In article ,
Ignoramus10426 wrote:

My Clausing has a flood coolant system. Which actually works, except
the switch for it does not work. I will fix it, but the pump is
working great. I have cleaned up the system somewhat and it is running
smoothly. For coolant, I used a water soluble oil from McMaster that I
diluted about 40:1. This oil is not so bad, as I kept a jar of it
diluted for about half a year, and it did not separate and did not
stink.

My question is, would occasional use of this coolant rust the lathe.

Gee, I hope not, because that's exactly what I'm doing. I do wipe up
after every use, but more from neatness than absolute necessity.

I also wipe flung emulsion off the ceiling and back wall, so it won't
stain those surfaces too badly.

I used to use Cool Mist, and had endless trouble with rusting. This is
one reason I went to emulsion.

It does matter what kind of soluble oil one uses. The dilution also
matters. I use Rustlick WS-5050, at about 20:1. The dilution is chosen
so the fluid isn't too thick to spray. Given the low consumption of a
HSM, there is no point in trying to save money on emulsion. I will get
visible dark marks on the ways if some emulsion is left under the
carriage for a few days, but no rust. Way oil also helps to prevent
marks.

I have not tried mixing antifreeze and soluble oil, as the lathe is in
my basement, and does not freeze. But I would venture a guess that not
all combinations of soluble oil and antifreeze work. This might be
worth a phone call to the oil maker, as this cannot be the first time
the question has come up.

Joe Gwinn