# Any Recommendations for a Flood Coolant?



## erikmannie (Oct 8, 2020)

I haven’t started researching it yet, but my new lathe has a flood coolant system.

I was just wondering if you guys have any good or bad experiences with any particular brand or type of flood coolant.

I saw one video where the guy was using a refractometer to see if he got the mix just perfect. Hopefully I can skip that because I can’t afford a refractometer at this point.


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## Ulma Doctor (Oct 8, 2020)

unless you have a need for production flood cooling,
i would recommend that you at least consider a mist system first.
they can be cobbled together rather inexpensively and you direct the small quantity of coolant where it needs to be instead of destroying your machine slowly, by washing off the oils by the flood and the addition of particulates to areas they would not normally travel


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## MrWhoopee (Oct 8, 2020)

In a hobby shop, coolant is just too much trouble. Unless maintained properly and used frequently, it gets rancid and starts growing stuff. One of the things I don't miss about working in the trade is coming home stinking of rancid coolant.


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## erikmannie (Oct 8, 2020)

I see. The machine comes with a flood coolant system ready to go. Maybe I could just not use it? I wonder if this would cause the rubber seals in the flood coolant system to rot and crack.

On my current lathe (which does not have a flood coolant system), I use dark thread cutting oil. It’s smokes a little, but I like that cutting fluid. Am I the only person that enjoys the smell of this?


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## erikmannie (Oct 8, 2020)

This guy has the same machine that I have coming.

These screenshots are from this video:


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## erikmannie (Oct 8, 2020)

How long does it take before the coolant mix becomes rancid?


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## erikmannie (Oct 8, 2020)

The guy in that video uses this:









						Houghton HOCUT 795MP-RHS Coolant - 5 Gallon Pail
					

Houghton HOCUT 795MP-RHS is a a heavy-duty machining and grinding semi-synthetic coolant for use with all metals including automative grade case aluminums.- 5 Gallon Pails Always In Stock! - No Freight or Shipping Charges! - No Long Wait Times! DESCRIPTIONToday's manufacturing environment require...




					www.kellerheartt.com
				




Also available by the gallon:


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## mikey (Oct 9, 2020)

My lathe had a flood coolant system in it and I took it out. I don't want to deal with the hassle of rancid oil, the mess and having to wipe it all off after I'm done for the day. I have a Noga mist system I plan to try but for now, just applying cutting oil as needed works fine for me.


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## mksj (Oct 9, 2020)

I would recommend you skip it for now, consider a mist system if you find the need. The coolant pump is cast iron, it will just sit there, just do not leave coolant in the tank not circulated. On a lathe, the coolant goes everywhere and unless you are machining exotic materials I just can't see a practical reason to use it. As you indicated, many of the coolant solutions go rancid pretty  fast, usually within a few months. I use to use coolant on my horizontal bandsaw, temperatures in my garage use to be 100+ during the summer months in AZ, only coolant that worked well and didn't go rancid and rust up my machine was KoolRite 2290.  I use my bandsaw less frequently so stopped using the fluid coolant. Many of the coolants and cutting fluids will stain your ways and exposed metal surfaces if left on them overnight. At the end of each day when I use my machines, I wipe them down with Way oil. 

On my lathe I use a Lexan chip shield which helps the oil and cutting fluid spray. I have built numerous control systems for mills and lathes, all with a coolant option, most people never use it and the few that do use a mist system. KoolRite would be a good choice for that application. I had tried  Kool Mist 77 concentrate in my bandsaw, it rusted my machine and went rancid in about 3 months. A lot of expense unless you are using the lathe daily for production parts and generating income.





						Semi Synthetic Coolants | KOOLRite
					

Extend tool life and enhance product quality with KOOLRite's Long Life Semi-Synthetic Coolants



					www.koolrite.com
				











						No Fog Coolant Mister
					

I look at this project and I like it. However I have maybe a silly question. When you mix the water and oil is there any concern that the water will completely separate from the oil and cause rust and corrosion on my mill table and/or vice? I dont typically wipe down things immediately after a...




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## erikmannie (Oct 9, 2020)

Wow, I did not see this coming: rancid coolant and damage to the machine.

I will skip it for now, and just leave the flood coolant system empty.

Since I don’t go out of state for school anymore, I will be staying home for 6 weeks a year just working in my shop. I will probably put coolant in the system for those 6 weeks and leave the system empty the rest of the year (when I can only work on the lathe on weekends).


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## matthewsx (Oct 9, 2020)

I got my misting system at Dollar Tree. 




John


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## erikmannie (Oct 9, 2020)

matthewsx said:


> I got my misting system at Dollar Tree.
> 
> View attachment 339906
> 
> ...



