- Joined
- Sep 25, 2018
- Messages
- 33
Most of us who have read the old Machinist publications have probably seen mention of Lard Oil and "Lard Mineral Oil" as a cutting fluid recommended for steel. I've been curious about it for a long time, and so I decided to educational purposes to try it out. Yes, I'm sure its much better to continue using my Moly-Dee, RIGID sulphur cutting oils and other choices, but I figured it can't hurt to try it.
If anything, I hoped to learn something from the experience, and I did.
I started with two large spoonfuls of regular Lard. I put it in a sauce pan until it all melted and rendered into a light oil. Then I added 1/4 of a tea light, which in this case was a pure paraffin wax. Once that melted and mixed in, I added 8 spoonfuls of food grade clear mineral oil that they use for cutting boards etc.
After it was all brought to temperature and blended thoroughly, I put it outside (its winter here) to allow to to cool off. It ended up in a paste like consistency, smoother than peanut butter, but not watery.
I tried it out first in my Logan 922 on a scrap piece of steel that came from the link pins on mill chain. This is a pretty tough material. Its not hardened, and I don't know exactly what grade of steel it is, but from toying with it in the past I know its quite tough and doesn't machine really well. I was surprised that this lard oil actually brought a decent finish. What I was most surprised by is how it changed the chips. The chips were popping off the work almost like popcorn. They would pop up and off the work and a little smoke trail would follow them as they jumped all over the place, even several feet from the lathe. I can only attribute this to the lard mineral oil solution, because when I've turned this material before using the same basic HSS tool grind, it didn't do this.
Secondly, I tried it out drilling and tapping through a 1/4" Hot Rolled plate. This is where it really seemed to shine. It worked extremely well as a tapping lubricant. I hand tapped one hole and then power tapped the second hole. In each case I feel it did a great job and the threads looked very clean.
Of course I won't be changing over to this anytime soon, but in a pinch I think it could be helpful. I'm going to put the rest of it into plastic containers my wife uses to sell home made salves and creams for her business, and stick it in my shop fridge. I'm interested in seeing how long it lasts before it spoils from the lard. I plan to report back when it does go bad so that others have an idea how long it could last in a shop fridge.
I made a video of the process if anyone is interested in seeing it.
If anything, I hoped to learn something from the experience, and I did.
I started with two large spoonfuls of regular Lard. I put it in a sauce pan until it all melted and rendered into a light oil. Then I added 1/4 of a tea light, which in this case was a pure paraffin wax. Once that melted and mixed in, I added 8 spoonfuls of food grade clear mineral oil that they use for cutting boards etc.
After it was all brought to temperature and blended thoroughly, I put it outside (its winter here) to allow to to cool off. It ended up in a paste like consistency, smoother than peanut butter, but not watery.
I tried it out first in my Logan 922 on a scrap piece of steel that came from the link pins on mill chain. This is a pretty tough material. Its not hardened, and I don't know exactly what grade of steel it is, but from toying with it in the past I know its quite tough and doesn't machine really well. I was surprised that this lard oil actually brought a decent finish. What I was most surprised by is how it changed the chips. The chips were popping off the work almost like popcorn. They would pop up and off the work and a little smoke trail would follow them as they jumped all over the place, even several feet from the lathe. I can only attribute this to the lard mineral oil solution, because when I've turned this material before using the same basic HSS tool grind, it didn't do this.
Secondly, I tried it out drilling and tapping through a 1/4" Hot Rolled plate. This is where it really seemed to shine. It worked extremely well as a tapping lubricant. I hand tapped one hole and then power tapped the second hole. In each case I feel it did a great job and the threads looked very clean.
Of course I won't be changing over to this anytime soon, but in a pinch I think it could be helpful. I'm going to put the rest of it into plastic containers my wife uses to sell home made salves and creams for her business, and stick it in my shop fridge. I'm interested in seeing how long it lasts before it spoils from the lard. I plan to report back when it does go bad so that others have an idea how long it could last in a shop fridge.
I made a video of the process if anyone is interested in seeing it.
