rock Hound oil $79 per 5 gal bucket.  Diamond Pacific Roc Oil is another food grade mineral oil with no smell or toxicity.  Its like $115 per 4 gal or $30 per gal.  I use the Covington on everything and it never smells even after long use.

Mark

I've heard of some people getting the mineral oil at a tractor supply store rather cheaply. I'm using some surplus refrigeration oil that I got a number of years ago.
Bob

Our only rock shop in the area sells an ISO 32 weight oil for $25 per 2.5 gals. So, I broke down and bought a five gal bucket of ISO 32 hydraulic oil at Autozone, and have been using that for maybe a year and half, and seem to have no problem in my 12" lortone. The blade still cuts super smooth. In the winter I had to thin it down with marvel mystery oil (gets cold in the shop).
We use the mystery oil in our concrete plants and it has greatly extended the life of the pneumatic solenoids, and rams,etc.

Thanks for all your suggestions! I will have to investigate the options. Eric.

I use technical grade mineral oil from an oil supply warehouse.
My cost is $6.45 per gallon plus whatever the bucket  or barrel costs.
If I bring my own container in they will fill it for me and there is no bucket/barrel charge.
I get mine from a place called United Oil. It is a warehouse that sells only oil and oil products mostly to gas stations, industrial companies, co-ops and such.

Good luck.............Tony

A friend who I went to check on some equipment from yesterday mentioned a Chevron Neutral 100. I don't know anything about it except that apparently it is like a mineral oil.

Comes in larger 10 and even 55 gallon. If I remember right he said that the 10 gallon containers ran about 10 bucks.

Wow, if you can get cutting oil for $1 a gallon, that is a steal!!



Gary

I will give him a call today and get the correct and exact details..

I need to find a local supply so i don't have to pay a big shipping charge on top of the oil.  Seems like its around $100 for 5 gallons of oil and shipping.  I would like to find a non toxic mineral oil that i can get locally.  I would change my oil more often, and use the drained oil for my Chinese cooking.  Only kidding, I don't use it to cook, just lick it off my fingers while slabbing.

Mark of Maine Tourmaline (my new name after I find a multimillion dollar super Tourmaline on Matrix), formerly Mark of Mass.

https://www.cbest.chevron.com/msdsServer/controller?module=com.chevron.lubes.msds.bus.BusMSDSDetail&msdsNumber=6986&docNumber=276850&docDataId=278786&docFormat=HTML&isLoginPage=true&region=NA

It's the base they use to blend other oils/fluids

Dr Joe

.

That was a terrific MSDS but it still didn't say what it tastes like. I've always faulted the MSDS protocols on this important point.
It looks to be a very innocuous material. Might be a good cure for constipation as well as a saw coolant.
Bob

You are sooooo right!!! Taste is an important part of slab saw oil!  ;) :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

I'd like to get a chocolate flavor myself.

Dr Joe

.

On second thought, the temptation to lick my fingers would be too great!  :P

Dr Joe

.

we found the food grade mineral oil to work the best.  No smell, easy to wash off and its great for you skin......... ;D

What does it taste like??? I'd prefer cinnamon.
Bob

  Nothing better,but  I use the tech grade.  Only difference it just one step from
food grade refinment.  Cost is about $1.50/gal difference.

Rod

I would still like to find a cheap local source for some oil, maybe someone who will also take my old oil.

Mark

I filter my old oil and reuse it. I can reclaim about 3-4 gallons of clean oil out of a 5 gallon tank of sludge. Use large paper grocery sacks to line a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled all over it, which in turn drains into a receptacle for the clean oil. I use a 55 gallon drum with a hole cut in the lid that the 5 gallon bucket sits in, and the clean oil drains into the drum. Then I have a pump in the drum and I pump out clean oil whenever I need it.
I started out with a 5 gallon bucket draining into a kitchen garbage can, but things seem to expand as we go. When the bucket is full of solids I dump it into a garbage bag and put it in the garbage can or I have a pothole out at my property that I dump it into, it makes a kind of concrete when it dries and fills holes good. I do use technical grade mineral oil which is water soluble and is non toxic.
Just thought I would throw that out there.

Have a great day...................Tony

I just read in another forum that a lot of the people are using Animal Mineral Oil that some purchased at the local feed store in the States. Thought I would pass it along to see what evryone thinks. I was surprised to come here and basiclly have an answer before I asked it. Seems like some kind of mineral oil is being used by a lot of people here.

I am new to the forum, new to cutting rocks and gems but not to life. Starting new hobby at 65 can be frustrating when you have the equipment but don't know how to start using it. I have 5 saws. A4", 6", 10" 24" and a 36". I bought them all used and what a mess it was trying to clean the big ones. After emptying the foul smelling thick soup and gunk from the saws (almost a tar), I didn't know what to put back into them so I could cut rocks. If I use a water blend I'm afraid the blades might rust and become useless if the diamonds fall out.
Someone told me to use honing oil but that was really expensive. I will need a lot of whatever I have to use.

