Milling Machine coolant

[Shox Dr]

Looking for advise on a coolant to use for my Tom Senior Mill. I don't use it a vast amount, so need a coolant that doesn't go rancid.

 

[hareng]

I have only used one type of coolant and its cheap.
Currently but cant find on their site a general machining oil Metcut Morris Dorian A soluble oil - Part no DOROO5 5Ltr cans ideal around £10.50.
www.morrislubricants.co.uk
Not bad for tapping either there are better so its doing something.

Have used this as well for years also in 5 ltr cans apprx £9.50 http://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/scripts/prodview.asp?idcat=95&idProduct=224
Both dont stink.

I have the original mix still in the lathe 9 years ago, i just keep topping up. If its too strong it will clearly leave a visible layer of oil on the slides etc. The point is both available in small quantities and beats paying £40+ for 25 ltrs.
Familiar with your mill but from memory probably get 3 to 4 complete mixes its about the same size tank as my bigger lathe. Got mine from Hughes and Holmes in Willenhall.

 

[AndyP]

I have never really found a need for coolant on an hobbyists mill, for occasional use it's not worth the mess and clean up

 

[JimM]

I have never really found a need for coolant on an hobbyists mill, for occasional use it's not worth the mess and clean up

On a similar note has anybody tried mist coolant systems ? My mill has the facility for flood coolant but I don't really like the idea of the mess and clean up so was thinking the mist system may be a good compromise

Cheers

Jim

 

[Shox Dr]

It's a bit more than a "hobbyists" mill. It can be used for 5/6 hrs a day, and then nothing for a couple of weeks. I'm just aware of the rancid state cutting fluid can turn into, with lack of use

 

[scott0031]

On a similar note has anybody tried mist coolant systems ? My mill has the facility for flood coolant but I don't really like the idea of the mess and clean up so was thinking the mist system may be a good compromise

Cheers

Jim

Yep i have spray mist. I wouldn't advise it for any form of home/ hobby use or on a non enclosed machine. Its mixed with low pressure air to form the mist this in turn makes the coolant airborne. All coolants/oils carry health risk warnings of some kind. Inhaling any oil is not safe and you will inhale it unless you have fully enclosed machine like machining centre.

On the note of which coolant to use, The choice is endless. I wouldn't worry about the pros and cons of this and that and the other. When coolant goes off its due to bacterial infection. It is actually rare for this to happen and does tend to happen more with semi synthetics and synthetics for some odd reason. I have never had any mineral based go off in my life. All coolant can get manky from tramp oil for the machine. Its important no to confuse the two. You will know if its a bacteria it will stink!


I would stick to a good old fashioned mineral oils unless you are using very expensive fancy cutters on fancy machines. The end of the day its only really heat dissapation that is the core function of a coolant as heat is the engineers enemy. My advice would be go use yell.com a find local oil supply company, many of them stock coolants from various big makers like BP and Shell. I currently use BP coolants and have no complaints. They often only do one or two mineral based oils these days and sometimes you can find them still available in small amouts, Although i know they were fazing that out.

On a last note avoid being sucked in by all the commercial marketing stuff with companys such as Rocal. Its no better, but a lot more pricey. The only ones i would say to avoid due to the quality of the product any Q8 products.

Kind regards,


Scott (ward eng)

 

[Shox Dr]

Cheers Scott just the advise I was looking for

 

[wyn]

Yep i have spray mist. I wouldn't advise it for any form of home/ hobby use or on a non enclosed machine.

I had exactly that problem.....A compressed air / mist system on a hobby lathe in a smallish garage.

After a while you could see the mist hanging about.... and i didn't feel too good either.

I don't use it anymore.

 

[MrFluffy]

I use gulf hydrocut mixed with water in the proportions on the container. I flood cool my mill with the table recovery into a tank in the base and integral pump etc, and occasionally it gets everywhere, but I dont really mind. If theres somewhere it should be kept from, you can errect a screen that the coolant will hit first and run down inside.
Theres times when a dry cut will give a better result, but theres times when flood cooling will save the tooling from burning out prematurely (stainless...)
Ive never changed the sump contents, and it certainly hasnt gone rancid with age, Ill drain it out to relocate it here, but its been in for four years just being topped up...

