Lubrication and Tool Cooling

[ralenr]

As a newbie setting up a new machine what recommendations do you guys have about lubricants for the machine and for tool cooling. Are different viscosities necessary for different parts of the machine or will just one be enough? The manual recommends SAE 30 weight machine oil. How does machine oil differ from say 30 weight non detergent motor oil or does it? Any advice greatly appreciated.

Allen

[This message has been edited by ralenr (edited 01-07-2003).]

[SGW]

Recommendation for lubricant: use what the manufacturer recommends. My South Bend 10K, for example, requires light spindle oil (about #6) for the journal bearings, medium-weight oil for the gearbox, and medium way oil for the machine ways. My milling machine, on the other hand, needs #20, and medium way oil.

Engine oil is NOT machine oil. Extremely different requirements. Your machinery is not an internal-combustion engine. One important difference is that engine oil is designed to keep water in suspension, so it will boil out when the oil gets hot. Machine oil is designed to precipitate water, so it doesn't get into precision bearings and corrode them.

As for tool cooling: a low-tech but effective approach is to apply cutting oil with a brush. You can get exotic cutting fluids, or "thread cutting oil" you can get by the gallon at a plumbing supply store works well on steel. Kerosene is good on aluminum. (Watch out for inhaling too much smoke, if it smokes. It will give you a headache, which is probably a Bad Sign.)

Mist cooling is effective and less messy. There is a tendency to use too much mist; you want very little or no visible mist. The cooling should come from the refrigeration effect of the mist evaporating into the air and cooling the airstream blowing on the tool. If you put your finger in the airstream, you can feel the cooling effect.

[Thrud]

Allen

Get an R&O Gear & Bearing oil (also known as Spindle oil) or if you cannot find that then you can use Anti-Wear Hydraulic oil of the correct viscosity. Motor oil has no place on machine tools - they have the wrong additives.

[ShavingMaker]

Hmmm... I haven't heard anybody else say they use auto tranny fluid like I use. Maybe I shouldn't be using it?

[dbasberg]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ShavingMaker:
Hmmm... I haven't heard anybody else say they use auto tranny fluid like I use. Maybe I shouldn't be using it?</font>

Interesting ShavingMaker:
Use ATF for what? Cutting, ways, lead screws, spindle? I am a trans engineer and would be surprised if ATF would be appropriate for lubricating the parts of your machinery. Anyone else have experience with using ATF? BTW, Dextron is quite different from Type F ATF. You can ruin a trans using the wrong one. Which is good for machine tool lub?

[ralenr]

I think what originally got me off on the wrong foot was my manuals use of SAE (SAE 30 weight machine oil) as the approving body for the oil. Does the SAE have standards for things other than Automotive? Do they have standards for lubricants used in machine tools?

[Oso]

Heck, if they don't say to use way oil on the ways, get some Vactra #2 (mobil) and use it on the ways anyhow. You'll be glad you did.
Most way oils are newer than the old machines, so the manuals never said to use them.
You won't believe how easy and evenly the various slides move with way oil on them. And the wear will drop too, unless you have a shop on a sand dune.

[Samuel]

When I was first learned how to drill stainless the guys in the shop swore by auto trans fluid for drilling. good? bad? it worked....

Samuel

[ShavingMaker]

I use auto tranny fluid, Dextron, for coolant and lube of all the parts on the lathe and mill. Why? I thought since it was a good cleaner, penetrates well into small clearances, thin so it washed away the chips, wouldn't cause rust, and I had it around the shop, that it would be an all around fluid to use. I know others that use it in valve grinding and manual transmissions. Nothing scientific, so it may be totally wrong. I am willing to change if somebody knows of a reason why ATF is not appropriate.

[Thrud]

Neither motor oil or ATF are appropriate as they do not have the proper additives for our use.

For spindles use an R&O Gear & Bearing oil as it is specially formulated for rust and oxidization protection in the gearboxes, and will not attack yellow metal parts (Brass bearing cages on ABEC bearings, bushings, etc.) An Anti-Wear Hydraulic or Tractor Hydraulic fluid can be used if a proper R&O is unavailable. This does not mean you should not make a fervent effort to get the R&O and just use the Hydraulic fluid.

Way oil is a excellent idea, they have tacifiers to help dampen vibration and protect the equipment better.

Synthetic is my choice (less friction, better protection, better heat stability) - my equipment is worth it. A little goes a long way.

Amsoils synthetic ATFs can be used as a -60*C alternate to some hydraulic applications, but not in spindles. Before you use it have their technical guys give you a recommendation first