Bought a diamond in the rough mill probly

[Susquatch]

I use air on all machines and I don't drive swarf in where it doesn't belong. Ways get rag wiped. I used a vaccum for a few years but digging out chips and curls from a plugged shop vac hose was too much fun, so I went with air and rags.

I use a combination of a dedicated swarf vacuum and a stick magnet. The plugged hose issue is easy to fix - use a small nozzle at the business end before the hose. That way, all plugging occurs at the nozzle end where its easy to clean. I have not plugged my hose in 30 years.

I will say that if I hadn't got a good deal on my mill I would have taken it back and got after my money. It was a flood coolant machine and was the most disgusting filthy mess I ever dealt with. Congealed coolant and fine swarf mixed makes an excellent cutting surface on moving parts, and I tried every solvent from varsol to MEK, but hand scraping was the only way to clean it out. Some areas such as the sump in the base will never be cleaned. I dumped 2 bags of floor dry in and put the plate back on.
Daily cleaning of a machine is the answer, and I am guilty of failure there.

There are many on here who swear by flood cooling. I'm not one of them. I don't care how much faster it is. The mess and spray is intolerable. I use brush on or drip on cutting-fluid only and cut dry when I can get away with it.

For small jobs, I use a can of wind. For bigger jobs I run an air line over to the lathe and mill.

 

[Dabbler]

I us a squirt sprayer for my soluable oil, but I try to use cutting oil instead. For HSS annular cutters, I find the soluable oil works best. I still have to clean up after every work stoppage, or the stuff wicks under the vise and rots the table. With the oil, the cleanup is far easier.

I haven't had a blockage in my vacuum hose either I went to a janitorial supply and got one of those aluminum sections that fit my vacuum, and then gingerly bent to to a thin crevice tool - this increases velocity of the air, and breaks up the swarf into small pieces, and the big ones just don't fit.

For the lathe with longer swarf, I always hook the mass into a wide steel dust pan and discard 'en masse'.

 

[Susquatch]

For HSS annular cutters, I find the soluable oil works best. I still have to clean up after every work stoppage, or the stuff wicks under the vise and rots the table.

Never did get comfy with soluable oil for just that reason and others. Cutting oil might not work as well, but it works. I'm happy with that.

 

[Mcgyver]

I tried every solvent from varsol to MEK, but hand scraping was the only way to clean it out.

I wonder if its one of the synthetic soluble oils? I used one that could and it could only be removed with water, which, needless to say is not desirable! Awful stuff

You guys not liking flood I think just haven't tried the Trim Microsol. I should own the company for how much I promote it (I don't own the company). I keep hawking it, anyone tried it? For every other soluble oil, agree, flood is a pita....but this stuff is the silver bullet. Doesn't rot, doesn't rust. Just use it, year after year.

Flood when grinding is highly advantageous, necessary imo and when cylindrical grinding absolutely a requirement. i prefer it for milling but for lathe work just fill a atomizer from the main tank (currently a 5 gallon bucket with a sump pump). It would be better to have flood on the lathe, but it does fling it around a lot. Many times I'll go do something else while waiting for a part in the lathe come down ambient temps.....one of the few pros of having 900 projects on the go.

 

[Tom O]

What’s the price for the Microsoft?

 

[Dabbler]

wow. $160 a gal, and $400 5 gal it had better be good! No rust you say? that is beyond my experience and highly desirable!!!

 

[justin1]

I use air on all machines and I don't drive swarf in where it doesn't belong. Ways get rag wiped. I used a vaccum for a few years but digging out chips and curls from a plugged shop vac hose was too much fun, so I went with air and rags.
I will say that if I hadn't got a good deal on my mill I would have taken it back and got after my money. It was a flood coolant machine and was the most disgusting filthy mess I ever dealt with. Congealed coolant and fine swarf mixed makes an excellent cutting surface on moving parts, and I tried every solvent from varsol to MEK, but hand scraping was the only way to clean it out. Some areas such as the sump in the base will never be cleaned. I dumped 2 bags of floor dry in and put the plate back on.
Daily cleaning of a machine is the answer, and I am guilty of failure there.

Ye this machine was used with flood coolant and it peeled some of the paint off and it's jelled onto bunch of the surfaces. Razor blade takes it off that's about it I've found so far lol. I would like to get misting set up in future I think as it doesn't look like a mess.

O ye as far as my sump is concerned I just pretend it doesn't exist ATM haven't felt need to empty and clean yet. That and there is still hole in my coolant return catch.

