Did I learn a lesson here?

J

Jkob

Guest
A short time ago, needing some cutting oil, I looked it up in MSC's website and ordered a gallon along with some other necessities. The stuff I got was Mobilmet 404. After using a quantity of it, I started to notice I was having an inordinate amout of chip weld and rings in my chambers. Tried the standard stuff, honed the flute face to no avail. Tried altering feeds and speeds, etc. I was getting quite frustrated and did not even consider the stuff I was using; it just seemed to me to be cutting oil and should be of no consequence. I did wonder from time to time, why is this stuff so light colored? I was under the impression that this was the same stuff I had always been using. I even tried mixing some ATF into it that someone suggested.

After doing two barrels the other day, and having a problem with one with a ring near the shoulder, I started to think cutting oil. I got on the computer and went to Mobil website and found out the stuff I should have gotten was 766, heavy duty, instead of the lighter stuff. This lighter stuff is OK for flush systems and cooling, but I don't use one. I started to look around and none of the local dealers carried it. I found a gallon of "Ridgid Thread cutting oil" at Granger and brought it home. After three more chambers, no problem.

What say you, anyone else "discover" this solution?

Anyone want to buy 3/4 gallon of Mobilmet 404?

Jim
 
I've added Castrol Moly-Dee to my cutting oils for awhile now and it really seems to help with chip weld and overall cutting of the chambers. That said, my best luck has been with the heavy sulferized cutting oils which is not found as often as even three years ago.
 
All I have ever used is Rigid cutting oil since 1967...
 
Jim, I got a Mobil Product Guide booklet from the local Mobil distributor several years ago, and after looking through it, bought a 5 gal pail of Omega cutting oil. It had the highest percentage of sulfur of the four cutting oils they listed, and I've had excellent results with it over the past 6-7yrs. I've got less than a gallon of it left, and so called this distributor, only to be informed that the 5 gal pails are no longer available, but that for $1100+, I could purchase a 55gal barrel of Omega. Well, somehow - at 60yrs of age - I don't think I'm going to need 55 gallons of cutting oil.

Mobilmet 766 was suggested as an alternative on one of the machinists' forums, and the distributor got me a quart of it to test. I'm a little reluctant to risk screwing up a Bartlein or Krieger blank just to test this stuff - has anyone else had experience with 766?
 
I've been using Mobilmet 766 for about half of a 5 gallon bucket now. I haven't had any problem with it. I had to quit using what little Transultex H that I had left as I was having an allergic reaction from it. I haven't had any allergic reaction to the 766.
 
I haven't had any allergic reaction to the 766.

Mike, sulfur based cutting oils have caused skin problems for years. Sun Oil had a good product named SunECut but then they stopped making it?? That is why many shops went to water based fluids like Milacrons CemCool. This was way before we were blessed with the EPA!!
 
Mike, sulfur based cutting oils have caused skin problems for years. Sun Oil had a good product named SunECut but then they stopped making it?? That is why many shops went to water based fluids like Milacrons CemCool. This was way before we were blessed with the EPA!!

It took me awhile to figure out what was causing the problem. I'd itch like fire between my fingers, eyelids, armpits and other places. I remembered Larry Englebecht telling me that he couldn't use high sulfur based cutting oil as he was allergic to it. Switching oil solved the problem. Found out that allergy to high sulphur oil is a build up problem and once you start breaking out from it, you won't ever be able to use it.
 
For a 3/8", 1/2 hp carborated gearhead pump w/ bypass, 4.4 gpm @ 125 psi. I use Rustlic 255R cut 5:1. It is a semisynthetic, extreme pressure coolant lubricant. This is what the engineer at Rustlic recomended. It is a chlorine/water soluable. I have recycled and used the same coolant lubricant for 6 years. I add a 1/4 cup of clorox every 6 months or so to keep the bacteria out. My hands are clean and slick after chambering from contact with the Rustlick 255R. I was cutting at least 1 chamber per day and some days 3-5 chambers per day. I have several reamers with over 2000 chambers cut with no regrind. I cut a .243 chamber today and it took 20 minutes after dialing in the barrel. My reamers never get hot, chip weld is not a problem. I flush every .100" or less to remove chips before they can pack up and cause chip rings. If you use heavy cutting oils in an high pressure flush system you have to have the horsepower to push it. These pumps cost a lot more money.
I feel that I have the best set-up possible. Kevin Adams from above uses the same set up.
Nat Lambeth
 
For a 3/8", 1/2 hp carborated gearhead pump w/ bypass, 4.4 gpm @ 125 psi. I use Rustlic 255R cut 5:1. It is a semisynthetic, extreme pressure coolant lubricant. This is what the engineer at Rustlic recomended. It is a chlorine/water soluable. I have recycled and used the same coolant lubricant for 6 years. I add a 1/4 cup of clorox every 6 months or so to keep the bacteria out. My hands are clean and slick after chambering from contact with the Rustlick 255R. I was cutting at least 1 chamber per day and some days 3-5 chambers per day. I have several reamers with over 2000 chambers cut with no regrind. I cut a .243 chamber today and it took 20 minutes after dialing in the barrel. My reamers never get hot, chip weld is not a problem. I flush every .100" or less to remove chips before they can pack up and cause chip rings. If you use heavy cutting oils in an high pressure flush system you have to have the horsepower to push it. These pumps cost a lot more money.
I feel that I have the best set-up possible. Kevin Adams from above uses the same set up.
Nat Lambeth

Nat,

Do you use anything to skim oil or do you take it out and skim periodically? Do you use the lathe sump or something external? Reason I ask is I use my built in sump and keeping oil out is a problem I sometimes use dark oil like rigid if I'm threading or something as I don't like running the coolant all over everything if I don't have to. I use a pan to catch oil when doing these things but another problem is way oil getting into the sump. I just cleaned everything out and plan on trying to take better care of the fresh batch so i am just looking for ideas.
 
I used to use Texaco Trans Sultex with wonderful results. My source for 5 gal containers dried up. I bought Vipers Venom from Bob Pastor and am very pleased with it. You can buy as small as a qt. container from Bob.
 
IIRC....isn't honing oil, the type used in Sunnen honing machines, a high sulfur content cutting oil?

Sunnen makes a number of honing oils for different applications, some have sulfur and some don't. Their MB30 honing oil has sulfur and animal fats, it works extremely well for cutting chambers. I use it for chambering and tapping on stainless or carbon steel and never have had a problem of any kind.
 
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