Newbie- What's the best coolant/lubricant????

[keith_k98]

Hi, I would like to know what you guys use for coolant?

I'm fairly new to the machining process. I have an x2 mini mill and a 7x10 lathe. I use HSS tooling. Right now I use a spray bottle to mist the part I'm working on but I am in the process of converting over to flood coolant . The coolant I am using is Kool mist 77 from the Littlemachineshop

The problem I'm having is that with the Kool mist is rusting the parts & my machines even at doubling or slightly over the recommendation on the bottle of concentrate.

any suggestions for a good coolant & where to get it will be appreciated.

[mc-motorsports]

TriCool makes nice coolants that are enviromentally friendly, won't cause skin rash's, smell like a dead rat or cause flash rusting. That's what I use, and a little PineSol will make it smell a little better. I don't notice a smell at all, but my friends say it has a slight odor (of shop oil) which is nothing compared to some of the other coolants used at other shops I've worked for. You almost gag monday morning when you walk in after a full weekend of fresh air!

[keith_k98]

Hey, mc-motorsports thanks. Is TriCool an oil based coolant? wheres a good place to buy it?

Thanks!

[mc-motorsports]

Yes, it's oil based, I think they also make a vegtable based coolant also but it's expensive. Anyway, I get it from JTS, they have a website JTSMACH.com but they are local for me. Grainger also sells it, more than likely McMaster Carr would carry it too. Common stuff.

[JWB_Machining]

Here we machine all different types of metals in short runs, there's an even bigger machine shop where I work and we use what they recommended. It's called Hocut-795, It's a lil pricey but I haven't come across any rusting issues yet.

Also I'd recommend Liquid Ice Coolant, they'll even send you a free sample. The water here is real harsh and the Hocut wasn't mixing that well for whatever reason, literally over night the emulsion was breaking up. I mixed up Liquid Ice though and it has stayed suspended in a stagnant dish for over 3 weeks now.

[ksimmons]

I've used Blaser 4000 strong in saws, mills, and lathes with excellent results. I've never had any skin or smell issues. We cut mild, stainless, and aluminum and don't change anything in between, other than cleaning out chips. It is supposed to be environmentally friendly. I've never had any issues with rust while using this stuff.