What are your HOME BREW machining lubes?

[YankeeMetallic]

I did a search to find the different lubes experienced machinists make inexpensively themselves for different applications. I didn't find this topic in the past 4 years. Also list the tool bit material you use (HSS, carbide coated, uncoated, Cobalt, PCD etc.) since that would matter
The only home lube I make is for tapping and machining aluminum (finish cuts). It is 1 part ATF fluid and 2 parts kerosene.
To save typing power, lets keep the same order, and add others at the end. You can cut and paste onto your answers.
_____Turning________
1). Aluminum
2). Brass
3). Bronze
4). Mild steel
5). Stainless Steel
6). Alloy steels (hard)
7). Other:
_____Milling________
1). Aluminum
2). Brass
3). Bronze
4). Mild steel
5). Stainless Steel
6). Alloy steels (hard)
7). Other:
_____Tapping________
_____Drilling_______
_____Cutting________

[CCWKen]

Still too much typing. Besides, it's a trade secret. http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//biggrin.gif

[Millman]

Production tapping; Crisco; butter flavor has a better smell. No S**T!

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Dave da Slave

[BillH]

Last thing I want is kerosene whipping around, got some on my hand and screwed up that patch of skin for a few weeks. I hate skin moisturizing lotion but it was the only thing that helped.

[Evan]

The best lube for aluminum is straight ethyl alcohol. It's hard to come by as you need special permits. It is the lube of choice in high accuracy production work with high strength aluminum alloys. It's non toxic, clean, leaves no residue and provides excellent cooling and finish. I have used up my supply and haven't gotten around to getting a permit for more.

Maybe I'll just build a still. Now that's real home brew.

[Allan Waterfall]

1 part genuine turpentine (pine smell)
2 parts white spirit (household paint thinners)
3 parts Olive oil.

I use this for all my turning and milling on aluminium and steel.Nice pine smell and nothing stains or rusts.

Applied with a squeezy bottle with a flexible plastic spout.

Allan

[cntryboy1289]

WD40 always leaves a decent finish for me on aluminum and works good as a tapping fluid as well for it.

[jkilroy]

Evan, you need permits to buy ethyl alcohol? I just buy the stuff online. Lab grade is about $35 a liter.

[Evan]

Not here. It's regulated by the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch of BC.

[edit]

Also, $35 is way high. The stuff only needs to be fuel grade at less than $2.00 per gallon.

[This message has been edited by Evan (edited 01-18-2006).]

[rockrat]

Someone used bacon grease in an earlier post.
I could not, the smell made me want to eat instead of machine.

rock-

[YankeeMetallic]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Evan:
The best lube for aluminum is straight ethyl alcohol.</font>
Ethyl Alcohol has lubricating value? or is just the cooling effect? Does it strip the paint finish on your machines? Does it leave a strong or flammable odor?
I think I can get it cheap around here, but the retailer will think I am a METH cooker.

[jkilroy]

I don't use ethanol for cutting aluminum, I don't think it could be much better than plain WD-40, we use it for cleaning some electronic assemblies before potting them.

[Evan]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
Lubrication:
Lubrication is a very important factor in the machining of aluminum alloys, and has three main functions: Cooling to dissipate the heat generated by cutting and friction, preventing swarf from bonding to the tools, removing swarf from the point of machining. Ethanol is a form of alcohol that results naturally through the sugar fermentation process and is environmentally friendly. It also happens to be an ideal coolant for high-speed, micro machining because a thinner-than-water viscosity allows the ethanol to quickly cover and cool more surface area on fast-moving micro tooling. The low evaporation point of ethanol makes it an efficient cooling solution and also eliminates the need for disposal and recycling, as well as their associated costs. Plus, ethanol coolants leave no residue on machined parts, which makes costly secondary operations, like de-greasing, obsolete — maximizing throughput, increasing efficiency and reducing labor costs.

Note: Ethanol coolant should only be used for machining of non-ferrous materials and Datron offers an oil coolant option for customers who machine steel-based materials.
</font>

http://www.datrondynamics.com/Machining_Aluminum.htm

It doesn't affect the paint on my lathe and works extremely well.

[This message has been edited by Evan (edited 01-18-2006).]

[x39]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Evan:
The best lube for aluminum is straight ethyl alcohol. </font>

I'll second that. It also works real well as a lubricant for putting heli-coils in aluminum. I've still got the better part of a gallon of the old politically incorrect "Tap-Free", in some applications it is hard to beat.

[Jack Burns]

Why not just use regular old industrial variety 'denatured' alcohol? My can indicates it's mostly Ethanol with a small amount of Methanol added to make it undrinkable. Gotta be lots cheaper than payin' all that extra excise tax without deriving any of the happy benefits.:0

[Your Old Dog]

I'm using WD-40 on my aluminum work becasue I read about it here, it's simple and works for me.

I'm using Tap-Magic on steel, not because it screwed up the paint on my SB9 but because the damage is already there. It serves my modest needs even if it is pricey. I try to avoid the fumes.

I've heard others speak of Crisco (lard) but I'm not sure what the power washer would do to my shop when it started to go rancid and I wanted to get rid of it!

[Herm Williams]

I have had good luck with bacon grease except on the band saw then I use bees wax.
re

[DR]

I love these threads about the old, secret recipes for cutting fluids.

Best I've heard was someone suggested sour milk mixed with urine.

