Diy Water Based Coolant Mixtures

Keith Foor

Keith Foor

Registered
Registered
Joined
Aug 4, 2015
Messages
291
Has anyone played around with making their own coolant for grinding, turning and milling?
I have both a T&C grinder and a second operation lathe that have coolant pumps on board and would like to use them but I am trying to do stuff on the cheap. Honestly I have never even looked at what coolant sells for. If it's sold as a concentrate and makes a bunch from a single gallon or how that all works.

Guess the other question is can you use grinder coolant in a lathe or mill as well?


Thanks in advance guys.
 
It's cheap, buy it. I've tried making it twice but it really didn't work well.
 
The coolant concentrate that I use is about $25/gallon and mixed at 15 to 25 to 1. The coolant is recirculated so mostly water is added to replace losses due to evaporation. A gallon of concentrate lasts me a year or more. Usage is due to carryover on machined parts and periodic replacement of the coolant. I use a Brix refractometer to monitor the coolant concentration, adding water or coolant as necessary.
 
Yea, it seems that for the prices I am seeing it's not worth the effort to "make" something. I have an enco T&C grinder, and a Feeler lathe with pumps and plumbing. My excello mill needs something on it but currently has nothing and the doall 13X40 lathe I am getting I believe has a coolant system. I am guessing that the stuff you use for flooding can be misted as well? Thinking of a mist system on the mill as there is no pan, pump or anything else on it and I would be recovering it only from the table which does have drain ports. Will mist be enough on a mill like that?
 
Last edited:
Keith Foor said:
Yea, it seems that for the prices I am seeing it's not worth the effort to "make" something. I have an enco T&C grinder, and a Feeler lathe with pumps and plumbing. My excello mill needs something on it but currently has nothing and the doall 13X40 lathe I am getting I believe has a coolant system. I am guessing that the stuff you use for flooding can be misted as well? Thinking of a mist system on the mill as there is no pan, pump or anything else on it and I would be recovering it only from the table which does have drain ports. Will mist be enough on a mill like that?
Click to expand...
white mineral spirits,flood,but will smoke at high cutting rates,doesn't stink/ or rust machine,evaporate slowly. fine screened built in sump,never cleaned just add to if pump sucks dry. use about a gallon a year to replenish. mostly for parting and I part a lot.
 
Mineral spirits flammable, I would not use it in a flood system. Water soluble oil, or preferably some synthetic for long life for infrequent use is probably your best choice.

Few soluble oils are also intended for mist cooling, and are not healthy to breathe. If you use one of the low/no mist systems you'd be fine, but not the old fashioned koolmist style. Fog up the shop and make it hard to breathe.......long term.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top