mill and lathe.....what should I use for coolant/lubricant?

mmcmdl said:
Personally I wouldn't run flood coolants in a shop at the house . When the coolant goes rancid , that **** stinks like a crab shell filled dumpster . I don't miss that smell one bit ! For aluminum , the WD-40 is simple , brush it or spray it . I hate misters at home also . Oil or tap magic for steel and WD-40 for alum .

Watch anything that will flash , especially if you smoke ! :chemist:
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My coolant mix I use in the mister is over 2 years old. The way I keep it fresh is two things a sealed container and some household cleaner to keep the bacteria down


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As a hobbyist doing one off, smallish pieces on either brass, aluminum or mild steel, I have always been perplexed on the use of coolant. The skilled machinist I consulted (he understood my environment) recommended two things. (1) don't bother with water solubles as they are messy, requiring significant cleanup effort to keep things from rusting and (2) use mineral oil and brush it on. But I am still unsure of when to use the mineral oil.
 
I don't use anything with carbide except the finish coat, then I brush on a light coat of cutting oil. With HSS I brush on oil every pass.
 
I originally set up using flood coolant with a popular soluble oil mix. But found it goes off, turns to a sticky jelly and stinks. I phoned the company and theys aid that will happen if your not using it every day it needs to be aerated, to stop it going off. I have recently drained my system and planning on replacing it with Inox MX3

I've been using it in spray/squirt bottles and very happy with results, No rust, excellent cutting fluid for Al, steel and S/S. Haven't tried anything else yet, but that is about all I use.
 
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