What To Use For Cutting Lube?

Keith Foor

Keith Foor

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I did a search on here and oddly enough, found nothing. I have watched all sorts of videos on YouTube of guys machining this or that having some jar, bottle, container of stuff they brush on the part prior to machining it, but whats the magic substance in the jar? Do you make up some concoction of witches brew and dragon snot or walk in the Autozone or WalMart and buy a bottle of something?

Thanks in advance.
 
Keith Foor said:
I did a search on here and oddly enough, found nothing. I have watched all sorts of videos on YouTube of guys machining this or that having some jar, bottle, container of stuff they brush on the part prior to machining it, but whats the magic substance in the jar? Do you make up some concoction of witches brew and dragon snot or walk in the Autozone or WalMart and buy a bottle of something?

Thanks in advance.
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There are various cutting oils that can be purchased for just that purpose. There are also fluids specifically formulated for tapping holes also. Either fluid will usually work for either function, whether tapping or just machining. They can be purchased online or from your local industrial supplier.

I've also used regular motor oil for the same thing. It doesn't work quite as well, but is cheaper and easier to find.
 
For cutting steel I often see a high sulphur content cutting oil recommended.
At the local hardware store in can be found with the pipe threading tools.
I just picked up a can but have not tried it yet.

For aluminum, plain old wd40 will work, but there's also special stuff that's harder to find.

-brino
 
Considering the cost of cutting oil, I wouldn't use a regular oil. You can get a tin of the stuff for threading pipes or even for lubricating saw blades and will cost you very little. It's not an item you burn through fast and I still have fluid left from a bottle I bought 4 years ago.

Just be aware the high sulfur content makes the oil stain cast iron so clean it off your machines immediately if you want to keep them nice and shiny.

Paul.
 
may want to try Anchor Lube, I tried it first with a free sample, it works real good and no bad smell for me in my machine shop in a cargo container, but I do not like how it stick to everything but will clean up with water and dilute with water and not that expensive. check out BarZ Stan Zinkosky videos on it and how to get a small discount on it.
I have nothing to do with the company.

mostly I use high sulfur pipe thread oil form Home Depot and Wd40
 
I have seen too where people talk about their "special mixture" but to be honest I don't have the time nor the chemistry knowledge to start mixing components. I just wanted something that worked and worked well.

For the past 16+ years with my previous machine I simply used the same stuff we used at work which was usually whatever was lying around. I had a small container but it usually came up missing whenever I needed it. Most of my co-workers simply used the aerosol cutting oil from companies like Lawson, Karr Products and/or Barnes Distributing. These worked well for the most part but made one hell of a mess. At home I would merely spray them into a small container and let the carriers flash off and leave the lubricant behind, then use a small acid brush to apply.

When I purchased my new machines last year I decided to try a few various products that I had seen people using and try to find something that worked better for my needs. I had tried some Union Butterfield, Mobil 1 synthetic cutting oil and a few others before settling on a couple that I am happy with. I really like the Union Butterfield as it had a "buttered popcorn" smell which in the shop was a welcomed aroma compared to burning oil/lubricant.:chunky: The Union Butterfield worked well and did what it was supposed to but it created an almost rust like appearance on my bare metal of my mill vise and lathe chucks. You can't feel it and it won't wipe off even with brake wash, it seems to have soaked into the pores of the bare metal. On my new Glacern mill vise I used a Scotchbrite pad to lightly scuff and remove it which helped I didn't care for the discoloration. I do not use it for that reason.

My two favorites for carbon steels are Rigid Dark Thread Cutting Oil and Rapid Tap.
For aluminum I use either WD40 or A-9 Aluminum cutting fluid.
For manual tapping I use Castrol Moly-Dee.

Mike.
 
I too am fairly inexperienced (and admittedly a bit confused) with all the fluids available as well, so no "home-brewed" concoctions yet, only store-bought, off-the-shelf so far...

For aluminum I've been using "A-9" and have been very happy with it: http://www.busybeetools.com/products/aluminum-cutting-fluid-16oz-relton.html , although as Brino stated, WD-40 works quite well also and is available just about anywhere.

For steel, I've been using "Option-1" and so far have NOT been overly impressed with it at all: http://www.busybeetools.com/products/cutting-fluid-16oz-relton.html . I suppose it does work to a certain degree (again, lack of experience talking here), but to me it's basically water with a tiny bit of sliptivity added to it (just read the front of bottle in link). Personally, I think there are much better choices than this stuff.

While we're on the subject (and my apologies for asking a question in your thread, Keith :concerned:), but can anyone enlighten me/us on the differences between light and dark cutting/threading oil, besides the price? Is one better than the other?
Top of page: http://www.busybeetools.com/categor...ants/Miscellaneous-Lubricants/?sort=pricedesc
 
I use Mobil Thread Cutting oil for all materials except cast iron and brass/bronze. Enco sells it for $21.50 in gallon containers. I wait for the 20% off and free shipping sale. Just bought some for about $18.00 delivered. Used to use Rapid Tap but a gallon of cutting oil is about the same price as a pint of Rapid Tap.

Tom S
 
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