Do you use a coolant system ?

Mini bike · Post by **Mini bike** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:08 am

I was cuttin some mild steel the other night and was using cutting fluid as a lube (just painted on with acid brush). Stinks and still gets hots chips everywhere. Do any of you use a coolant system ? If so...what did you do to catch all the fluid in and what fluids do you use ? I have my machine in the basement on a maple wood table. Really don't want fluids all over the floor or table. Any othe suggestions appreciated !!
Thanx again,
Mini Bike

Post by **Harold_V** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 5:01 pm

If you hope to use coolant and keep the area dry, you're out of luck unless you have a full enclosure. Even then, you might find some outside the machine.
I recommend a recirculating coolant system highly, but the machine must be built accordingly, otherwise there's no way to prevent a huge mess. I used to rely on Oil-Dri to pick up that which was lost.

Harold

Russ Hanscom · Post by **Russ Hanscom** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:31 pm

The plusses to coolant are better tool life and frequently better finish.

The minus is the mess. I have equipped most of my machines with drip pans even though I do not use coolant on all of them. It makes collecting the swarf much easier. For chip pans, I have a local shop with a brake and I get about 16 G sheets and have them shear and break to my sketches - usually end up with a 2-3" deep pan, and then I weld in the corners. I always put a 2" pipe collar or nipple out the bottom so I can collect fluid or sweep out the chips - the fitting is plugged when not in use. For coolant, I have a small tank and pump on a cart so in theory it can go to any machine, but it spends 95% of the time at the mill.

I use coolant most of the time, at least on larger projects, as I think the benefits outweight the headaches.

Mini bike · Post by **Mini bike** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 1:37 pm

Thank you for your replies...I guess I still spray lube/ coolant as I go for now.
Thanx again !!

mikeamick · Post by **mikeamick** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 2:42 pm

Thanks for starting this tread Mini .. I have been wondering about this my self.

Right now I use this oil type cutting fluid .. and .. my whole machine is just
covered with oily chips sticking to the machine. Geezzzz .. is there a cutting
or cooling fluid that isnt so oily. Its hard to clean up chips that are stuck to
everything with oil.

I got this little air-water mister thing with bits that I bought .. but .. I cant get it
to work. That would have been perfect .. I could have turned it down to a very
fine mist .. and ... cleanup would have been easy.

Post by **Harold_V** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 5:07 pm

mikeamick wrote:I got this little air-water mister thing with bits that I bought .. but .. I cant get it
to work. That would have been perfect .. I could have turned it down to a very
fine mist .. and ... cleanup would have been easy.

The use of a mist system results in an entire shop covered with concentrate (and dirt). If you think cleaning up is hard now, use the mist system for a while, then lets talk.

I used to use a Precise Vapor Mist system. I learned to hate the damned thing. Works great---but cleaning up the machine (and shop, in general) was very troublesome.

Harold

mikeamick · Post by **mikeamick** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:50 pm

got it ... but ... is there coolant that doesnt leave a greasy residue ?

Russ Hanscom · Post by **Russ Hanscom** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:57 pm

I am using Rustlick 5050, I think, which is mixed with water. So far it is behaving itself, I have over a year of intermittent use on the batch and I just add water as it evaporates. No rust issues that I have observed.

I had a mist unit too, but flood coolant is almost less messy.

Nugget · Post by **Nugget** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 6:29 pm

Hi
First post on here, been reading lots with interest, but this one caught my attention specifically.
I only have a small 10x22 lathe and like most small lathes don't use coolant often but have need for hss finishing cuts.
I bought a small gravity feed system. Basically just 2 bottles, top one with hose and valve for supply, lower one mounts below for recovery. .not fitted that yet, still gotta find the pooling point to drill it.
But have a look at a system like this. .might suffice and cheap.

wrmiller19 · Post by **wrmiller19** » Wed Sep 23, 2015 8:48 am

I recently put a FogBuster on my bench mill and like it very much. No coolant mess everywhere (or fog) and it seems to work pretty well so far. I just flip the air switch on just before starting the cut and turn it off afterwards. I've been doing a lot of aluminum work recently so I have WD40 in the FogBuster. I'm not sure I'll ever put a water-based coolant in it as I've heard the stories of rust under the vice and whatnot.

Disclaimer: I'm just a hobbyist doing mostly small stuff, but in talking to the makers these things are being used in commercial shops as well.

warmstrong1955 · Post by **warmstrong1955** » Wed Sep 23, 2015 11:00 am

A note on Rustlick and Kool Mist.....
....is on exposed surfaces, the stuff evaporates and all is fine. No problem there.
After doing some work with a mister on my mill, I found some rust on the table when I removed the vise a week or two later.

Easy solution. After I complete a job, I remove anything clamped down, or just sitting.

Bill

seal killer · Post by **seal killer** » Wed Sep 23, 2015 6:07 pm

Nugget--

Welcome to the forum!

Consider putting your location in your profile. People like that.

--Bill

The Home Machinist!

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