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Ted Edwards
 
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Default Homebrew misting coolant system for small mills

Harold & Susan Vordos wrote:

named either CoolMist or SprayMist. Worked great, but made clouds of mist
that aggravated my throat.


I use Kool-Mist(sp?) diluted 1:5 with water and dripped on with a
hypodermic syringe. I plan to replace this with an automatic dripper.
One was written up in HSM or Projects in Metal a few years back. A
solenoid is used to give a measured squirt at a setable frequency. This
would be more consistent than my present by-hand method. It also
produces no mist. A friend loaned me his mister to try out and I
discarded the idea for exactly your reason.

I was also not pleased with how the machine
felt after use. Often I'd have to wash down the quill on my Bridgeport
several times to restore the "feel" due to the sticky deposit that
accumulated and migrated into the housing.


A further advantage of the drop method is that the coolant goes on the
work not all over so you would not get it on the quill. I found the
stuff, even diluted, to be non-corrosive and a good solvent for itself.
i.e. Dried up spillage on the machine bench is easily cleaned up by
wiping down with a rag dampened with the diluted stuff.

I'd gladly go back to using one if I thought I could control that issue.
Mean time, I use an acid brush, which is hardly the same thing! :-)


No it isn't but drop into a rural pharmacy (they tend to stock some vet
supplies) and pick up a 30 or 60 ml syringe and the largest bore needle
they stock. Cut off the sharpened tip of the needle (score and snap)
and smooth the edges. This will let you try out the drip method before
investing time and money in an automated rig.

Ted