# No Fog Coolant Mister and Chip Vac on the Cheap



## Plas62 (Feb 9, 2014)

I was inspired by Terry Werm's No Fog Coolant Mister plans. http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/19957-No-Fog-Coolant-Mister?p=169932#post169932, but don't have the funds at this time to purchase the parts needed for the build. 

 I remembered that I had an old FRL which works on a similar principle as the NFCM along with some other old valves fittings and air lines, so I dug through my tubs of stuff and cobbled this together. I did have to spend about $20 on pipe fittings that I didn't have on hand. The black flex line which blows on the cutter is from a broken BBQ grill light that I had. I will probably end up replacing this with an actual flex able air nozzle/line. The air lubricator is adjustable, so I can control the amount of oil or coolant I'm putting on the cutter. When I tested it today it worked pretty well.

I had added a flow control that I had on hand, but found that I did not need it. The small shutoff valve at the manifold mounted on the quill stop works fine for controlling the flow of air & oil.

 While putting my coolant mister together. I though I would try to come up with a way to catch at least some of the chips and put together a vacuum tube on a bracket mounted to my vise. It does catch some of the chips, but a lot seemed to bounce off the back wall of the tube. I think I will try adding a thin piece of rubber sheeting to the back wall of the vacuum tube to absorb the impact of the chip allowing it to fall into the air stream going to the shop vac instead of bouncing back out.

Jim


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## drs23 (Feb 9, 2014)

Great job! Looks like it will work well for you.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Feb 10, 2014)

how ingenious, I'm really impressed, perhaps even more so by the chip sucker  So, how do you make a mist? Is it by blowing compressed air over a coolant filled venturi? I did read Terry's thread but it appears that I promptly forgot most of it..


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## Plas62 (Feb 10, 2014)

The lubricator shown in the close up in pic #2 adds the oil to the air stream. The small clear bulb on top of the lubricator has an adjustment screw and you can adjust the drip rate of the oil. 

As to how the lubricator actually works internally, I couldn't really say as I've never had one apart. When I read Terry's post and description of how it worked it reminded of a Filter / Regulator / Lubricator (FRL) and since I had one on hand I dug it out and set it up and it work's quit well.

I just Google'd filter regulator lubricate and seen a bunch on ebay for under $50. You'll just need to watch the size of the lubricator as some of them can be quite small. The one I have holds about 16 oz.


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## Terrywerm (Feb 10, 2014)

What a great idea!!  I never ever gave any thought to using an FRL.  I especially like your vacuum hose end / chip catcher.  I can see one of those on my mill in the near future.


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