You know the suggester had to be secretly hoping some idiot would try it on their lathe.

[KyMike]

My first lathe had an old-style dead center in the tailstock, and for lubrication I used a mix of STP with enough graphite to form a stiff paste. Also makes a fairly good, low cost anti-sieze compound. I have used both lard oil and bacon grease with about 50% kerosene added for machining aluminum, never heard of using ethyl alcohol for this but I plan to try it next time I turn aluminum.

Mike

[rsr911]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by YankeeMetallic:

Originally posted by Evan:
The best lube for aluminum is straight ethyl alcohol.</font>
Ethyl Alcohol has lubricating value? or is just the cooling effect? Does it strip the paint finish on your machines? Does it leave a strong or flammable odor?
I think I can get it cheap around here, but the retailer will think I am a METH cooker.




Ethyl Alcohol is drinking alcohol, if you can stand the smell of Vodka you'll be fine. As for denatured I'd be careful, it contains metyl alcohol (methanol) that can lead to blindness if you get it in your eyes. Ethanol and other alcohols have a very low surface tension allowing them to wet out the surfaces better, viscosity is only slightly lower than water. On the otherh hand it's highly flammable and the flames are nearly invisible, a spark from a motor could be diasterous. Add to that if enough got absorbed through your skin you might wind up drunk while machining but I doubt it. I'd be more inclined to mix it with DI water or just plain water. I might even add a surfactant like soap for lubricity and surface wetting. And no it will not harm your paint but it might strip away some important lubricants like way oil etc. That's one of the problems with alcohol powered engines, gasoline lubes the cylinder walls somewhat while alcohols wash down the cylinders and can carry water into the crankcase degrading the oil.

Working for an adhesives and coating company I've often thought about reverse engineering water based coolants. A simple FTIR ought to give me a good idea what the contents are and I know I could by them cheaper than premix. I know some of the mist coolants smell a lot like eythlene glycol (anti-freeze) so I tried some propylene glycol in my mister mixed with water and it worked fine. For tapping I use ATF if I'm out of Tap-Magic.

Way oils seem to be high viscosity oil with a tackifier added so it clings to the ways, I've thought about making my own for that as well.

Since we have drums of toluene at work I use that mixed with a touch of motor oil for aluminum on the lathe, works better than WD-40.


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-Christian D. Sokolowski

[Evan]

Sheesh, toluene! That's ten times worse than ethanol. The flash point is only 45 degrees F and the flammability is rated severe. It's also toxic and causes chemical pneumonitis, anemia, decreased blood cell count and bone marrow hypoplasia as well as liver and kidney damage.

Vodka won't do, I have tried it and it has too much water. The ethanol I have used in the past was a special mixture of 92% ethanol and a few percent methanol to denature it with a very slight amount of surfactant. The remainder is chemically bound water.

I have never had any problem with flammability, it doesn't take much and nowhere near enough is present at any time to form an explosive mixture in air. The auto ignition temperature is very high at 685 degrees F. Aluminum chips never get that hot.

[rsr911]

Evan,

Mixing enough oil into toluene and you basically get WD-40, except I think WD-40 is kerosene based. Aside from that I work around toluene and MEK all the time for cleaning up dried adhesive etc. I know it's harmful but we do it anyway. Frankly I prefer just using flood coolant since it cleans up more easily. I don't think it's all that much safer to inhale WD-40 than it is to inhale toluene/oil mixture but I could be wrong. Downside, toluene has all the bad that alcohols have with a few more, like it eats your paint and strips away oil even worse that alcohols will. Makes a nice octane booster though.... http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//smile.gif

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-Christian D. Sokolowski

[Evan]

WD-40 is 70% Stoddard solvent (white mineral spirits) and 30% light mineral oil.

I would much rather inhale WD-40 than toluene. Toluene is the stuff that used to be in plastic cement the kids used to sniff.

[77ironhead]

for anything aluminum, str8 kero or wd-40, tapping anything else I use Cimtap, machining anything else, whatever motor oil I have laying around leftover from my last oil change (it's a random mix of 10-40, 5-30, ATF, partial quarts all dumped into a gallon jug http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//smile.gif

[YankeeMetallic]

THANK YOU GENTLEMEN, KEEP THE RECIPES COMING!

[TECHSHOP]

Evan,

If vodka has to much water, why can't you just freeze the water, and suck out the good stuff?

Hic, hic... http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//biggrin.gif

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Today I will gladly share my experience and advice, for there no sweeter words than "I told you so."

[metlcutr55]

for those who use wd40 as a cuting fluid, try walmarts techlube, about 1/4 the cost. it doesnt "lube" as well as wd40 but seems to work fine for cutting esp alum

[pgmrdan]

Of course it's much more than $2 a gallon but a little PGA should work if it's at hand in place of ethyl alcohol.

I've always heard that kerosene is good for cutting aluminum. And WD40 works.

Someone mentioned lubricating a tailstock center. I keep a little squeeze bottle of STP handy for that.

I keep some Tap Magic in the workshop too.

Crisco for tap and die work. It keeps the chips ahead of the cutter.

[This message has been edited by pgmrdan (edited 01-21-2006).]

[Evan]

I've been phoning around various places looking for denatured ethyl alcohol. I've tried cleaning supplies, pharmacies and building supply/paint stores. Nobody has even heard of it. It is used as solvent for shellac and as a wax stripper but nobody here knows about it. Does anyone have any idea where to find it?