This is such a great idea for when somebody is broke. Great timing!


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## NortonDommi (Oct 9, 2020)

The corrosion problems with a machine not used in production work is not worth a soluble oil.  I use a dropper now and have a mister if I need it but are saving for a drum of cutting oil. Stuff saved my bandsaw.


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## tjb (Oct 9, 2020)

erikmannie said:


> Wow, I did not see this coming: rancid coolant and damage to the machine.
> 
> I will skip it for now, and just leave the flood coolant system empty.
> 
> Since I don’t go out of state for school anymore, I will be staying home for 6 weeks a year just working in my shop. I will probably put coolant in the system for those 6 weeks and leave the system empty the rest of the year (when I can only work on the lathe on weekends).



I'm not nearly as experienced as most of our experts who have chimed in, but it did not take me long to determine flood cooling on a lathe in a hobby environment is not only messy, but also wholly unnecessary.  I initially bought Koolmist systems for both my mill and lathe, which are far more user friendly in my shop.  I still have that system on my mill, but I found that even that was overkill on the lathe.  I use the same coolant that is in the Koolmist system but apply it with a spray bottle.  Most often, only a small of coolant is sufficient.  And in some instances, oil - or nothing - is better anyway.

In my opinion, you may wish to reconsider the plan to routinely use it for a six week period out of the year.  The clean-up for the remaining 46 weeks would seem to me to be a disagreeable hassle.  It'd be a lot easier, cleaner and cheaper to start with a lesser system and move up if you ever deem it necessary.

Regards,
Terry


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## talvare (Oct 9, 2020)

I don't use "coolant" in the system on my lathe for all of the reasons stated here. I use Mobil 766 cutting oil. It certainly doesn't provide as much cooling effect as a coolant does, but it does help a lot and it keeps the lathe from getting stinky, sticky or rusty.

Ted


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## Papa Charlie (Oct 9, 2020)

erikmannie said:


> How long does it take before the coolant mix becomes rancid?



In warmer climates not long at all. Add to that, plan on having the coolant thrown by the rotation of the work all over the place. Then there is the constant battle with creating rust. If you ever watch Abom79 he rarely uses coolant, instead will use the Noga Mist or just cutting oil. If he does use coolant, he has to wipe the machine down and he then sprays it down with WD40 to disperse the water and try to prevent rust from forming.

If you are concerned with cooling the work, I would rig a air nozzle to help cool the work and to remove the chips from the area for better cutting and vision. The Noga Mist system can add moisture or be used for air only.


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## turningwheels (Oct 9, 2020)

Even when using just wd40 on my mill as a cutting fluid on aluminum, I get rust buildup on the vise. I tried using a coolant spray on my mill and found that it isn't worth the effort of cleaning the machine with a fine comb brush after every use. Chasing rust is a drag. Cutting oil and a rag at the end of the session has worked for me..


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## BGHansen (Oct 9, 2020)

I use TrimSol from Master Fluid Solutions.  I recall paying between $35 - $40 a gallon.  I've got it mixed something like 1 part TrimSol to 8 parts water (maybe even 12 to 1).  I've used the same coolant in my Harbor Freight 7 x 12 band saw for probably 4 years, hasn't gotten stinky yet.  

My Grizzly G0709 lathe has a coolant pump that hasn't been used in 4 years, bought the lathe 5 years ago.  Spinning metal in a chuck has a way of throwing it EVERYWHERE.  Really makes a mess if you get the flow into the chuck jaws.  It's like shooting a super soaker into a desk fan.  Compressed air for moving chips can work okay, mist coolant is better.

Bruce


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## pontiac428 (Oct 9, 2020)

I don't miss all the hundreds of little cuts on my fingertips from handling freshly milled parts and how they would itch and pus with infection from rancid nasty-ass coolant.  No thank you.

You might be able to run cutting oil in your system, if it is rated for it.  As for me, I just do what everyone else has said, for all the same reasons.


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## benmychree (Oct 9, 2020)

I have flood coolant on my 19" lathe and use it, but mostly I cut dry and use TapMagic for finish work.


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## RJSakowski (Oct 9, 2020)

I bought the coolant system wth my Tormach 770.  There is a sheet metal splash guard on either end of the table and an acrylic guard at the front. The column and the control panel at the back control splash in that direction.   In addition, the tray has a guard on both sides and the back.  I use a vinyl "shower curtain " held in place with magnets and that effectively controls and coolant splash as well aas chips even when using a facing mill.  I wouldn't consider adding flood coolant to a lathe unless it was totally enclosed.

