[Cowbell]

In the process of getting my flood cooling system going, I've been milling a few odds and ends using liberal amounts of WD40 as a lubricant/coolant. It works great, but the mess it leaves is....bleh.

I have the whole rig sitting in a big plastic tub (intended for flood coolant cathcbasin) so it does a good job of coralling the chips. However, the mill table, the mill itself, my milling vice, and just about everything else is covered with wet, sticky aluminum chips. Paintbrush does a middling-to-poor job of cleaning it off while wet. Paper towels work but you need too many.

So what's the secret here? Wait till the WD40 dries up a bit and then brush? I hate leaving things around all messy-like.

[Ken_Shea]

A high pressure steam cleaner would work well
Or you could douse it with a flammable liquid and burn it off
If you do that you deserve the results.

Why not, take the time it takes to clean the machine and use it to get the flood thing going, purchase a gallon of synthetic commercial coolant, and life will be much easier the next time.

Ken

[NC Cams]

Douse with liberally with Simple Green. Can also use spray engine degreaser (bit more smelly) or other degreasers from auto parts store.

Either washes down with hot water leaving pretty much oil free surface. Light coat of WD40 or simple DEXRON ATF applied to iron parts afterward prevents rust.

Suck up glop with shop vacuum and dispose of liquid properly.

We use Valenite VNT700 (synthetic mixe w/water) for lube and it cleans up nicely-it does recycle well. WD40 does a nice job of preventing aluminum siezure galling while cutting BUT if you dip cutter in ATF prior to and during cuts, it does the same and leaves less of a mess (not NO mess, only less of one as chips are drier).