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no worries, happy to help
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Coolant vs. Cutting Oil - Confused Newbie
- Thread starter BanjoDude
- Start date
Exactly
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2021
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- 3,271
For cutting steel in a lathe, my goto is any heavy cutting/tapping oil in a kindgarten "spillproof cup" with some acid brushes.
I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon....
Small lathes don't need coolant and don't want coolant. Any time you slow down over heat, it'll get buried and lost in the much bigger "slow downs" you get on a small machine. Coolant works best when it is used daily and serviced (replaced) regularly.
For oil- A sulphurized, or chlorinated (or both) cutting oil works fine for most anything ferrous. I've gone with a sulfrized only cutting oil and/or Marvel Mystery oil (chlorinated but not sulfurized) for steel, and kerosene for aluminum. So I ended up with two cans The Mystery Oil lives by the drill press, it's good there. Cutting oil and kerosene live by the lathe. Aluminum likes kerosene, which WD40 is a close cousin to, and that works well also. I don't go that route just because the smell permiates the whole house so easily, I don't wanna risk it.
Any cutting oil is best applied sparingly with a brush. On a lathe the size of yours, it's not even practicable to pump enough oil to use it directly as a coolant.
Personally, I use oil occasionally. The last couple of light "final passes" setting up to hit a dimension with out (buggering) around trying to sneak up on it for example. When consistancy and surface finish count, both for measuring and for the final product.
Also, for quick little things where I really can't justify making a mess- I keep a block of paraffin wax (gulf wax, canning wax from walmart) and if a part or a tool is slightly warm, it melts in good, lubricates "not great but kinda OK, which is pretty often all you need on a small lathe, it barely smokes and doesn't stink at all. GREAT for when you can't open a door or window for as long as you probably oughtta. Pretty great for woodworking tools too, hand saws, table saw miter slots, hand plane bases, that sort of thing. Used sparingly (or if not, at least respectfully) it doesn't bugger up finishes. Good stuff to have.
My advice is to find a useful can, jar, jug, container to keep your choice of lubricants in, a cheap pack of disposable acid brushes, and give "something a try. It won't take you long to settle in on something that works for what you do.
Small lathes don't need coolant and don't want coolant. Any time you slow down over heat, it'll get buried and lost in the much bigger "slow downs" you get on a small machine. Coolant works best when it is used daily and serviced (replaced) regularly.
For oil- A sulphurized, or chlorinated (or both) cutting oil works fine for most anything ferrous. I've gone with a sulfrized only cutting oil and/or Marvel Mystery oil (chlorinated but not sulfurized) for steel, and kerosene for aluminum. So I ended up with two cans The Mystery Oil lives by the drill press, it's good there. Cutting oil and kerosene live by the lathe. Aluminum likes kerosene, which WD40 is a close cousin to, and that works well also. I don't go that route just because the smell permiates the whole house so easily, I don't wanna risk it.
Any cutting oil is best applied sparingly with a brush. On a lathe the size of yours, it's not even practicable to pump enough oil to use it directly as a coolant.
Personally, I use oil occasionally. The last couple of light "final passes" setting up to hit a dimension with out (buggering) around trying to sneak up on it for example. When consistancy and surface finish count, both for measuring and for the final product.
Also, for quick little things where I really can't justify making a mess- I keep a block of paraffin wax (gulf wax, canning wax from walmart) and if a part or a tool is slightly warm, it melts in good, lubricates "not great but kinda OK, which is pretty often all you need on a small lathe, it barely smokes and doesn't stink at all. GREAT for when you can't open a door or window for as long as you probably oughtta. Pretty great for woodworking tools too, hand saws, table saw miter slots, hand plane bases, that sort of thing. Used sparingly (or if not, at least respectfully) it doesn't bugger up finishes. Good stuff to have.
My advice is to find a useful can, jar, jug, container to keep your choice of lubricants in, a cheap pack of disposable acid brushes, and give "something a try. It won't take you long to settle in on something that works for what you do.
I got the "lube cube" from SST, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. The mixer itself is great, but I had quite a few issues with the kit. If I had it to do over again I'd either pay the extra for a "real" fogbuster (brand) or roll the dice with the cheap mixers on Amazon. I was going to make my own system at one point, but I have a huge backlog of projects I'd rather turn out, so I tried to just buy something turnkey.
GsT
- Joined
- May 7, 2023
- Messages
- 2,242
Dark oil and an acid brush is all we have ever used at work, and sparingly at that.
Threading or trying to get a good final finish is the only tile is use anything at all.
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2019
- Messages
- 361
Welcome to the group. On most things I cut dry, but when needed I use Zep Lube Eze mixed in a spray bottle and squirt it onto the work where needed. (Like drilling holes). I have about 3 gallons of the stuff left over from when we had our manufacturing business, a lifetime supply for me at my age. I use Rapid Tap for, you guessed it, tapping in steel. And I use Magic Tap for aluminum, applied with a squeeze bottle and an acid brush. This keeps things reasonably clean around the shop and in the air.
Great GT6 and congratulations to you and your son on the restoration. Having worked on, restored, and Vintage Raced British cars with my youngest son for 30 plus years, I know how proud you must be. By the way, he races a 1969 GT6, I wrench and do the machining of custom parts for the cars.
Check out this post:
www.hobby-machinist.com
Richard
Great GT6 and congratulations to you and your son on the restoration. Having worked on, restored, and Vintage Raced British cars with my youngest son for 30 plus years, I know how proud you must be. By the way, he races a 1969 GT6, I wrench and do the machining of custom parts for the cars.
Check out this post:
The Kastner Cup all Triumph race at Road America, a GREAT weekend
Every year the biggest Vintage racing event in the country is the WeatherTech® International Challenge with Brian Redman at Road America. One of the activities for this event is the Race Car Concourse on Friday night. This has been something that my son Daniel has always wanted to do. The...
www.hobby-machinist.com
Richard
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