Our latest ebay purchase

[Head Womble]

It's very hard to cut a long straight line with a disk cutter, think I'd pay the money and have it done properly.

[oakwoodtv]

I have cut slate and marble successfully with a cutting disk fitted in a circular saw
run down a straight edge taking small 1mm to 2mm cuts

The hole in cutting disks is larger than a saw blade I used a piece of wire bent
to make a spacer         

[terryecosse]

If you ever come this far north,i could do with the snooker balls.

[julianf]

Picked up the rest of it this morning - some wood is still in the car, but the slate is all stacked up at the back of our place now.

Ive been working out what i can flog of the rest of it on ebay, but i think you may be in luck with regard to the balls.

I do, however, have one of these -



(a Joe Davis 146 Tombstone - apparently!)

People seem keen on old cues, but an identical one has not been sold on ebay, so, without being into this stuff, i dont know how desirable it may (or may not!) be.

[terryecosse]

I can give you some oil, for the balls but youre a long way away,but if you see Pete im sure he would store them for me. Or Bio Bonkers Mark at Leeds.

[Glycer-rides]

Julian, 120 odd-quid...then I'll keep a look out for old cues.
A Good Result there.

[julianf]

Yep,

I havn't seen the folding yet, but, if it all works out, itll be a good deal.

Ive almost got the front section of the hearth in now.  I cut one section about 2mm too wide (which would be an easy fix, if it were not for the fact that the lump is too heavy for one person to move alone!)

[julianf]

Never did much like snooker...

I opted for the cheap cutting service - eg DIY : )

...which was made all the more awkward in that i only had a 115mm stone disc for my grinder (had to flip the slate and cut the other side - would have been easier if 'flipping' it didnt need an engine crane each time, as theyre about 200kg per slab!)

Anyhow its not perfect, but im fairly pleased -





The photos dont really show the scale, but i suspect the large section is probably still about 140kg even once it was cut!

[greasemonkey]

Stick some slate oil on it. It'll make it look luverrrrly.

[julianf]

Slate oil?

(i had purchased a band new tin of wd40, and was going to make do with that!)

[greasemonkey]

http://www.thefiresideshop.co.uk/slate-oil-100ml.html

This stuff.

[julianf]

hmmm...

ive heard of people using veg oil, and wd40 - do you really think that stuff will be any better?

[greasemonkey]

The only thing I see with veg oil or Wd-40, is that it attracts the dirt, whereas the slate oil claims to repel it. I definitely wouldn't put veg oil on it. Look how it goes on the paint below the filler cap.

I've never used the slate oil myself, but have seen slate done with it once or twice. Hotspot are an old company, their stove blacking paste is great stuff. i use quite a lot of it. I'd trust them.

[julianf]

Hmm.. ill have a think about it.

In the meen time, i forgot that Rachel took some photos when i was cutting it.

All the sides had imperfections (screw holes) so i had to trim one straight for the front edge -



Easier to cut from both sides with the small disc when the lump is hanging, but not always possible -



Front half finished (or so i thought until we had it in the house!)

[julianf]

The only thing I see with veg oil or Wd-40, is that it attracts the dirt, whereas the slate oil claims to repel it. I definitely wouldn't put veg oil on it. Look how it goes on the paint below the filler cap.

I've never used the slate oil myself, but have seen slate done with it once or twice. Hotspot are an old company, their stove blacking paste is great stuff. i use quite a lot of it. I'd trust them.

Hmm...

Just called Hotspot, and said that i was just about to start with WD40, and someone suggested i called them, and i wanted them to convince me..

They put me on hold for a moment, and came back and said "our product has been tested on slate, and obviously we haven't tested wd40, so we cant say any more"


...which wasnt entirely what i was expecting.  I wanted them to say "Our product is good because..."

Ive just looked up the COSH sheet -

Its naptha (lighter fluid, IIRC), white spirit, and "Metallic Driers"

The naptha and white spirit are probably mainly carriers, but i wonder what the "Metalic Dryers" are?