The coolant that I use is Premier Duracut from Tormach but I have seen good things said about  Qualichem 251.  I use flood coolant infrequently and have nit had a problem with it going rancid.  Tramp oil is a problem.  I manually skin the oil off the surface every so often.  There are oil skimmers that will do that automatically.  I have never had a problem with corrosion although I rinse the chips off the machine and wipe down the bare metal surfaces when done.

It is important to maintain the proper dilution.  Too dilute and you will have corrosion problems.  Too concentrated and you can strip paint off your machine.  As coolant is used, water evaporates from the solution, increasing the concentration.  The lost water must be replaced in order to maintain your proper concentration.  For that, a Brix refractometer is essential.  They needn't cost much.  I bought mine on eBay for less than $20.  The Brix scale is a measure of sugar concentration and is used in wine making.  It does so by measuring the index of refraction of the solution. There is no definitive relationship between sugar water and coolant.  If buying a Brix refractometer, you should buy one with the most sensitive scale.  Mine is a 0 10 Brix. 








						refractometer brix 0-10% for sale | eBay
					

Get the best deals for refractometer brix 0-10% at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!



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The refractometer should be calibrated by making up a few known concentrations of coolant solution and measuring the refractive index.  With each new batch of coolant, I make up some standard solutions which I use for comparison.  I make my solutions up by volume but they could just as easily be done by weight using a digital kitchen scale.  Her ius a screen shot of the Excel spreadsheet that I use.


I keep a sample of each of the dilutions in a small vial so I can check the refractometer from time to time.

If I were making up samples by weight, I would first make up one at the concentration that I intended to use by weighing a known volume  of concentrate and diluting it to the desired volume and weighing it. From that, I would know the conversion from volume/volume dilution to weight/weight dilution.Then I would make up my standards to bracket my desired dilution.


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## Weldingrod1 (Oct 9, 2020)

For a home shop, I also vote for straight oil if you feel the need to pump something. No hazard of rust, no need to wipe up at the end of the day, and doesnt go rancid. A minor hit in cooling capacity and a bit more toward the smoke side of things.

I dab and squirt as needed, myself. A dental air/water sprayer off fleabay fitted to a pressure bottle makes the best cutting oil applicator known to man ;-)

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk


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## Mitch Alsup (Oct 9, 2020)

erikmannie said:


> On my current lathe (which does not have a flood coolant system), I use dark thread cutting oil. It’s smokes a little, but I like that cutting fluid. Am I the only person that enjoys the smell of this?



I have not had to mill or lathe anything that requires coolant, cutting oil has satisfied my every need--including the need to let it sit overnight without causing rust. In a hobby environment, one can use less tool face pressure and slower transits to cut efficiently without creating so much heat as to require cooling.


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## projectnut (Oct 9, 2020)

MrWhoopee said:


> In a hobby shop, coolant is just too much trouble. Unless maintained properly and used frequently, it gets rancid and starts growing stuff. One of the things I don't miss about working in the trade is coming home stinking of rancid coolant.



I would whole heartedly agree.  One of my lathes , my horizontal bandsaw, and my power hacksaw are equipped for flood coolant. I DON'T USE IT ON ANY OF THEM.  It had been used on the saws before I got them and made a horrible mess.  A mix of old dried coolant and a swarf covered the coolant tanks, and the entire body's were sticky and nasty.  Every time you bumped against either of them you got a permanent stain on your clothes.  

I finally disassembled both of them and spent a week on each cleaning off the crud.  I have been using the bandsaw for 20 years either dry or with a little stick lubricant as needed.  I've been using the power hacksaw dry for over 5 years and probably will never go back to coolant.

The lathe has been in the shop about 5 years and I've always used brush on or spray from a bottle.  I see no need to have coolant flying all over the shop, or getting rancid in the tanks.


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## ddickey (Oct 9, 2020)

Pay for the shipping and I'll send you a gallon for free.


			https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/benchmark-fluids-sawlution-ii-coolant.80721/


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## ddickey (Oct 9, 2020)

I have not read all the comments yet but I had the same question a while back and someone on here suggested Mobilmet cutting fluid for use in you flood coolant tank. It is great for drilling, tapping and parting on the lathe. I've even used it for some turning. The good thing about it is you never have to worry about corrosion. I think I started w/2 gallons in the tank and now the level is to low to pump. It went on the floor, the stuff makes a mess. If I could fab up something to keep the oil on the lathe rather than the floor I will use it again for sure.


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## erikmannie (Oct 10, 2020)

This is all very interesting. I have been very happy with dark thread cutting oil. I am going to research if I can put that in my flood coolant system, but I wouldn’t want that spraying all over the shop, either!

EDIT: I see that this can be a fire hazard what with a hot chip falling into the oil.


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## Cooter Brown (Oct 10, 2020)

If you just add a few drops of bleach to your coolant it won't go bad.....


