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Metal working - dry / lubricants / coatings / cooling mist

CWret

Ultra Member
Premium Member
Yes @Mcgyver I was apprehensive about using flammable liquids that also could give off nasty fumes.
When using isopropyl alcohol, I’ll follow @Dabbler’s methodology & use it mixed with soluble lube that is already diluted with water at about 1:25 water. Then when i want to add isopropyl I’ll also add equal amount of water.
Since i was concerned about the alcohol, i did some research (which is summarized in post 29, above). Today i ordered some isopropyl (99%, not the 70% rubbing alcohol variety). It’s 4x the cost of methanol but my research pointed me in that direction.

I was going to get MicroChip as my soluble lube (thanks @Degen for that suggestion) but I decided to stick with my original first choice Coolcut S50 (see post #1 above). It is designed as a mist product vs MicroChip which is a flood product than can be used as a mist product. It cost $30 more per jug but a jug is likely all I’ll ever buy.
So today from SB Simpson, i ordered Coolcut, isopropyl, and Relton A-9

Thanks Mcgyver and @Rauce for the comments about your mist set up. I’ll be doing some testing when i get my stuff from SB Simpson. From my initial use of my mister, it seems that it is very easy to control the % of liquid in the mist.

Flammables- gas, diesel and propane are 100 ft away in a steel box outside. Paint, solvents, varsol, chain lube, motor oil, etc are in a heavy steel cabinet in the far corner of the garage. I might just move some more things from the inside cabinet to the outside box.
 
I use the Mist system when flood cooling is not an option and do use a dedicated mist mix (not microchip). Mircochip is my flood coolant mix and my last purchase was the 5gal pail as I go through enough of it. Even with spray contained there is loss due to evaporation during use (its doing what it is supposed to keeping the cutters and work cool.

A9 and Tapmagic Aluminium are my gotos when brush applied.

One final very good lubricant for anything is Beeswax, little mess smells great and works well.
 

CWret

Ultra Member
Premium Member
Yes bees wax is on my list for next Lee Vallee trip. Going to try that on the band saw.
 

Stellrammer

Well-Known Member
Apparently you can melt plastic bags and beeswax together to create machinable wax
I had a fellow inmate in a jail cell in Jamaica make tea with a plastic bag and a plastic coke bottle. He rolled up the bag real tight, lite it on fire like a wick, put water in the bottle and held it over the fire. As long as there was water the plastic bottle didn’t melt.
It wasn’t very good tea, probably because it had the flavor of machining wax.
 

Susquatch

Ultra Member
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Not much more to tell, it was bad tasting tea. You took whatever your buddies could toss through the window. That was encouraged because it kept expenses down for the local sheriff’s office.

I think @Doggggboy wants to know more about how you ended up in the slammer..... Or at least that's the question you left hanging around in my head after flopping that dead dog on table....... :p
 

CWret

Ultra Member
Premium Member
Yea Stellrammer - we want to hear about your jail break
Not much more to tell, it was bad tasting tea. You took whatever your buddies could toss through the window. That was encouraged because it kept expenses down for the local sheriff’s office
 

Doggggboy

Ultra Member
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little ol' e

Jus' a hobby guy
I use one of these bottles (bought from busy bee) to just squirt a bit on the surface before a pass.

View attachment 32636


Regarding coolants, lubricants etc. Rapid tap on steel with HSS and nothing on steel with carbide unless things seem to be getting real hot, then I’ll use coolant in a spray bottle or with a mister. That’s pretty much it.

I wouldn't recommend mist or the use of a spray bottle with coolant for cooling carbide after machining dry to cool the cutter or inserts.
 

little ol' e

Jus' a hobby guy
I dunno what the tourist tax in Jamaica is lol.
Although, I do know a few Muhammed Muhammed's (AKA Winston ) down that way who would love to trade you some tourist stuff for that Bob Marley T-shirt haha.
 
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Rauce

Ultra Member
I wouldn't recommend mist or the use of a spray bottle with coolant for cooling carbide after machining dry to cool the cutter or inserts.

Yeah I don’t typically do that. If I’m using the mister it’s running for the whole cut. Spray bottle the same, slow squeezes of the trigger to keep a steadyish stream going. Directed more at the part than the cutter.

The bit that’s missing in my last post is I back it out if things are getting hot, wait a bit and then restart with coolant.
 
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