Coolant Or Oil For Flush System

N

ndh78

New member
I have been using rustlick 255R for years and I'm about out so I am researching alternate fluids. Recently I had a reamer not want to cut and switching to oil solved the problem but before I finish it should be noted the coolant had sit for a while and looked like it had separated or broken down so I wasn't surprised. If I stay on top of it skimming oil and adding chlorine once in a while I can get a year out of a batch of coolant but it is still a hassle and way oil and other cutting oil gets in the sump regardless.

If anyone is using oil how does it handle mixing with other oils like way oil? Does is stay fresh or get stinky and rancid? I use a gear pump so I don't think pumping it will be a problem and my lathe coolant pump which I use to prime the high pressure pump is compatible as well.

I want to hear form guys using both so I can make up my mind going forward on whether to ditch the water sol or not.
 
I don't use a chamber flush, but in our large milling machines, (used mostly for cutting large keyseats in shafts), we switched over toTexaco Sultex F years ago.

The problem with water soluble is it gets rancid rather quickly. Nasty stuff. The Sultex Cutting Oil works much better, and does not break down.

A good substitute for Sultex is Rigid a Dark, the same cutting oil used in pipe threading machines.
 
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jackie schmidt said:
A good substitute for Sultex is Rigid a Dark, the same cutting oil used in pipe threading machines.
Click to expand...

And even better than Rigid Dark is Rigid formulated for threading stainless steel pipe. After all we are machining stainless steel.

Jackie is correct about the water soluables being impure after a short time. If the EPA comes by the first thing they will test is for organic contaminants in your water soluables. Cincinnati Milacron is a major supplier of water soluble coolants, CemCool, etc. They offer an additive, CemPlus, to help control this problem, but that is all it does is help.

.
 
I use oil in my flush. I have had zero issues with oil mixing or going rancid. My favorite oil is Habcool 318. Produces the best finishes and lowers cutting force. The oil wont flush as well as the thinner water based stuff, but I thinks it is better in every other way. I chamber at 250 rpm and hold the reamer in my hand with a reamer holder of my design.
 
I know this is old but I never got around to trying an alternative I mixed up another batch of Rustlick and it served me well for another year or so but it is time to change and I don't have any 255 left and need to order more or something to replace it. Just looking for more suggestions and/or opinions on a cutting oil to try or perhaps I will stick with water sol oil. One thing I may do is run the coolant through its own self contained reservoir rather than use the lathe sump so other contaminates don't get in it.
 
Petroleum oils do not normally go 'rancid' like organic (plant and animal based) oils.

Lard (rendered) was used for many years as a lube for threading and tapping aluminum.
In a pinch it still works.

Tap Magic still works well for smaller threading jobs.
There is a 'universal' version of it that works on aluminum.

We had a new ME that used 1,1,1 Trichloroethane as a cutting and threading lube on the aluminum.
It works great on ferrous metals for fine work.

Hot aluminum chips smoldered away before he was finished and started cleaning up.
He then sucked them into the shop vac.
Luckily it had a stainless drum.

The heat based fire alarms went off about four hours later in the model shop.
The security guards (classified facility) about filled there paints when they looked in the window in the shop door.

There was enough 'other' flammable stuff in the vacuum tank and the aluminum chips burned hot enough to light
the plastic motor housing on the top of the vacuum on fire.

It was not large enough to set of any sprinkler heads but made plenty of noxious smoke.

We added a short training requirement to using the Model Shop.
 
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Funny coincidence hearing your story as I have been hauling scrap to the scrap yard the last few days and last week they had the road to the scales shut down due to a huge pile of metal chips (something like 20ft tall!) smoldering trying to catch on fire. Had the fire department there and two grapples tearing down the pile of swarf so they could get it cooled down! Lovely smell btw felt like I was back in the shop working!
 
Those kind of smells will bring back memories of working in a machine shop. I used kerosene when fly cutting large pieces of aluminum....can't remember how it smelled right now but I'm sure I could identify it. Those were the days.
 
ndh78 said:
Funny coincidence hearing your story as I have been hauling scrap to the scrap yard the last few days and last week they had the road to the scales shut down due to a huge pile of metal chips (something like 20ft tall!) smoldering trying to catch on fire. Had the fire department there and two grapples tearing down the pile of swarf so they could get it cooled down! Lovely smell btw felt like I was back in the shop working!
Click to expand...

You should have seen the steps to machine magnesium.

We finally ended up moving on machine to a shelter in the parking lot and gently filling it with nitrogen.
Just a few inches of water above atmospheric.
And lots of back up tanks hooked up al the time.

It was back before solid state oxygen sensors could be obtained.
We ended up using a small mass spectrometer to sample the room before even thinking about cutting and again for re-entering.

Small pieces could be machined submerged in a kerosene bath.

Bigger ones were a problem.
 
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I've used oil since day one in Haas TL-1. Approximately 7000 barrels to date. I tried several oils but settled on Monroe Fluid Technology Astro-Swiss LV. Pumps well, doesn't smell bad and I get a slightly better finish than the others.
 
Dave,

Thank you for your feedback! I'm sure you at least get a little bit of way oil mixed with it over time does that seem to have any negative effects? How long do you go before changing it out? What kind of pump are you using?
 
I wonder if a replacement WH heating element or old water heater could be used to get the coolant hot enough to sterilize it?
 
Just cleaned the sump out and unhooked all the plumbing yesterday I have Mobilmet 763 & 766 coming to try I will post results as soon as I get a couple chambers cut. I think I will stick with using the lathes built in sump rather than build something stand alone don't really see an advantage other than keeping tramp oil out but I try to catch most way oil on absorbent pads before it gets to the sump (a habit from trying to keep the water sol maintained).
 
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