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## Cooter Brown (Oct 10, 2020)

erikmannie said:


> This is all very interesting. I have been very happy with dark thread cutting oil. I am going to research if I can put that in my flood coolant system, but I wouldn’t want that spraying all over the shop, either!



Dark thread cutting oil has lots of sulfur and can't be used on aluminum.....


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## Downunder Bob (Oct 10, 2020)

When I first got my lathe and set it up I fitted up a home made coolant system, and while it worked well I soon had the problem of the chuck spinning it everywhere. Wife was not happy when it sprayed all over her car. But a couple of months down the track, and it started going rancid. Drained it out and flushed the system, but this time it only took about 5 weeks to start going off. Discussed with a friend who runs a professional machine shop. His advice get rid of it, do not use unless you use it every day. He suggested using a hand spray bottle with a mix of lube oil and kero. Or just a small brush and  a pot of oil, cutting oil if you must.

After some experiments I tried using Inox MX3 sort of a bit like RP7, WD40, which I already had in a squirt bottle I use it on everything, but a much better product. Many people have noticed that parts sprayed with WD40 will start to rust within a week. This will not happen with Inox or Lanox a sister product. Lanox is for very serious corrosion places, like near the sea, on boats, fishing gear, and very humid climates I live in a fairly dry climate, so rust is not a huge problem, but it still happens especially in winter where its cold and wet.

I have just returned home after being away for 8 weeks in the middle of winter. My lathe had no special preparation before I left, just the light coating of Inox form the last use. when I got home it was still clean and all the bright parts still shiny bright. Add some oil and away I went back to machining. BTW it's excellent for machining stainless steel and other difficult metals.


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## ddickey (Oct 10, 2020)

Flood Coolant
					

I bought some concentrated synthetic cutting fluid (Benchmark Sawlution II) that I was going to use on the lathe. I then heard that synthetic fluid is the worst for corrosion control. On the fence now if I'm going to use it. Maybe just stick with a mister.  I wouldn't need it often but thought...




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## talvare (Oct 10, 2020)

ddickey said:


> I have not read all the comments yet but I had the same question a while back and someone on here suggested Mobilmet cutting fluid for use in you flood coolant tank. It is great for drilling, tapping and parting on the lathe. I've even used it for some turning. The good thing about it is you never have to worry about corrosion. I think I started w/2 gallons in the tank and now the level is to low to pump. It went on the floor, the stuff makes a mess. If I could fab up something to keep the oil on the lathe rather than the floor I will use it again for sure.



I use the Mobilmet 766 as flood coolant in my lathe and I completely understand what you're saying about keeping it on the lathe. I went to quite a bit of work to control the coolant. I built a back splash, put a back splash on the head stock behind the chuck, put a short plexiglass door at the head stock to stop oil from flinging off the chuck onto the floor and built an extension along the front edge of the chip tray that catches the oil dripping from the apron. The extension also makes a nice tool tray for my tool post tools and on the backsplash I built in two trays to hold all of my tool holders. Probably easier to explain with a photo.



Ted


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## Cooter Brown (Oct 10, 2020)

talvare said:


> I use the Mobilmet 766 as flood coolant in my lathe and I completely understand what you're saying about keeping it on the lathe. I went to quite a bit of work to control the coolant. I built a back splash, put a back splash on the head stock behind the chuck, put a short plexiglass door at the head stock to stop oil from flinging off the chuck onto the floor and built an extension along the front edge of the chip tray that catches the oil dripping from the apron. The extension also makes a nice tool tray for my tool post tools and on the backsplash I built in two trays to hold all of my tool holders. Probably easier to explain with a photo.
> View attachment 339994
> 
> 
> Ted



I love your oil filter....lol Great idea!


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## talvare (Oct 10, 2020)

Cooter Brown said:


> I love your oil filter....lol Great idea!



Thank you. Since that photo was taken I have moved the filter to the back of the lathe and put it on the suction side of the pump. Being on the suction side of the pump protects the pump from any debris that may have gotten past the filter screen in the sump.

Ted


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## Cooter Brown (Oct 10, 2020)

I wonder if my Noga mini cool will have enough intake flow to be able to run a decent filter inline.....?


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## talvare (Oct 10, 2020)

Cooter Brown said:


> I wonder if my Noga mini cool will have enough intake flow to be able to run a decent filter inline.....?



I'm not familiar with the Noga Mini Cool, so I looked it up on-line and it appears that it comes with a filter.

Ted


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## Cooter Brown (Oct 10, 2020)

talvare said:


> I'm not familiar with the Noga Mini Cool, so I looked it up on-line and it appears that it comes with a filter.
> 
> Ted



it doesn't work that well....


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