Cutting Fluids- What type should I use?

[Pauls77]

Which of the variations are you using? Some of them are QUITE expensive. I mean, really...$130.76 for a 3.5 ounce container? Ouch.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/eCommerce/NavigationServlet?ta=Y&N=4294625250

Price of bacons gone up a lot too....;-)

I bought some more BOELUBE paste in the 12-oz jar last time it was on sale at MSC for $13.99, regular price was $15.60.
You use so little, it really lasts a very long time.

For what the OP said he wanted it for in his home shop, I highly recommended it.
Use whatever you like best. I have grandkids and such in my home shop so I'm particular about toxic stuff.

For my CNC's in the business' shop, I of course use a semi-synthetic soluble oil.
But these are fully enclosed machines with flood coolant systems.
Currently I like the Oak-brand DSS T-TECH semi-synthetic fluid. Costs about $100 per 5-gal pail on sale.
Dilute it up-to 20-1 ratio with water.
We do a mix of different materials on these machines, so I like something general-purpose.

As always, YMMV.

PaulS

 

[DukeTX]

+1 for boelube. Have used both the paste and the liquid, both are good. Brush on liquid for lathe, mill or other stationary tools, paste for drill bits in portable drives.

 

[aliva]

Castrol makes a great water soluble lube called Syntilo. I Get it for free from our divisional shops. They use it on all their lathes, cnc's, mills, everythng. It has a 40:1 water oil mixting ratio, so a gallon will go a long way. The beauty of this stuff is it's a clear liquid, so you can see what your doing, not like the regular milky stuff.

 

[Hawkeye]

jgedde recently mentioned Crisco as a lubricating paste on another thread. I picked up a pound of it for $2 yesterday and reshaped it into an old margarine tub. I haven't used it yet, but at that price, I haven't lost anything.

I read the ingredients. I don't think I'd like to eat it. Better for industrial uses. No wonder it keeps at room temperature.

 

[Grumpy Gator]

Around here we use 50/50 atf and kerosene. It's cheap and gets the job done.I am a job shop not a production shop.
Since high speed on my old Sidney lathe is 300 rpm heat is not a issue.
Plain water for al works just as good as wd-40 just leaves more rust.
**********Just Saying**************Gator***************

 

[lotechman]

I have had very good luck with Anchorlube It is a green water soluble paste. I spent a whole shift one night spotfacing stainless steel with one cutter and a bottle of anchorlube. The cutter still had its edge after eight hours on the drill press.
You can thin it down for drilling or leave it a paste for slow operations like tapping or drilling by hand on a vertical surface. It is not cheap.

http://anchorlube.com/anchorlube.html

 

[ABB]

I use Mistic Metal Mover,or Ridgid cutting oil on steel. Parrafin wax or WD40 on aluminum.

 

[jgedde]

If I could only have only one cutting and tapping fluid around, I would pick Tap Magic (the Gold colored stuff, not the clear "environmentally friendly" formula: that stuff gives off choking fumes when it gets hot...)

Here's what I mainly use (and where I get it):

General purpose cutting and tapping: Tap Magic (Grainger)
Roughing when generating a lot of heat: Mobilcut 102 soluable oil (Grainger). I don't use this much as it sometimes causes rust.
Grinding: Crisco (Supermarket)
Steel: Oatey Dark Thread Cutting Oil (Home Depot)

All in all, though, I cut dry whenever I can.

John