[Dallas J]

I've read some complaints with the Tormach coolant and causing rusting for machines not used daily. My machine will just be hobby/prototyping level of use so want something that'll keep the mill in good condition.

Is there something that's easy to order (amazon for example)? Don't want to try and find a guy that knows a guy...Also, Portland is not a hub of CNC accessories so local isn't much of an option.

[brianbonedoc]

I use this stuff TRIM Microsol XT 585
Buy 585XT-1 Master Chemical Emulsion Semi-Synthetic Metalworking Fluids & Coolants from UseEnco

I don't see any rust on mine - using it over a year, no smell or funkiness.

[kprice1658]

I tried several in the beginning and ended up using Hangsterfer's S-500CF. I have pretty hard water here and strictly cut aluminum - so staining was a problem with some of the others I tried.

No rusting or smell - but I am vigilant about keeping it at 8% at all times.

[Steve Seebold]

I have been using SwissLube Blasocut 2000 Universal for close to 20 years and I have never had rust or odor problems.

It's about $150.00 for a 5 gallon pail, but my PCNC 1100 is almost 5 years old and I'm about half way through my 4th pail.

I cut primarily Inconel 718 and 6AL 4V titanium on my machine ant this coolant in combination with good cutters works just fine.

I have looked at other coolants, but hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[UniqueMachining]

Ditto on Steve's choice pf Blasocut 2000. Just a note, If you primarily cut aluminum, check out 2000-CF.
It is chlorine free.

John

[CadRhino]

Been using koolmist 77 for 2+ years.
I think it is the lowest toxic coolant.
Sometimes it gets a little fumy, though, but I am a sensitive guy.
It can stain aluminum a little if it is not washed off.

I recommend it until I find an even lower toxic coolant.

[Dallas J]

Wow, seems like everyone has their own solution. Just cause I can get them on amazon, looks like its between Koolmist 77 and Master Chemical 585XT.

Looking at the Master Chemical stuff they also have some specific anti-corrosion fluids but need to do a little searching on what makes a mill coolant fluid work for milling vs a grinder or plasma or...

[WOTDesigns]

Been using koolmist 77 for 2+ years.
I think it is the lowest toxic coolant.
Sometimes it gets a little fumy, though, but I am a sensitive guy.
It can stain aluminum a little if it is not washed off.

I recommend it until I find an even lower toxic coolant.

Sadly I got staining from Koolmist both on my X3, and my Tormach mixed with tap water (hard) and distilled water at $1.00/gal both with flood on the Tormach and from the KoolMist little magnetic unit on the X3. (Sadly the X3 table was much harder and less likely to rust or stain than the Tormach table) I only had the staining issue on Aluminum, but it happened to Kaiser USA plate, bar and import bar. I think it had something to do with mixing with way oil since both my Tormach and my X3 wound up with lots of way oil in the mix. On the X3 it would drip from the head onto the parts occasionally, and on the Tormach it poured out of the X& Y onto the chip pan if I wanted any to make it to the Z. I know others have used for years without issue, but when I posted pics of my AL that looked like someone spilled coffee on it several others confessed to having the same issue. No clue.

Either way the stuff I use may or may not be easily available for you (I order local and they deliver free) so that may not help but I LOVE the stuff. It literally cleaned my Haas after using the stuff Haas sells and recommends for a year and there was black crud coming out of the machine nooks and crannys for 6 weeks not to mention I can see through my windows again. It's Q-Cut 245C and it leaves the nicest little shine on everything metal, but blows right off my parts. I have gotten it in my eyes and mouth and neither one hurt me at all. Not mixing it with booze or anything but something that doesn't taste like a chemical plant is a big plus for me. Koolmist cools but does next to nothing for lubrication IMO and does not cling to surfaces leaving an oily barrier against air. It just dries up and leaves water spots that start to rust from my 2 years of using it. Things that leave an oily residue help more for rust prevention by creating an air barrier.

I would definitely focus on coolants available from Enco, as mentioned before. If you sign up for their mailing list once a month they send 20% off ANYTHING except machinery for a day or longer (one just ended yesterday), and every other month or so they send 20%-25% off AND free shipping. That's a BIG savings. They just had a 30% off that I have never seen before too.

[dharmic]

What are you cutting?

When I'm on aluminium I use WD-40 if I'm hand spraying coolant but I'm running 30/70 methylated spirits/water through the mister and it seems to work pretty well.

[WOTDesigns]

What are you cutting?

