Looking for Coolant Suggestions.

I am not a big fan of mister systems because of inhalation, but then again if you are using other types of coolant systems you get instant vaporization when they hit hot metal and you are spinning that into the air. Also same thing happens with cutting oils that we use out of cans. I did medical oncology for 30+ years, and I am well aware that just about everything is bad for you over time, so exposure quantity x time = tissue damage/genetic abortions.

With the KoolMist I tried chlorox in the tank, would work for awhile and then went rancid. Globs up in the tank and clogs the pump. Cutting performance of the Cool Rite was noticeably better without the tank problems or additives. I use high volume flood coolant on the horizontal saw so it quickly washes away the chips and minimizes vaporization. If I were to use a coolant system on the lathe it would be a FogBuster type system which is designed to form droplets as opposed to aerosolization, but you still are going to get some degree of vaporization unless you use high volume coolant to quickly pull down the temperature. When using the mill with cutting oil for steels, my garage gets filled with smoke, so I leave the garage door open when the weather permits.

Kool Rite is a semi-synthetic oil emulsion, I have not had a significant rust issue with it, but on a mill and lathe I would want to clean the exposed metal surfaces when I was done. On the horizontal band saw, I did not worry about it.
 
Larry42 said:
What do you think of the health issues when using a mist type system? The mist goes into the air then you.
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The kool mist is barely noticible in my air conditioned and heated shop attached to the house. Inside the house, I can't smell it at all. Haven't tried any other brand since switching to the misters, I think its biodegradable. Doesn't bother my skin or lungs and I'm the sensitive type, wd40 bothers me. I use tap magic for tapping holes, kool mist 77 for everything else, works okay as a flood coolant in my band saw if I change it every couple months, the sump does get slime if get any oil in the mix. Using it daily the coolant doesn't stay long enough to get slimed.
 
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Thanks Pontiac. I'll try it & the additives. I have a cheap mister system. Are there any issues with rust or buildup? I've been using an acid brush and a cutting oil that builds up on everything. My lathe is equipped with a coolant pump but I've never used it. We have a profile grinder in the shop that uses a flood coolant, makes a mess and everything gets sticky.
 
mksj, "Kool Rite is a semi-synthetic oil emulsion, I have not had a significant rust issue with it, but on a mill and lathe I would want to clean the exposed metal surfaces when I was done. On the horizontal band saw, I did not worry about it."
Cleaning all the metal surfaces that could be exposed to the coolant would be nearly impossible! It would get inside the chuck, under the carriage, cross slide....inside the mill vice....??
 
Larry42 said:
Are there any issues with rust or buildup? I've been using an acid brush and a cutting oil that builds up on everything.
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Kool mist will not cause rust. I get a little bit of a haze on my table/ways, but that's it. I will remove my vise and clean under it if I'm getting sloppy with the juice, mostly because it makes practical sense to. Usually, you're just misting it on, so only a few drips to clean up at a go. It doesn't matter what I'm using, I like to keep things wiped down anyway. I keep oil on my table and ways, so no rust worries there either. It's pretty cheap to try out, the $40 gallon being the most expensive component of the system. As said above, a mister can be bought for $13, just get the kind with the needle valves that let you adjust both air and coolant individually. I ran mine to a $15 pneumatic foot switch and use a $20 water filter housing as a reservoir.
 
Can we also discuss flood coolants? I have been using something that sounded a lot like Cool Max (I'll verify the name) on my CNC. Old job gave me a half gallon when I left that has lasted me 6 years. Too dilute and I get staining, not rust. Too concentrated and things get sticky. But in that sweet spot it runs really nice and the machine stays clean. So long as the surface in my pump bucket stays clear of oil it doesn't go rancid.

I opt to not use a mister not because of health reasons, but rather I don't like my compressor running all the time. I am only running a small one that needs to refill 1 time per hour with normal use. With even light misting it is every minute.
 
I have not had any rust issues with Kool Rite used at the proper mixing ratio, it is just that the exposed metal can turn dark with continued use. I have been using it for years in my band saw as a flood coolant w/o issue, I started with Kool Mist and had rust issues and stagnation because I did not use my machine frequently enough and it didn't work very well. I did not want to use it on my lathe and mill because of this. The Kool RIte is used on industrial CNC machines, there would be a pretty big issue if things rusted and it went bad quickly. I am sure there are other comperable products, but it seems like many CNC machines these days use an emulsion system as opposed to cutting oil. I have also had some cutting oils react and stain the cast iron surfaces of my lathe.

At $25 a gallon for the 2290 for a fluid coolant that works with no additives and in my opinion works much better than Kool Mist, I am not sure what the question is. Read the reviews:

1 Gallon of KOOLRite 2290 Metal Cutting COOLANT: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

1 Gallon of KOOLRite 2290 Metal Cutting COOLANT: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
www.amazon.com
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1 GALLON OF KOOLRite 2290 METAL CUTTING COOLANT "NEW" | eBay

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Thanks again guys. Looks like KoolRite is the way to go. I'll give it a try on the bandsaw first but with the intention of using it on everything.
 
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