Is there any cooling liquid homemade formula?

[jlagran he]

Hi..
Cutting metal (iron,brass, aluminum) can be so difficult, some times we need
cooling liquid to pour to the work during cutting process.

Is there any recepi / formula to make homemade cooling liquid?

anyone have experience about this?

[Ken_Shea]

A fellow I know used a anti-freeze/water mixture, it would also have some lubricating qualities. This guy is no dummy in machining as I have seen the commercial injection molding machines he designed from the ground up and are still in use today, also know how meticulous he is so if it did not perform he would not have used it. Doubtful he would use it today as that was years ago when the currently available commercial coolants/lubricants got really nasty quick. If you give it a try let us know how it worked.

I have also ruined (before learning) carbide cutters by cooling them, carbide cutters actually can take quite a bit of heat but they can be ruined by sudden cooling, it is best to just always keep them cool. HSS is less sensitive to this sudden cooling but you cannot cut as fast with it. It would not take much to put together some sort of sump and pump for flood cooling, this also flushes out the chips so you are not re-cutting them and creating a poor finish.

You probably know that pets like anti-freeze so be cautious about leaving it where they can get to it since it will kill them.

[CNCgr]

Originally Posted by Ken_Shea You probably know that pets like anti-freeze so be cautious about leaving it where they can get to it since it will kill them.

Wow! I didn't know that! I thought animals have the instict not to eat something that's bad for them.

As for the lubricants, rubbing alcohol works for aluminum, but buying a proper water soluble oil and making a flood system like Ken_Shea suggested is the best solution and not very expensive.

[rustyolddo]

You can use the motorhome antifreeze that they use in the plumbing traps. It is propylene glycol and is actually used in food. Automotive anti freeze is ethylene glycol and poisonous to animals. Soluable oil is frequently used as waterpump lubricant. If you are a full blown shop, you may be responsible for recoving the tramp oils from your coolant along with proper disposal. Keep in mind too, you can get bacteria growth in coolant that can cause sludge & odor issues. HTH