I’ve been working outside with limestone all summer, and I’ve observed that nearly every time I start cutting a piece of stone with my angle grinder, some fly goes right for it. The practically attack the blade on my grinder. I try to shoo them off, and they go right back to it. I’ll see nary a fly all day, but when I go to make a cut, presto–flies.
So I’m curious as to just what the flies are attracted to. Is there some frequency of noise that draws them? Some smell of metal or ozone or something? Electromagnetism from the motor? Anyone have any insights?
Or maybe I’m unwittingly creating the flies myself through some process of transubstantiation.
Replies
Are you using a cheap grinder? perhaps you aren't using a diamond blade and instead you are using those cheap fiber blades?
You know how flies are attracted to pieces of sh!t LOL
Sorry... don't have an answer... but I couldn't resist!
LOL - very good!"there's enough for everyone"
hmmmmm. Diamond blade, but the grinder is a DeWalt.
Rich was right...
Change the DW out to a Milwaukee...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Ordinary house flies are attracted to carbon dioxide. Perhaps you're somehow generating that.
Hey Dan you may have the key to the answer!
When you are grinding limestone (calcium carbonate=Ca(CO3)2) the calcium carbonate will break down by the heat of friction from the grinding disc to form Calcium Oxide and carbon dioxide.
Not all of the limestone dust does this, but enough from the hot disc surfaces to attract those pesky flies!
................Iron Helix
Of course I had the answer. What did you expect??? (:-J)
Maybe if you look real close at the fly you'll see a human head instead of a fly head and he's screaming, "Help me! Help me!"
Maybe it's just cause you're looking at the grinder .... maybe you'd see flies anywhere you stared for a couple minutes?
Serious question - I'm installing a bluestone patio - using the fiber/abrasive blades in an old throw-away circular saw ... actually works well, although I'm just scoring and breaking, rather than cutting all the way through. My last blade just wore out ... was thinking about springing for a diamond blade because the last cuts I have to make need to be a little more acurate ( working on the small pieces to fill in between the big irregular pieces).
Choices:
1. Just get another fiber blade and finish the job
2. Spend $60 on a diamond blade for the circ saw - will I really see a huge difference? Will I be able to cut through 2" bluestone like butta?
3. Buy the Makita grinder with diamond blade? This makes no sense, but any excuse for a new toy ....
Thanks, Bill.
4. Buy a factory refurbished metabo rt angle grinder for about the same cost as a makita... buy diamond blade
Explain to wife that you HAD to buy it... "it was SUCH a good deal" (same story she gives you when buying something on sale that you really don't need)
Clean up cuts and bruises inflicted by wife... buy flowers to make-up... if flowers don't work... chocolate... chocolate don't work (you're really in trouble here)... gift card to shoe store
Cut stone... kick self in arse for not buying it sooner... put up with wife chastising you for not getting it sooner so that you accomplish more on that "honey-do" list
Take grinder to job site... guys look and say "what's that?"
Let guys use grinder to make 1 cut... explain how much you paid for the grinder plus 10%
Guys want grinder like yours... you volunteer to source them for guys... be sure to get $$ up front
Buy grinders... deliver to guys at 10% markup... if the site is big enough, you should be able to get orders for 30 or so... everyone will want one
Money spent on grinder, blade, chocolate, flowers, gift card to shoe store, and your trouble will be recoveered... with enough for a beer-thirty break with friends to celebrate your accomplishment
Don't forget more flowers to give to wife for "scase points" ("scase points" are points that you build up with wife for random acts of kindness, that you do for seemingly no reason... they are just "scase" you need them next time you screw-up!!)
Edited 8/18/2004 11:16 am ET by Rich from Columbus
Edited 8/18/2004 11:17 am ET by Rich from Columbus
I just finished a 5 step stairs with limestone and indiana stone top . I had picked up a couple of diamond blades for the grinder.
I was going through HD and spotted a $88.00 wet saw. Not expecting much and counting on returning it if it did not work out.
It performed well beyond any expectation that I had. It was a yellow case Workmate? well worth the money.
mike
No good deed goes unpunished
Edited 8/18/2004 4:15 pm ET by Affordable Solutions
I used to have a border collie that did that everytime I cranked up the router, chainsaw, circ saw, riding mower, ...