On the lathe I use a little brush or a squirty bottle at the moment, but thats only because I never got round to hooking up a coolant system on it yet.

 

[Pete.]

I use gulf hydrocut mixed with water in the proportions on the container. I flood cool my mill with the table recovery into a tank in the base and integral pump etc, and occasionally it gets everywhere, but I dont really mind. If theres somewhere it should be kept from, you can errect a screen that the coolant will hit first and run down inside.
Theres times when a dry cut will give a better result, but theres times when flood cooling will save the tooling from burning out prematurely (stainless...)
Ive never changed the sump contents, and it certainly hasnt gone rancid with age, Ill drain it out to relocate it here, but its been in for four years just being topped up...

On the lathe I use a little brush or a squirty bottle at the moment, but thats only because I never got round to hooking up a coolant system on it yet.

I could have written that!

On my mill I have flood coolant which happens to be Rocol but only because someone gave me a can of it. On my lathe I too use a brush - got the pump installed but haven't yet got a nozzle connected.

 

[hareng]

Its the other way round with me, coolant on lathe with smallest nozzle rarely flings off tool or work piece unless you get close to the jaws and you will get more than a shower. Great for lubing and washing off the slides of debri when i turn it up.
Theres no reason why there should be any mess if theres a backstop.
Thats an action shot traversing along cutting hardened steel.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL15/728921/1252422/56398906.jpg
This is when i dont recommend coolant and thats 1/2" cut action shot, you can see why. http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL15/728921/1252422/14582043.jpg

Got coolant pump, tank, fine debri collector and quill mounted bracket for nozzle on bigger mill but yet to plumb in. Also quill mounted nozzle and bed drilled and tapped for outlets on smaller mill, i used to use the coolant and long hose from lathe.

 

[MrFluffy]

I know a couple of people who use one tank/pump system between all their machines. Seems a pain in the long run, but only one set of fluids to maintain etc...

 

[Shox Dr]

Theres times when a dry cut will give a better result, but theres times when flood cooling will save the tooling from burning out prematurely (stainless...)
Ive never changed the sump contents, and it certainly hasnt gone rancid with age, Ill drain it out to relocate it here, but its been in for four years just being topped up...

On the lathe I use a little brush or a squirty bottle at the moment, but thats only because I never got round to hooking up a coolant system on it yet.

The main reason I need to get the coolant pump working; Milling Dog bones out of Stainless, Does nothing for my brand new 4flute cutters The only thing I had to hand was a tin of TapNDie spray, and boy does that stuff stick to everything

Never bothered with the lathe and that has spent the last 10yrs+ cutting nothing but 304 Stainless. I just use GT85

 

[chap]

Keep the concentration right and you should avoid smells and bacterior growth.

Was running a mill with barely more than water in the sump, must be a 30 y/o machine. Was getting brown slime in the fluid, so i took the access panel off and scooped out with gloved hand, the largest amount of solid white bacteria scum i'v ever seen. It can't have ever been cleaned! Much better now that we're running the right sort of mix.

The CNC suffers contamination from tramp oil. This tends to get the slurry changed twice a year.
These are in a tool-making workshop, so not hammered 24/7. I think in a production environment, having the cutting fluid the right concentration and free of contaminates like tramp oil is important for tool life, surface finish and more.

Something to consider: have found that some Exol concentrate that had been hanging around for a while, separated out and didn't emulsify properly when mixed with water.
Never had any problems with castrol stuff though.

 

[Weldingartisan]

Funny thing, soluble oil kept going manky in my Bridgeport - tried everything to stop it -cleaning, disinfecting, bleaching. I now use a synthetic which seems Ok. Still use soluble in the lathe and saw with no problems. W/A