Aluminum Sticking To Tool

[Wreck™Wreck]

Can't get a uniform ID when that is going on so I went to plan B and made a boring bar out of an old engine inlet valve. That was a lot stiffer and I couldn't see any flex, even though I knew it had to be happening when the bore was still tapered.

The bar itself will not cause taper assuming that the rough bore was not tapered to begin with, if the core had draft it will help to remove that first. A boring bar will flex away form the work when it starts cutting and remain so until it stops, several light roughing cuts may be required to make it a uniform diameter but the finish will be unimportant as it is roughing.
A cutting fluid of some sort is required either way, when I run small parts on a large open lathe and am to lazy to set up the coolant guards I put flood coolant in an open container and apply with a small brush, this will still fling some soup about but far less then flood.

Using flood on a lathe with a 3 or 4 jaw chuck turns the jaws into coolant flingers, a collet setup does not have any flat square rotating coolant misters (-:

 

[TOOLMASTER]

http://www.tapmagic.com/tmalum.pdf

 

[Neel]

Yesterday was the first time I turned aluminum and thought it was awesome to work with until I started to bore a hole. The tool kept jamming with Aluminum and then would just rub on the surface instead of cutting. I tried difference turning speeds and spraying WD40 into the bore but nothing seemed to work. I kept getting a tapered bore because of it. I had to keep pulling the tool and grinding the Aluminum off the tool and eventually gave up. I finished the bore bore by wrapping emery cloth around a drill bit and running that through the bore until I got it close enough for my little project.

What is the cure for this issue?

Here's a pic of my first ever casting attempt and my first aluminum turning project.

View attachment 123132View attachment 123133

 

[Neel]

Yesterday was the first time I turned aluminum and thought it was awesome to work with until I started to bore a hole. The tool kept jamming with Aluminum and then would just rub on the surface instead of cutting. I tried difference turning speeds and spraying WD40 into the bore but nothing seemed to work. I kept getting a tapered bore because of it. I had to keep pulling the tool and grinding the Aluminum off the tool and eventually gave up. I finished the bore bore by wrapping emery cloth around a drill bit and running that through the bore until I got it close enough for my little project.

What is the cure for this issue?

Here's a pic of my first ever casting attempt and my first aluminum turning project.

View attachment 123132View attachment 123133

 

[Neel]

So I go out to the shop and check the last tool I was using and sure enough there was not enough relief under the cutting edge. I'm not sure if that was the only issue but it sure wasn't helping any.

Hawkeye; the aluminum I was using came from and old satellite dish that came off the house when the new one was installed. I knew I was keeping that thing for a reason.

You can use kerosene as it gives an excellent finish and the aluminium won't weld to the cutting edges.

 

[denny98501]

[QUOTE="What is the cure for this issue?"

The cure for this problem is to use the right type of aluminum for the job.
Scrap yard aluminum is usually a poor substitute for the correct grade.
You never really know what you are getting..
Download the specifications for castible aluminum and pick a grade for what you need.
Google " A guide for aluminum casting alloys".
I prefer 535 if the casting is to be machined.
It machines very nicely right after casting and needs no heat treating.
Type 319 also machines nicely as cast without heat treating and can be arc welded.
Type 356 also machines excellently but it needs heat treating.
I buy 30 pound ingots from a local foundry for $1.00 t0 $1.85 per pound.
It is worth it.
Scrap aluminum usually pours poorly, has all the flaws that your casting shows, cannot be machined without gumming up the tools and tearing.

Dennis

 

[John Hasler]

Scrap yard aluminum is usually a poor substitute for the correct grade.

Scrap is all that many of us can afford.

 

[HBilly1022]

I buy 30 pound ingots from a local foundry for $1.00 t0 $1.85 per pound.
It is worth it.
Scrap aluminum usually pours poorly, has all the flaws that your casting shows, cannot be machined without gumming up the tools and tearing.

Dennis

I wish I could get such a good deal here. The local scrap yard charges $2 / lb for scrap aluminum. I hate to think what a supplier would charge.

 

[BillVern]

Yesterday was the first time I turned aluminum and thought it was awesome to work with until I started to bore a hole. The tool kept jamming with Aluminum and then would just rub on the surface instead of cutting. I tried difference turning speeds and spraying WD40 into the bore but nothing seemed to work. I kept getting a tapered bore because of it. I had to keep pulling the tool and grinding the Aluminum off the tool and eventually gave up. I finished the bore bore by wrapping emery cloth around a drill bit and running that through the bore until I got it close enough for my little project.

What is the cure for this issue?

Here's a pic of my first ever casting attempt and my first aluminum turning project.

View attachment 123132View attachment 123133

 

[BillVern]

Hold up Billy. You need cutting wax, a small bar sold by industrial supply companies. Costs about @$2.50 / stick. Prevents AL from adhering to tool. Are you drilling or boring? If drilling check the lands on the side of the drill to see if they are rounded. Also, are the flutes sharpened with a primary and secondary clearance equally measured on both flutes? You can look these terms up by googling "drill geometry". I'll have a blog about drilling on my soon to be up website. If boring, check height of cutting edge to centerline. Aluminum is best lubricated with wax, steel with a cutting oil with sulphur. Water soluble oil for both metals while doing production work. Good luck.