[MichaelHenry]

Are there any reccomendations for a flood coolant for this mill? It will be used with the deluxe stand, which has built-in flood coolant.

At times the mill will only get used a few times per month so longevity and resistance to odor formation is important to me.

In the browsing I've done so far it seems like Trim Sol E206 by Master Chemical might be a good candidate. Is anybody happy with that for intermittent use?

Also it seems like a refractometer would be a good thing to get. Are they all pretty much the same or is one brand or source better than another?

Mike

[nervis1]

You can use about any brand, I prefer mineral oil based soubles myself. I used trimsol for a while, worked very well but you will get a better finish with oil based coolants.

No matter what you use you have to care for the coolant, if you let it sit for two months anything you get will go bad. Skim it (keep the tramp oil off the top) and keep it moving with a bubbler or small pump 24/7. If you can do the makeups with DI or RO water as with evaporation and makeup the solute concentration rises, eventually ruining the mix.

Friend of mine taught me a trick with a shop vac, by holding the nozzle ust above the surface of a quiet tank you can suck off the layer of tramp oil pretty well and leave the coolant alone. (Makes for a smelly messy shop vac.)

[MichaelHenry]

Nervis1,

Thanks for the info, especially on the tramp oil. I suppose that mostly comes from way lube and hadn't really considered how to deal with that.

An aerator was on my list of things to get and those seem cheap enough.

I can get all the DI water I want at work so that's not a problem either.

Can you suggest a brand of oil based soluble coolant? I'm totally new to flood coolant so any little bone would be of help.

Mike

[nervis1]

My current fav is Hangsterfer S-500 cf. The best things about it are the part finish it leaves, no rust, in 3 years on my machine, and won't bubble the paint unlike some synthetics I've used (rustlick).

Most of the sol oils I've used will give the same result to be honest so my advice is buy 5 gal of this and when it runs out try 5 gal of that and see what you like best.

BTW if you want to play by the rules find out where your local oil recycle center is and get a container from them. Bring them the MSDS sheet for the coolant you use (mfg will give it to you) Hangsterfer is not classed as hazmat, soem are. When you dispose of the coolant you can take it in (save the recipt as proof you did it right) and exchange for an empty.

[MichaelHenry]

OK, I'll add Hangsterfer to the list and resaerch it more on their web site. 5-gal would probably take me a few years to use up but I'll consider direct comparisons eventually.

That's a good point about disposal and I need to find out how to get rid of some old paint and used solvent anyway. I didn't realize that the recyclers would supply an empty container, so thanks for that tip.

Mike

[lakeside]

I my self like vegetable based coolant here a link to msc for some info http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/N2SRBR

[InspirationTool]

Lakeside...

Do you have an item number? That link goes to a generic page.

Thanks!

-Jeff

[MichaelHenry]

Lakeside,

Or even a brand name or coolant name...

Mike

[SND]

Out of the types of coolants I've used so far the Doall 944 worked pretty nice. It does have a different smell and it is very sticky when it evaporates on metal surfaces. But it stayed good for a very long time unlike other types we had used that any oil and dirt mixed right into. This stuff stayed its normal blue/green color for a long time. We used it in both manual and cnc's. Although there is most likely better kinds out there. I believe Milacron has some new special coolants, I'll double check on that at work on monday and let you know what it is.

[MichaelHenry]

Snd,

Sticky might be a problem for intermittent use. How easy is it to clean the residue?

Mike

[SND]

Most of the problem was when it got into micrometers and dial indicators, but a few drops of alcohol cleaned it out. On manual lathes it would sometimes make the tailstock stick. If you wipe down your machine after use it shouldn't be much of a problem. It did seem fairly good at preventing rust because of the film it leaves if let to dry. I think it has linseed oil into it, smelled a bit like that when it got hot but I could be wrong. I'm not sure how sticky it would get and how much of a problem it would be if it got into slideways and was let to dry for weeks.

Depending on what you machine you may be ok running dry.