# End mill gummed with aluminum.. help!



## speedybtx (May 14, 2020)

Lol
Soft hardware store aluminum gummed up a 1/4 HSS end mill
Seems stuck really well

any advice other than two days of picking it out ?

propane torch ?  Afraid to mess up the HSS bit

thanks!


----------



## speedybtx (May 14, 2020)

Ah... I guess I should just plunge into harder material??  I don’t have many end mill this is a decent Niagara


----------



## mcostello (May 14, 2020)

Lye-drain cleaner will do it or cut a piece of steel.


----------



## speedybtx (May 14, 2020)

thanks will do


----------



## projectnut (May 14, 2020)

Next time use some WD40 as a lubricant.  It will minimize if not totally eliminate the build up.


----------



## John_Dennis (May 14, 2020)

I think you have may too much heat, in addition to lubricant try a slower rpm


----------



## 4ssss (May 14, 2020)

That's heat doing all that gumming. Use some Kool Tool on it.


----------



## atunguyd (May 14, 2020)

You can let it soak in caustic soda (drain cleaner). Caustic soda will not affect the steel but it will dissolve the as aluminium pretty quickly.

If you have the opposite problem (like a steel tap broken in an aluminium part) then soak it in nitric acid. Same principle, nitric acid has no affect on aluminium but dissolves steel. 


And on a side note I learnt this week that it is better to use a 2 flute mill for aluminium than a 4 flute. Apparently less chance of gumming up. 

Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk


----------



## Boswell (May 14, 2020)

I have found that a 2 or 3 flute mill will give more room for chip evacuation. The less re-cutting of chips then the lower the temperature. Also Slower feed rate, Less Depth of Cut, Coolant, Compressed air to evacuate chips, all can reduce temperature and thus gumming. Years ago when I first started this hobby, this happened to me off and on. Once I understood that Heat was the cause, I could control the variables and no longer have this issue.


----------



## benmychree (May 14, 2020)

I tried the tap dissolving trick once, it does not work at all well with HSS taps, too much alloy, I think.


----------



## Janderso (May 14, 2020)

projectnut said:


> Next time use some WD40 as a lubricant.  It will minimize if not totally eliminate the build up.


I think this is the only thing WD-40 is good for. It's like magic sauce and cheap for cutting aluminum. IMHO
Good for water dispersing I guess.


----------



## Janderso (May 14, 2020)

Boswell said:


> Compressed air to evacuate chips


I tried this once, holy cow did I make a mess.


----------



## speedybtx (May 14, 2020)

Compressed air.... can dangerous... quite low pressure required !


----------



## benmychree (May 14, 2020)

Kerosene was the old standby for aluminum machining, and its a lot cheaper than WD.


----------



## Boswell (May 14, 2020)

speedybtx said:


> Compressed air.... can dangerous... quite low pressure required !


Yep. I used about 10 psi in a FogBuster system. There certainly is value in the coolant spray but for pockets, the air is critical to evacuate the chips. But I could see how if you used high presure air, it could get exciting and put chips in all sorts of places they should not go.


----------



## projectnut (May 14, 2020)

I use a vacuum to evacuate chips from the mill. It works especially well for aluminum.  I put the snout just a couple inches from the cutter.  It eliminates chips flying all over the shop.  For most other materials I wait until I'm done or between cuts.  I make sure they're cool to the touch before sucking them up.  It also works well to clean out the T slots.  About the only thing it doesn't work well for is the stringy swarf created when drilling a hole.  The vacuum sucks them up ok, but they often get stuck in the bends of the hose.  To clear them out I drop about a foot long piece of steel round stock down the hose.  Eventually it will break enough chips the hose will clear out.

Another thing WD 40 is good for is drying out distributor caps on the old style ignition systems.  I also use it as a cleaner on hydraulic cylinder piston rods.  I cleans off tar and other debris quickly and with little effort.


----------



## Cheeseking (May 14, 2020)

X3 on keeping the chips out and not re- cutting. Also Tapmagic aluminum formula works beautifully, dirt cheep and you only need the most minuscule amount to prevent chip welding. Negative to me is the insane cinnamon smell. Pleasant at first but quickly turns to headache inducing.


----------



## Mitch Alsup (May 14, 2020)

atunguyd said:


> You can let it soak in caustic soda (drain cleaner). Caustic soda will not affect the steel but it will dissolve the as aluminium pretty quickly.



Drain cleaner takes aluminum off of steel.
Alum takes steel off of aluminum.


----------



## speedybtx (May 14, 2020)

So, the thing is I was just hacking this hit if cheap aluminum so I stuck the end mill in a keyless chuck
I wonder if it slipped.

drill bits don’t slip.. but it’s a new chuck, and the largest bit so far was 1/4 in 6061.  No problems drilling


----------



## speedybtx (May 15, 2020)

Cheese king that cinnamon smell is what we call Fireball whiskey


----------



## atunguyd (May 15, 2020)

Mitch Alsup said:


> Drain cleaner takes aluminum off of steel.
> Alum takes steel off of aluminum.


