How to cut copper ore

[marziapie]

Trying to prep a native copper ore specimen for display. I threw it into a 10" saw with a standard lapidary blade, but within a minute the blade bogged down and the coolant started steaming. This piece is loaded with copper veins, so I'm thinking the blade just isn't up to the metal content. Would switching to a sintered blade or even a tile/masonry-style blade make any sense here?

 

[mikepancake]

Your blade's probably not tough enough for all that copper. Try a sintered blade, it handles metal better. Tile or masonry blades might work but won't give you a clean cut for display pieces.

 

[5hiny5ideUp]

I once attempted to cut a chunk of quartz that had way more embedded copper wire than I expected. My regular lapidary blade got stuck right away. So, I switched to a sintered blade, and it worked like a charm. Definitely give that a try for yours

 

[Mushu]

Using standard lapidary blades on native copper is asking for trouble, copper's too ductile. Sintered or masonry blades would absolutely work better, but traditionalists avoid them purely out of habit, not practicality

 

[Dunam1s]

A sintered diamond blade would definitely handle it better since it's more durable and can cut through mixed materials without bogging down as easily, so yeah go with a sintered blade, slow the feed rate, and make sure your coolant flow is good enough