Non toxic coolant

Garage Dog

Garage Dog

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I did a search on here but didn't find exactly what I was looking for.

I have a mini lathe from LMS. I've turned brass, 1018, and now I'm working with some 6061. I'm cutting only about ..010 with a brazed carbide cutter. (not a Chinese cutter. It's some NOS I bought from an old machinist who is retiring) It cuts beautifully but the part get pretty hot after 5 or 6 passes of 3". I tried CRC cutting oil but it smokes terribly. My garage has A/C so what ever I use it must be user friendly to the lungs. I've watched videos where the machinist is spraying some type of coolant/lubricant from a hand pump spray bottle but they didn't say what it was. What would guys suggest? TIA!
 
WD40 or similar works great on aluminum, very little smoke as well.
 
Garage Dog said:
I did a search on here but didn't find exactly what I was looking for.

I have a mini lathe from LMS. I've turned brass, 1018, and now I'm working with some 6061. I'm cutting only about ..010 with a brazed carbide cutter. (not a Chinese cutter. It's some NOS I bought from an old machinist who is retiring) It cuts beautifully but the part get pretty hot after 5 or 6 passes of 3". I tried CRC cutting oil but it smokes terribly. My garage has A/C so what ever I use it must be user friendly to the lungs. I've watched videos where the machinist is spraying some type of coolant/lubricant from a hand pump spray bottle but they didn't say what it was. What would guys suggest? TIA!
Click to expand...
Kool Mist. Use a spray bottle , squeeze bottle or buy a cheap chinese mister. I have a mister.. I also keep a squeeze bottle with some in it.
I still use Tap Magic and Mobil 766 (I think) for threading. The mister keeps things cool. But when done I need to wipe the machine down even though it has rust preventives, I think it's prudent.
 
I bought this but dont have much time using it.

For what I did use it for it served it’s purpose, seems economical and is biodegradable.

Made specifically for home shop use.

A 16oz bottle makes 4gallons of juice. I dose it with 10-20% alcohol, but I do that with a lot of types of coolant for various reasons.

www.micromark.com

MicroFlow Concentrated Coolant and Lubricant, 16 oz.

DetailsMicroflow Coolant 16 fl oz, keeps metal working cool and lubricated, machining coolantDesigned for use with #83338 MicroFlowTM Coolant System and also recommended for our Band Saw Cooling SystemUse to prolong cutting tool life and to provide smoother finishes on workpiecesWon’t rust...
www.micromark.com www.micromark.com
 
I use soluble oil in a squirt bottle.
 
neonguy said:
WD40 or similar works great on aluminum, very little smoke as well.
Click to expand...
At least very little that you see.

To the OP's point, I doubt there are any lubes that are really meant to be safely breathed in a closed environment.
 
Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to try the Micro Flow since I can it in 16 oz quantities. I found the Kool mist available in 1 gallon quantities only.

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One thing to consider is the cutting tool geometry. A lot of the brazed carbide tools have little if any positive angle and will require a lot more tool pressure and as a result make more heat in the work piece. A more efficient cutter might be an easier solution.
 
Kool mist is safe to breathe. It's just a wetter/surfactant and a glycol base, the other 95% is water.

Isopropyl is a phase-change coolant, the enthalpy of vaporization has a significant cooling effect. Isopropyl is effectively absorbed to blood by inhalation, and must be metabolized- which means you have a limit before needing fresh air so your liver can keep up. Also, every molecule of isopropyl inhaled is first converted to acetone, then to acetate, or iso to acetol to propylene glycol to formic acid. So just because it isn't directly toxic does not mean your system has an easy time with it.
 
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