[meteorite-list] Cutting a large meteorite with ...

From: David Freeman <dfreeman_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat Feb 26 16:41:58 2005
Message-ID: <4220ED6E.5060506_at_fascination.com>

Dear All;
Cutting large specimens requires different tools than smaller or even
medium sized specimens. I have seen a 10 foot gantry saw that was like
a giant hacksaw. It had a blade 10' long and roughly 1/4" thick.
Companies today such as diamond pacific or barranca offer saws such as
this in smaller versions for $5-10,000 dollars. They cut 2 or 3, or even
4 foot specimens. Problem there is moving the specimen to the saw.
Large circular blade saws are rarely ever 36" or larger (48" diameter
blade) and they will only cut about 1/3 of the actual diameter of the
blade.
Cable saws really come into their own for cutting large specimens. A
person who has access to cable, a cutting medium as carborundum or
diamond dust with oil, and a fabrication welder would be able to set up
on site and make a saw to cut large specimens. Necessity is the mother
of invention in this case. This method has been employed in British
Columbia to cut Jade boulders that are too large to move any other way.
For a fun field trip, go to a stone quarry site, or to a place where
mausoleums or tombstones are cut, they use large saws. Hint: a great
place to get nice cut scraps of lapidary building stone is a business
that cuts bulk rock for building stone. Any broken corners are put aside.
 In recent times, lasers cut rocks with smooth cuts and very fine detail.
I wonder if any lasers have been used to cut meteorites yet?

Hacksaw-dave


Lars Pedersen wrote:

> Hi All
>
> As far as I remember the biggest slice in the world was cut by Vagn F.
> Buchvald from the Agpalilik meteorite in Copenhagen.
>
> I think he used wire too..
>
> :-)
> Lars
> ----- Original Message ----- From: <bernd.pauli_at_paulinet.de>
> To: <Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2005 9:48 PM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Cutting a large meteorite with ...
>
>
>>> I'll bet this photo of this clueless moron cutting
>>> a meteorte will really give you shivers, then:
>>
>>
>>> http://webpages.charter.net/garrison6328/cluelessmoroncuttingmeteorite.jpg
>>>
>>
>>
>> Hello All,
>>
>> The 6.1-ton Mundrabilla II found in a chunkyard in Australia by P.
>> Ramdohr (MPI
>> Heidelberg) was cut using the "wire-cutting technique". Professor
>> Paul Ramdohr
>> used a four-millimeter-thick steel wire and carborundum powder
>> (silicon carbide
>> or SiC - silicon carbide is about as hard as diamond) as a lubricant.
>> It took 188
>> hours to cut the first slice although the maximum width was only
>> about 130 cm !!!
>>
>> Another interesting aside:
>>
>> About 8 or 9 slabs were cut from this mass, four of which (about 250
>> kg each)
>> were donated to the Smithsonian Institution, the Academy of Science
>> in Moscow,
>> the British Museum in London, and the Australian Museum in Adelaide.
>>
>> When these slabs were handed over, the following representatives were
>> present:
>>
>> a) Professor Paul Ramdohr
>> b) Professor Wolfang Gentner
>> c) British ambassador Nicholas Henderson
>> d) Representative of the Soviet Embassy in Germany (Kaplin)
>> e) US ambassador M.J. Hillenbrand
>> f) Australian representative John Trotter
>>
>>
>> Best sawing (files),
>>
>> Bernd
>>
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>
>
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Received on Sat 26 Feb 2005 04:43:10 PM PST