Bacon Grease for Cutting Oil?

[Tungsten dipper]

Cutting oil show-down, see here:

[CCWKen]

I use Tap Magic Aqueous for the mill and lathe now. It works good and doesn't contain chlorine. I've used CRC and still have two bottles of it but I put those over by the drill press and bench. It contains chlorine and stained my Kurt milling vice and lathe ways. I don't use it around the mill or lathe any more. If it has chlorine, you have to clean it up right away. I might go hours or days before cleaning so I stay away from chlorinated products. Tap Magic Aqueous fills that requirement and it works good. It's good to see TM make a good showing in the video.

[MaxHeadRoom]

Lard Oil was once used extensively for conduit and pipe threading.
Max.

[Ringo]

While I am not the expert machinist, I don't put a lot of faith in the different specific cutting oils/fluids. I do have the sulpher dark cutting oil, and find myself using kitchen cooking oil just the same, on the lathe. I think the oil is not to assist cutting, but rather, chip control. Deep drilling on the lathe, oil helps the chips travel up the flutes to clear, cooking oil does fine, and doesn't stink up the house when the windows are open.
Parting tool on the lathe, oil keeps the chips from galling to sides of the cut, cooking oil does fine.
Turning, oil helps prevent that galled little tip on the bit, any oil seems to work, doesn't matter.
I have the manufactures free samples from all that would send me a sample from the 1-800 number.
the only ones that are a outright failure is the water based flood coolant, using them on home hobby lathe. I suppose those are for high speed cutting as on CNC where you need to keep temps down via flooding the work, and basically pressure-washing the chips out of the way. for the home hobby machines, I find this stuff useless.
The green-cream Anchor Lube was interesting, OK for deep drilling, but not so good on turning or parting. the cream got chips mixed up in the cream to allow chips to re-enter the cut and surface finish suffered. this was really bad on the mill.
My experience is that surface finish comes from your bit grind & feed&speed, the kind of oil used was a distant consideration.
I've tried dark cutting oil, WD40, spray oil, cooking oil, Anchor Lube, KoolMist 78, kerosene, motor oil,
Since cooking oil does not stink the place up like dark oil, I find myself using it a lot.
Cooking oil is by far better than AnchorLube and KoolMist.

While the video is interesting, I think it would be more interesting to compare the lubes listed in early editions Machinery's Handbook, with the videos modern counterparts.
My 7th edition lists lard oil, mineral oil, vaseline, kerosene, among others.

[MaxHeadRoom]

I think it would be more interesting to compare the lubes listed in early editions Machinery's Handbook, with the videos modern counterparts.
My 7th edition lists lard oil, mineral oil, vaseline, kerosene, among others.

One that is now banned that was used extensively in machining and to reduce friction, right up until 1980's was White Lead.
Max.

[Arcane]

I've been using Rapid Tap for many, many years now so I'm glad to see his test rated it so well. My can of it is just about empty now but I still have a 32 oz bottle of Sulflo No.1 cutting oil that I bought years ago at a yard sale; I'll have to switch to it after the Rapid Tap is used up.

[10KPete]

Bacon grease will probably contain plenty of salt. Not good for metals.

[nickel-city-fab]

Bacon grease will probably contain plenty of salt. Not good for metals.

Very true -- I would just rather buy lard at the supermarket. Actual hog lard, not vegetable shortening. 4 bucks for a gallon of it.

[Ian B]

Bacon grease works great when machining pig iron.

Ian

[MaxHeadRoom]

You can get it by the bucket.

https://www.mcmaster.com/lard-oil/

Max.

[MaxHeadRoom]

Bacon grease works great when machining pig iron.

Ian

Does that mean you can really Hog off alot of metal?
Max.

[Blouwildebuffel]

I have sinned....................I cut dry

[Galaxie]

While I am not the expert machinist, I don't put a lot of faith in the different specific cutting oils/fluids. I do have the sulpher dark cutting oil, and find myself using kitchen cooking oil just the same, on the lathe. I think the oil is not to assist cutting, but rather, chip control. Deep drilling on the lathe, oil helps the chips travel up the flutes to clear, cooking oil does fine, and doesn't stink up the house when the windows are open.
Parting tool on the lathe, oil keeps the chips from galling to sides of the cut, cooking oil does fine.
Turning, oil helps prevent that galled little tip on the bit, any oil seems to work, doesn't matter.
<snip>
The green-cream Anchor Lube was interesting, OK for deep drilling, but not so good on turning or parting. the cream got chips mixed up in the cream to allow chips to re-enter the cut and surface finish suffered. this was really bad on the mill.
My experience is that surface finish comes from your bit grind & feed&speed, the kind of oil used was a distant consideration.
<snip>

Your experiences match mine pretty closely. However, I did find that out of everything, Anchor Lube worked the best when drilling 304 or 303 stainless.

[platypus2020]

So I Currently have some potential cutting oil in the frig??

[CCWKen]

As the tester states; "Anything is better than nothing", but lard ranked low as a cutting oil. As did motor oil. I'm positive there are as many home brew concoctions as those tested. I wonder how long before someone says cat urine worked for him--But only after it ate a rat.