Finally the question. Do you leave the sallution/oil in the saws till the next time you use them, maybe a month???

LOLOLOL Bobby you are so dang crazy...

Hey Chuck,
The oil stays in the saw until it becomes too filled with solids and needs to be drained and cleaned. Depending on how often you use your saws could be anywhere from a monthly to a yearly thing. The oil keeps everything from rusting, also.
With the number of saws you said you have you may need to get a 55 gal drum of it. I get my oil in the drum for around $385 per drum.

Animal mineral oil is food grade mineral oil, used to cure colic and constipation in horses.
You can also go to Walmart and buy mineral oil in the pet section or the baby section, baby oil is mineral oil with perfume in it. The perfume wears out pretty fast in a rock saw. This would be fine for a little 10" saw or a trim saw, but if you need oil for larger saws, you would be better off finding a larger supplier.

I know one guy who uses reclaimed antifreeze in his saws. I personally wouldn't do it, but he has been doing it for years and he cuts quite a lot of material.

Have a great day.............Tony

I have been trying to locate a supplier for food grade or technical grade cutting oil. I have looked all over Tucson. I have oil suppliers in town, but everytime I ask for the stuff they look at me like I am crazy. They suggest that I use almag or pella oil. Is there a name brand that I should be telling them? Who typically supplies this type of oil? I know covington dealers have "Rockhound Oil". I am looking for a less expensive source. Anyone have any suggestions? Eric.

Gosh Eric,

Wish I could help..

I would like to emphasize the use of animal related mineral oil.. As mentioned within this thread. It truly does work most excellent, and can be purchased for about 13.00 a gallon on average.

  I have been using B100 biodiesel for about two years now.  It is cheap.  It has a high flash point.  It is biodegradable.   It is almost nontoxic.  It has a low vapor pressure.  The downside is that it is made stable by flocculation with lye.  The trace amount of lye remaining makes it a pretty good paint remover.  Other than stripping my saws, it has performed admirably.   Just to add to the plusses, dish soaps are formulated to clean just this thing.  I have found no references that would confirm my results so you are on your own using this, but I am sold.  If you can find it, an even better oil would be biobased transformer oil.  It is formulated to conduct heat.

Sort of an older thread but it might be useful info for folks in the Pacific Northwest area.

The "Coastal Farm and Ranch" supply sells livestock mineral oil at $14.00/gal

http://www.coastalfarm.com/coastal_farm_big_r1.cfm?page=locations

The manufacturer is "The Qualis Group", still trying to locate MSDS info online. Picking some up later today and will post any info I find that might be relevant.

Again, thanks for an awesome forum :)

I have used Roc Oil for several years now because it is non-toxic and has very little oder but also because it is light and the particles settle to the bottom unlike baby oil which is much thicker and tends to suspend and make a thick sludge and has to be changed sooner than a lighter mineral oil. I have heard of animal oil as well and have considered trying it  but does anyone know the vescosity, is it light or rate the same as baby mineral oil.

When I had my Frantom 10" saws I used Roc Oil too.  Very nice but now very expensive oil.  Ajo, a customer of mine in Benson buys oil at "Canyon State Oil".  I think he said it was Almag Light Machine Oil and $9 a gal. two years ago.  In SO CAL, Dion & Sons sell Amber Neutral 100.  I'm guessing it is the same as Rock Hound Oil and half the price.  Biggest trick is finding local sources to avoid shipping charges on 5 or 55 gal containers. 

Thanks for the info. I am just about to change the oil in my 24". I will check it out. Ajo.

Animal oil appears to be lighter than baby mineral oil.  In fact it is labelled as "light mineral oil".  I have an oil pump in my saw and during the winter months it will not pump the baby oil but the light animal mineral oil works just fine.

-=Will=-

Whats the reference to 'animal'?  Is it okay to use on/in animals or made from animals?  Just very curious.

tks

TOG

What I use is called light mineral oil.  It is sold at farm supply stores and is usually sold as a laxative for horses and other larger animals. I believe it is just one step under a "food grade" mineral oil, being handled and packaged in a less sanitary manner.

Hope this helps Gary.


    -=Will=-

We just started slabbing yesterday and are using the same stuff. Works a treat, the cuts are smooth, it holds up well and the blade doesn't seem remotely warm when I lift the hood. Paying about 14/gal for it now at a local farm and ranch supply.

Thanks Will, I might have to try it.  I think the hydraulic oil I am using, although odorless, might not be doing my skin any good.

TOG