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Homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid?

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chuck

03-18-2001 18:50:42




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Does anyone know of a recipe for cutting,drilling
or tapping fluid.Mostly typical farm grade steel
but fluid for any type of metal would be helpful
and using stuff found around a farm would be a
bonus.




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Kimk

03-20-2001 18:24:47




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 Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to chuck, 03-18-2001 18:50:42  
For aluminum I like to use parafine wax --just like grandma used to use on top of strawberry jam. It is cheap and seems to prevent chips sticking to the tool. I just rub the block of wax on the drill bit or tap. As things heat up it melts and flows into the work. It is also great to lube wood screws -I never use soap which will "hold" moisture and promote rusting and dis coloration of the wood.

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clickent

03-20-2001 04:12:31




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 Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to chuck, 03-18-2001 18:50:42  
When I was a machinist in the Army we used 10w oil. Now I use some light weapons oil because I just happen to have a couple of quarts. I believe any light oil will work well on steel. For Aluminum you should use solvent. I have used carb cleaner with good results.



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wrenchman

03-19-2001 23:42:50




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 Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to chuck, 03-18-2001 18:50:42  
try murphys oil soap.see what you think.



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Tyler(WA)

03-19-2001 12:50:37




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 Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to chuck, 03-18-2001 18:50:42  
I worked in a prototype lab and needed small amounts of stable "drill grease" for drilling aluminum and light steel. Best we found was coco butter. It clings to the drill bit and does a great job.

For my home use when cutting or drilling larger stuff. I use my vast collection of used hydraulic oil. Works for me.

If you're doing fabrication for later finishing. I would look into buying some commercial cutting lubricant. The stuff nowdays is milky green, water based and really good stuff. We recycle it at the aircraft parts manufacturing plant that I work at and it goes a long way. It washes off with water and makes clean-up simple. It doesn't smoke when hot and has superior cooling properties.

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Ray M41

03-19-2001 06:48:01




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 Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to chuck, 03-18-2001 18:50:42  
I use the cheap vegetable oil. Buy the quart size and use a small squirt can to oil the bits. Like it better than anything else I've used.



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Know it Almost All

03-19-2001 05:01:27




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 Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to chuck, 03-18-2001 18:50:42  
I got a 16 oz bottle of Cutting and Tapping fluid from Enco. It says "for all metals, including aluminum." It clings to the bit and doesn't sling off much, and seems to go a long way. Used about 1/4 bottle in 5 years!. I always wondered about WD 40. I know it works good to stop squeaks, but I wonder about using it as a lubricant. I used to spray it into the bearings on my belt sander, and wondered why they started to squeak again in a few days. Then I gave em' some oil, no squeaks. Sometimes I think the best cutting fluid, just to keep the bit cool, not lubricate, is the universal solvent, water! But get a small can of cutting and tapping fluid, it really does help.

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big fred

03-19-2001 13:03:13




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 Re: Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to Know it Almost All, 03-19-2001 05:01:27  
Is Enco still in business? Our local (South Seattle) Enco retail outlet has moved on, I figgered they were acquired or went out of business.



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ENCO is alive and well-KRM

03-19-2001 17:51:36




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 Re: Re: Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to big fred, 03-19-2001 13:03:13  
Enco is still in business. I get their sales flyers each month.

KRM



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big fred

03-20-2001 06:54:16




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to ENCO is alive and well-KRM, 03-19-2001 17:51:36  
That's good news. They must have just closed down their retail outlets and gone strictly mail order. I found their website and ordered their catalog. Thanks!



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shopguy

03-19-2001 03:52:39




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 Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to chuck, 03-18-2001 18:50:42  
Any renderd animal fat such as bacon greese will work.Going rancid is the problem.A pint of commercial tapping fluid used in proper amounts(a little dab will do ya)should last a very long time .
Al



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Joe Evans

03-18-2001 19:27:57




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 Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to chuck, 03-18-2001 18:50:42  
Some of the commercial grades of cutting and tapping fluid I've purchased for our shop contains III tricloroethane, a powerful solvent and quite volatile. The nice thing about it is that it is oil free and evaporates quickly leaving very clean surfaces to machine or paint. This chemical is becoming quite difficult to come by lately as I think it is classified as a CFC. Cutting oils for high production such as a pipe threading machine contain a lot of sulfur. As far as a home brew and if your are not doing a lot of drilling and tapping, you just can't beat good ole WD40. Basically you are looking for something that has some lubricity which will tend to keep the cutting tool cool, and you are looking for a release agent--that is, something that will keep the metal chips from adhering to the cutting tool and eliminate "loading".

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Ray,IN

03-18-2001 20:15:23




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 Re: Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to Joe Evans, 03-18-2001 19:27:57  
WD40 is NOT a lubricant, look on the label nowhere will you find the word "lubricates/lubricant. WD40 will evaporate into a sticky, gummy film over time.Experiment yourself. My opinion and $1 will get a cup of coffee most places. I use plain ole chain saw bar oil for drilling and tapping in the tool shed, it clings to the bit better than light oil therefore, it does'nt splatter as bad. I keep a small can of xylene for removing oil if painting required.

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Joe Evans

03-19-2001 20:37:33




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 Re: Re: Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to Ray,IN, 03-18-2001 20:15:23  
Trichloroethane isn't a lubricant and it works.



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Ray,IN

03-21-2001 16:57:10




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to Joe Evans, 03-19-2001 20:37:33  
Yeh, I spent 37 years working at a manufacturing plant, I'm programmed to the EPA ruling that ANYTHING sold that trichlor has touched must be labeled as such, so most of industry quit using it to avoid the hassle.



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Bill D

03-20-2001 04:57:46




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: homebrew cuttiing or tapping fluid? in reply to Joe Evans, 03-19-2001 20:37:33  
Triclor is a good alum tap lube Because of it`s bad qualities do not reommend it Tap eze is a commercial brand can be bought in a pint can and works really good also good as a lube for milling all of the alum alloys



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