On 2008-11-23, Wild_Bill wrote:
I'm speculating for these comments, because I don't know what is the best
product that would/could be used with your machine (or why Taig says not to
use water-based coolant/lubricants).
Because there is a lot of aluminum mounted to steel in the
machine. Very far apart on the electrolytic scale, so add water
(especially with salts which increase the conductivity) and you are soon
etching your machine. The spindle and the tailstock ram are both
mounted in aluminum extrusions. The cross-slide body is aluminum. The
bed is an inverse steel dovetail mounted to an aluminum extrusions for a
base, and the base is filled with concrete for rigidity. The headstock,
tailstock, and carriage all are aluminum mounting to the steel.
I've got a Taig from before the days that it had a Taig name on
it -- bought at a hamfest when Taig was just getting started.
I think there is a difference between water-based and water soluble
lubricants, which could be explored.
I would not use even the water soluble ones if they are
hygroscopic (absorb water vapor from the air).
[ ... ]
There are likely to be some Taig user groups on Yahoo or other forums (or
you could start one).
I'm pretty sure that there is one there -- but since I don't use
Yahoo (or other web-based forums), I don't know for sure.
I would imagine that some users are using something
other than WD-40 (although I realize some folks believe there isn't anything
better for any application that's better than WD-40)
Well ... WD-40 is a nice cutting fluid for aluminum, but I would
not use it on steel. For that -- I would use the high sulfur threading
oil sold for pipe threading -- painted on with an acid brush. For
stronger machines, I've used SulFlo (a variant with powdered sulfur in
sufficient quantities so it makes a nice paint-on paste. But you want
good ventilation with the high sulfur stuff. :-)
I would be reluctant to use a hydrocarbon cleaning solvent-type coolant for
machining, adding some to a bandsaw cut is one thing, but having a volume of
it sitting around (and pooling in a chip pan, on shop rags etc) doesn't
sound very good to me.
Motivation to clean up after the project? :-)
I wouldn't consider automatic transmission fluid to be the ultimate answer
either.
It is again a pretty good one to use for cutting aluminum, but
not for steel.
There are probably other DIY concoctions being used that probably
don't have very good properties for cutting metal.
I believe WD-40 is primarily made up of Stoddard solvent, or something very
much like Stoddard, which is a great cleaning solvent, BTW.
Exactly. Not really an oil, but it does carry chips away nicely
when cutting aluminum with a slitting saw blade.
Glycerine-based cutting lubricants are going to be non-flammable, unlike
WD-40 or Stoddard.
But may attract and hold water -- thus etching away the Taig
(and probably a Sherline is similar, though I've never had one to play
with.)
[ ... ]
Aside from flooding, squirting or spraying methods, you might want to
consider gravity. Having a steady, adjustable drip just ahead of the tool
path (or directed directly onto the cutting tool) shouldn't be too difficult
to set up.
A recovery tank would hold the run-off, lifting and pouring or a simple hand
pump could be used for transferring enough liquid for a work session up to
the delivery vessel.
My Nichols horizontal mill has a hook at one end of the bed
which is also a pouring lib. You hang a small bucket from it, put
another bucket up high with a bottom drain to the drip pipe, and every
so often pause and dump the lower bucket into the upper one. It also
has provisions for a big rectangular funnel with a filter grid which
leads to a reservoir in the base, and a mounting plate for a pump to
recirculate the coolant. It is all cast iron and steel, so water-based
coolants can be used more safely with it -- especially with anti-rust
additives.
One of the squeeze-bulb hand pumps used for priming an outboard boat motor
might suffice if there aren't any chips suspended in the liquid.
Filters.
The flooding process works very well for carrying chips away from the
cutting tool though, which definitely has benefits.
Chips -- and heat. Probably not a problem with the limited
motor size of a Taig or a Sherline, but larger tools can benefit from
that -- including not having to wait for a workpiece in the lathe to
cool down before you can accurately measure the diameter. :-)
Enjoy,
DoN.
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