When I'm on aluminium I use WD-40 if I'm hand spraying coolant but I'm running 30/70 methylated spirits/water through the mister and it seems to work pretty well.

+1 for WD40 on AL for hand spraying. I keep a bottle at the drill press to for just a little help eden drilling. It's awful whole lot easier than taping fluid when just drilling

[Dallas J]

I don't like just wd40 cause it keeps chips near the cut not evacuating. So its purely lubricating but no clearing. Since I like taking fast narrow cuts, that method doesn't seem to give me best results with lots of chips getting re-cut. I've been just using air to clear chips previously but want to add in a bit of lubricating to go along with it.

I have a spray bottle of wd40 for drilling holes but that's about all I used it for.

[Hirudin]

I imagine you've seen a lot of people are using QualiChem 251C. Brad at Tactical Keychains seems to be the first to put it in the spotlight, he seems to really like it. John Grimsmo also uses the same stuff, but found it independently (he says he heard it was being used in a Tesla plant, and that was good enough for him). John Saunders is using it as well. That pretty much covers the big names in YouTube Tormach users. John Grimsmo and Brad at Tactical Keychains are also using that coolant in their VMCs. Another factor to consider with coolant is that it might strip the paint off the machine. As far as I know, the Tormach owners I mentioned above haven't had a problem with their paint peeling.

(Coolant talk starts at 3:55)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCad...utu.be&t=3m55s

Personally, I'm using Houghton's "Hocut 795B". It's apparently approved by Boeing (hence the "B" designation). I got my 5-gallon bucket for free (they were running a promotion at the time, I don't know if that's still going on) in October or so in 2014. It seems to work just fine. I just top up the water that evaporates off, occasionally top up the coolant so the concentration is at 8%, and everything seems hunky-dory. I frequently go long periods of time without touching my machine, including a 3-4 month stretch at the end of last year. I have not seen anything growing or noticed any odors or anything. One thing I should mention is that it seems to stain brass. It'll also destroy a GoPro waterproof enclosure in very little time. So far, all my paint seems perfect though (this is a different brand machine, so probably use different paint than Tormach).

Hocut

[dharmic]

When I used WD-40 it was from a spray can which provided an air blast to clear chips. I'd give it a squirt whenever I saw chips building up or when the tool's song changed. Worked well but you couldn't walk away from the machine and do something else nearby, you had to be right on it.

Now I use a combination of air blast and mist. Manually at the moment but I have a project in the pipeline to allow frequency and pulse length setup on both air and mist so I can independently set the lubrication and chip clearing efforts.

[MichaelHenry]

Hangsterfer S-500 here for most of the past 8 years. No rust and no odors but I did find that it leaves a grayish film on exposed metal. I tried Tormach's Premier for a while, but it seemed to be stripping paint from my 8-year old Series I mill. I'm about to try the Qualichem 251C that some other Tormach uses swear by.

[KJH1983]

Castrol MB50 great way lube/Bar feeder oil separation keeps the machines clean and it keeps me happy!!

[Steve Seebold]

Hangsterfer S-500 here for most of the past 8 years. No rust and no odors but I did find that it leaves a grayish film on exposed metal. I tried Tormach's Premier for a while, but it seemed to be stripping paint from my 8-year old Series I mill. I'm about to try the Qualichem 251C that some other Tormach uses swear by.

Hangstefers is good stuff. They gave a couple of pails when I had my shop and it even mixed well with the Blazocut 2000 I was using. It's about the same price as my Blazocut so I saw no reason to change

[wtopace]

I have the machine currently charged with Master Chemical Trim SOL and it works great on aluminum and steel with no staining - however, it does strip the paint from the machine. My paint has bubbled up underneath and just peels off very easily. No rust at all even with long periods between use.

I have some 585XT ready to go, but I'll probably run it in the new lathe (not a Tormach) instead of the mill, so I'm sure it has a different type of paint applied.

[pickled]

Still living the Kool Mist 77 dream. I've worked with several other kinds, but I keep coming back to the simple, non-toxic and easy to use solution. It's working for me, but I do mix it a bit stronger than recommended.

[warrenb]

Picocool 5254. Same batch in my CNCs 4 years running.

[Mechanized]

I'm still using Tormach's Dura-kut. I like that is it crystal clear, no bad odor, and mostly non-toxic. I have only occasionally had very slight amounts of surface rust, (just a faint skiff on the table that wipes off) but I don't yet have a refractometer to check concentration. I've never had any paint eating at all in the last year of using it. I'd like to try some other popular coolants, but it is a bit of a pain to get certain chemicals up here in Alaska.