True but last time I tried alum to remove a broken tap it took about three weeks of soaking and even then it just loosened it enough to work it loose.
Nitric acid will dissolved the entire tap in minutes. Fuming nitric in under a minute. 

Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk


----------



## mcostello (May 15, 2020)

I use any penetrant I can find at yard sales for around a buck a can. Right now using a left over can  spirits. Aluminum does not seem to care what You use on it,just something to keep the surface "dirty."


----------



## Mitch Alsup (May 15, 2020)

atunguyd said:


> True but last time I tried alum to remove a broken tap it took about three weeks of soaking and even then it just loosened it enough to work it loose.



I broke a 4-40 tap in a piece of aluminum a couple of years ago. I completely removed the tap in about 3 days by keeping the water+alum mixture at "just under boiling" in a double boiler. I think heat is the key.


----------



## atunguyd (May 15, 2020)

Mitch Alsup said:


> I broke a 4-40 tap in a piece of aluminum a couple of years ago. I completely removed the tap in about 3 days by keeping the water+alum mixture at "just under boiling" in a double boiler. I think heat is the key.


Can't say that I tried heat (that I recall it was about 12 years ago). Fortunately I live in a third world country which means that I don't have to show NSA security clearance at a laboratory shop to purchase things like nitric acid so for me that is the best solution and as I said it is very quick. 

Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk


----------



## tq60 (May 16, 2020)

We pick up atf at estate sales for almost free.

The high detergent ratings make it perfect for aluminum.

Couple squirts and good to go

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk


----------



## KMoffett (May 16, 2020)

I've been been using a setup on my mill combining a cheap mister (with KoolMist77) and a shop vacuum. I use two flute bits almost exclusively.  This is on aluminum and plastics. I set the mister for spitting rather than misting. Cools, lubricates, and evacuates. Never get material welding to the bits.


----------



## speedybtx (May 16, 2020)

that is an interesting ROBOT. lol.

Where did you find that Blue vacuum hose ?


----------



## KMoffett (May 16, 2020)

speedybtx said:


> that is an interesting ROBOT. lol.
> 
> Where did you find that Blue vacuum hose ?



Not cheap. These Loc-Line parts are available from a lot of sources.

Woodcraft:


*Item #**Description**Qty.*​*Status*​*Price*​*Subtotal*​148592Loc-Line Dust Collection Hose, 2-1/2 inch ID, 1 foot Long4​Ready To Ship​$13.95​$55.80​


140227Tapered Oval Nozzle1​Ready To Ship​$6.50​$6.50​
The hose to shop vac adapter is about $5, but Woodcraft's site is down right now.

Jerome's eye (a student named it) was from a package of 100 from Axeman Surplus in Saint Paul. I have about 95 left.
The vacuum setup works great for wood milling. Just air from the mister, no liquid. Doesn't get eveything, but most.


----------



## jwmelvin (May 16, 2020)

KMoffett said:


> Not cheap. These Loc-Line parts are available from a lot of sources.



That looks pretty awesome. Thanks for the tip I just ordered a kit. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYEMPY1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5ZgWEbNSPM8E9


----------



## KMoffett (May 16, 2020)

jwmelvin said:


> That looks pretty awesome. Thanks for the tip I just ordered a kit. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYEMPY1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5ZgWEbNSPM8E9


I don't know if Loc-Line specifies the minimum bend radius. But think about that when you order sections.  I could probably use another foot. Thr fact that this old Craftsman shop vac has the vacuum and exhaust ports on the top instead if the sides means that I have one less bend.


----------



## jwmelvin (May 16, 2020)

KMoffett said:


> I don't know if Loc-Line specifies the minimum bend radius. But think about that when you order sections. I could probably use another foot. Thr fact that this old Craftsman shop vac has the vacuum and exhaust ports on the top instead if the sides means that I have one less bend.



I figured I could make a mount for the loc-line and just use my flexible hose from there.


----------



## KMoffett (May 16, 2020)

Be creative!


----------



## brino (May 17, 2020)

KMoffett said:


> Be creative!



....and show us what you come up with! 
-brino


----------



## jwmelvin (May 23, 2020)

brino said:


> ....and show us what you come up with!
> -brino



I didn’t go for any wild creativity, just bolted the flange included in the kit to my stand. The tube tucks in behind the quill handle and seems like it will work well:


----------



## KMoffett (May 23, 2020)

I have both a wide mouth nozzle (in you photo) and the tapered nozzle (in my photo). I find the increased air velocity with a tapered nozzle works better in picking up over spray and swarf.


----------

