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coolant/cutting oils??

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jim:
what do most people use when cutting metal??

i've never bothered with anything, but bought some ROCOL cutting fluid the other day, i'm a convert!!!!

i turn a lot of stainless, never usually have any bother, but this stuff was tough!!

brushed some ROCOL on and it cut like butter :D

not sure if Mrs ocharlie liked the smell on me clothes though :lol: :lol:

bogstandard:

--- Quote from: jimmyocharlie on September 05, 2009, 01:43:17 PM ---what do most people use when cutting metal??

--- End quote ---

I normally use one of my machines :lol:

But you are correct about using a cutting fluid, it can save a lot of heartache at times and give really superior finishes.

I use a special cutting oil that my friend gets me, mixed with water about 30 to 1. It is a very expensive type, and doesn't go sour or racid like normal cutting fluids, no matter how long it has been sat in the tank.

Rocol does have a bit of a smell to it, but you get used to it after about 50 years, so I am told, I have only got another 10 years to go since I started using it.  It is one of the best high pressure cutting fluids or paste you can get as far as I am concerned, and worth every penny, if you have to pay for it.

Bogs

Darren:
I realise there are proper cutting fluids, and I have no doubt they are far superior to anything I have tried......one day I'll get a proper coolant tank set up and try some for myself.
But I want a DRO first so for now I use white spirit or a turps substitute for alloys. Engine oils thinned for steels both from a squirty bottle left over from the kitchen.

I use spirits over WD40 as it's much cheaper and I can't detect any difference in the finish. I'm still waiting for it to suddenly warm my workshop but so far it has not done so no matter how much I seem to get it smoking........

Some swear by paraffin/kerosene for alloy and diesel fuel for steels, but again I have not tried either.  

arnoldb:
I also wanted to suggest the spirit, but was scared of getting  :whip: no end.  Seeing as Darren brought it up  :lol:

A regular drop or two of spirit from a "mustard" bottle with a tiny hole in the spout does wonders for machining Aluminium.

Then I have a squirt-gun filled with the same type of synthetic oil & water mix Bogs mentioned for steel.  A nice direct squirt on the work every-so-often works well.  Normally this cutting oil is sold in large quantities only, but the one engineering firm here re bottles into 1 liter bottles.  Still on my first liter bottle, and had it for 2 years now.

Lastly, I have a tin with a sweet-smelling cutting liquid that's made in South Africa; don't know what it is - but pretty darn expensive and will put you on a trip if you smell too much of it  :med:.  This I use for tapping, reaming, drilling deep holes, and sometimes for finishing cuts on steel & brass.  Funny liquid this... I can make a dry finishing cut that's 1/2 thou oversize.  If I try to re-cut, nothing comes off.  Squirt of this cutting fluid on there, and it takes that 1/2 thou cut off perfectly.

NickG:
I've used paraffin on aluminium alloy before and it works really well, not sure why I stopped using it! Maybe I need  :wack: It would keep cutting tools in better condition and give even better surface finish.

I used to have a bottle of cutting oil for steel, I used to brush it on neat but not sure where it's gone. Makes you stink but I quite like the smell!

There isn't anything to use on brass is there?

Sorry following is a bit  :offtopic: but still related.

Setting my suds pump up is one of the things I need to do. It's 3 phase on the harrison but I have a single phase pump from a boxford that I was intending to replace it with. I'm reluctant because it makes everything a bit messy and harder to deal with swarf rather than just vacuum.

I also have a set up I could use for the mill, can't quite remember what it came off but my dad brought it back from work as they were chucking it out. It's a funny set up, it's got a hoover (make not vacuum cleaner!) 1/3 or 1/4 hp motor with a cam on the end which drives an SU petrol pump! The weird thing is it's all mounted on this casting that's specifically designed to take the motor and petrol pump...wonder if some company came up with the idea and started selling them off? Will take some pics of the thing and post in another thread. Got a little galvanised tank with it and a nozzle too. I'd need to make a drip tray for the mill then though I guess!  Oh no, :proj:

Nick

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