Lapidary / Gemstone Community Forum

In about a month, my wife and I are going to be moving.
Among all the details that go with packing, I have a small issue I'm not quite sure how to handle.

My trim saw, a Rock Rascal Model J, has the typical amount of mineral oil in the bottom of it (to keep the saw oiled).

I am likely going to transport the saw with the oil in it, but in the interest of safety and keeping things clean, I am considering the options.

So the question came up of what do I do with the oil I remove from the saw?

I would put it is a sealable container and take it with you to use when you set up your saw again...

I have a feeling this might have been a trick question that I did not get! :o


Gary

Don't they use mineral oil to keep horses innards lubricated.

LOLOLOLOL Dave and people but thats all i am saying on this subject:P

LOLOLOLOL Gary:)

I'm serious, you can go to Tractor Supply, in the horse section, they have mineral oil for horses to keep them from getting bound up.

Yup. It also works for pumping cow stomachs, if they've eaten too much and gotten bloat.

I read somewhere that mineral oil from a saw can be cleaned ad saved by pouring it into two nested paper sacks and placing that over and inside a bucket. The oil will slowly soak through and collect in the bucket, while the grit and dust will stay in the sack. Then, you have a bucket of nice clean oil to transport!

Yes, the oil can be filtered and reused. The double paper bag technique works great. I use two five gallon paint buckets. The first has holes drilled in the bottom. It is placed in the second bucket which catches the cleaned oil. The paper bags do the filtering and when the last of the oil is removed, the remains can be properly disposed.


Gary

If you eat a lot of French Fries, I have a suggestion.  Nah, only kidding.  I also would either filter and take along the good oil, or if its not too bad, just drain and take along to the new home.  Most of the oils sold for saws like the Mineral Oils, are pretty safe stuff.  In fact, some state they are food grade.  The also have a high flash point so I believe they don't catch fire easily or explode like gasoline.  I have some really nasty stuff that i am not sure is worth the trouble to filter and reuse.  I also wonder what to do with that.  I have wondered if i could just add concrete till it hardens and then pass if off as a rock, but it would probably never harden. 

Mark

Food Grade Mineral Oil is what I have been told to use for my cutting saw.  I guess some people call it Kerosene.

Anyway, thanks for the tips.  I don't think there's nearly enough of it for the paper bag method, but I'll probably just pour it in a jar for now.

Thanks.

Mineral oil is different than kerosene. I would not put kerosene in my saws. It is normally used as a fuel.

we use mineral oil to put our coral arrowheads in , it soaks through the patina and brings the color back . You can buy it at Walmart in the pharnacy

You know, it didn't sound right to me (never really has).  So I did some research.  I believe my original thought, which was in error, was due to reading information that said Kerosene is a "mineral oil".    While this may be true, it does not mean that all mineral oil is kerosene.

Anyway, now that I've made a fool of myself.  I think the best thing to do will be a mason jar.  maybe let it settle after pouring it in, then pour as much off the top as I can to reuse (this is assuming that the rock dust will settle at the bottom of the jar and leave a somewhat clear mixture of oil at the top.)

I don't think you made a fool of yourself. No one is perfect.

Neural, you did not make a fool of yourself. In fact, you probable had many others question about the same thing answered for them!!



Gary

Neural,
If you move anything like me you should put that mason jar into a plastic bucket and put some rags around it.  Every time I try to move something like that it always seems to leak onto something that belongs to the LOML .   :( 

Good luck with the move

Bennett

Neural:) I learned some things by your posting of this thread. So I appreciate you asking.
Heck I ask questions all the time and if people get annoyed and walk away I just hit them in the back of the head with a rock:)

AND it hurts!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D


Gary

LOLOL see Gary already learned that lesson. I am deadly with a rock at 40 feet:)