I use mostly vacuum and rag started using bit of air on table and rubber covers since I final got around to installing the factory dust boots.
But still prefer vacuum as the chips don't end up blown into oblivion across the shop.

 

[Susquatch]

But still prefer vacuum as the chips don't end up blown into oblivion across the shop.

Me too. But sometimes I use a can of wind cuz it's less of a hurricane than a compressor.

So......whatcha makin there?

Also, any particular reason for not using your lathe to do that?

 

[justin1]

Me too. But sometimes I use a can of wind cuz it's less of a hurricane than a compressor.

So......whatcha makin there?

Also, any particular reason for not using your lathe to do that?

It's a spoiler on my dividing head restoration gonna update progress on it after I post this.

It's a Babbitt thrust washer, and figured I would probly crush it and don't have any extra Babbitt if I bugger it up so figured mill was fine I'm just adding clearance so oil can get to the face of bearing.

Also found out my auto quill down feed won't engage I think the lever is stuck that you pull to engage it. Gonna have clean it and see what's up with that.

 

[Mcgyver]

wow. $160 a gal, and $400 5 gal it had better be good! No rust you say? that is beyond my experience and highly desirable!!!

I bought 5 gallons from DGI in 2019 for $223. I mix at 25:1 so it will last decades. While I cringe at spending money, its not imo expensive given the performance and how awful everything else is I've tried. No rust and it doesn't rot.

photos of the other crap I've tried for your viewing pleasure. In both instances, a bubbler and UV light purifier were running. Compared to the time and money wasted on the stuff below, this stuff is cheap. It sits for years, no purifier or bubbler, and just doesn't go bad.

The miracle of the digital communication age......save yourself pain by me sharing my experience (and pain!)

Taken Dec 22 2010

Taken Feb 13 2011

Try, try try again.....different crap coolant
taken march 15 2011

Taken Aug 30 2011

 

[Dabbler]

The miracle of the digital communication age......save yourself pain by me sharing my experience (and pain!)

Exactly! All my experiences of soluable coolants have been closer to the extreme edge of negative. I'm encouraged by your experience -- and I prefer to buy once and cry once instead of crying always.

I've reduced my soluable oil down to the bare minimum, but still avoid it if I can... Now I can make something far better to put in my hand sprayers. I doubt I'll go back to pumped coolant on my mill or lathe (for regular use anyways), now that I have a good alternate approach.

However for my grinder and for through coolant drills on my lathe this seems to be just the ticket!!

Last time I talked to @Janger he was also looking for more coolant - mind you he's prolly bought his regular stuff by now - but an idea for the future! I drag my feet on change until I see and tangible improvement... You've convinced me that this is a big improvement.

 

[Janger]

Exactly! All my experiences of soluable coolants have been closer to the extreme edge of negative. I'm encouraged by your experience -- and I prefer to buy once and cry once instead of crying always.

I've reduced my soluable oil down to the bare minimum, but still avoid it if I can... Now I can make something far better to put in my hand sprayers. I doubt I'll go back to pumped coolant on my mill or lathe (for regular use anyways), now that I have a good alternate approach.

However for my grinder and for through coolant drills on my lathe this seems to be just the ticket!!

Last time I talked to @Janger he was also looking for more coolant - mind you he's prolly bought his regular stuff by now - but an idea for the future! I drag my feet on change until I see and tangible improvement... You've convinced me that this is a big improvement.

I bought 5 gallons from DGI in 2019 for $223

5 galllons of what exactly?

I was quoted last year $350 for 5 gallons of blasser bc20 . I nearly choked. That’s what $20/litre. Omg. So I’ve been putting it off and am skipping changing the coolant and limping through the last of the bucket. It’ll probably be $400 a bucket next time I ask. They make a fortune on this stuff. What does it cost them to make? I bet blasser makes it for $1/litre. It’s really good though and does not stink.

 

[Susquatch]

I drag my feet on change until I see and tangible improvement... You've convinced me that this is a big improvement.

This pretty much mirrors my attitude too. I love to try new things but not when they are big bucks or don't have the blessing of people I really trust.

I'd trust what you or @Mcgyver recommended.

That said, I don't do enough machining, or the aggressive machining that dictates the need for volume cooling. I'm quite happy with a brush, a dropper, or a squirt bottle.

 

[Mcgyver]

5 galllons of what exactly?

The coolant I recomended a few posts before, Trim microsol 585xt