Cutting fluid for aluminum?

[Ben]

hi all. i'm a novice machinist, and i will be working almost exclusively with aluminum on my sherline 5400 mill. i'm wondering what cutting fluids you'd recommend for aluminum. i have some A-9 that i've been using, which is a green colored oil. it works well, but it leaves a bit of a mess because it causes the chips to stick to everything and it gums up my cleaning brushes. is there an effective fluid i can use that won't leave such a mess? the soluble oil mixture we used in my machining class was easy to clean up, but i guess it's not terribly effective for alumimum?

thanks,
ben

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[Klox]

Ben,
Sometimes when i need "rainbow" finish on ally i use Tapmatic (expensive !) or parrafine (cheaper alternative).

Klox

[Don C]

I use Mobil one water soluble cutting fluid. its about $5.00 a gallon and makes about 50 gal.

[Ben]

klox, i have a can of tapmatic "dual action #1" fluid that i have not tried yet. however, on the can it says that it's for all metals *except* aluminum. do you use a different type of tapmatic for aluminum, or is this stuff actually good for Al?

i also have a can of castrol moly-dee tapping fluid that i guess i could try as a cutting fluid for aluminum. however, it looks just as messy at first glance.

[Fish]

We use Cimcool 540 now. It comes in a clear version and a pink dyed version. We are using the clear version because the residue is clear. They will all leave residue as the water evaporates. We've used Valenite Turntech 700, and Jokisch Water soluble. The Valenite residue was a sticky blue, and it seemed to turn Al brown if left overnight. The Jokisch was a great coolant, but expensive and it would get bacteria quickly - smelly!

Fish

[Mortek]

I'm forwarding this from another forum.

We are a large (2000 empl, ~800 machines) automotive parts supplier. We
machine high silica aluminum alloys and high moly steel. We have tested
many, many coolants over the past 3 years. What we have found is that
Castrol Syntillo products work best for us. This is a synthetic coolant.
Different types are available for different materials. We use 9903 for
steel, and 9913 for aluminum. This coolant will not coagulate, it is clear,
it will not strip paint, it will not emulsify tramp oil, as a matter of
fact, the tramp oil (way lube, spindle oil, etc.) readily floats to the top
of the sump tank where it can easily be removed with a skimmer. It does not
develop that sewer smell if it sets for days. It is environmentally
friendly, meaning disposal costs are minimal. It lasts seemingly forever,
if properly maintained. We have seen a dramatic drop in the usage, because
in part, it doesn't carry out with the chips to the chip buggy. We have
machines now that have had the same coolant in them for 2 years. This
coolant will not turn your machine black with gunk. We were using another
brand that would actually etch the door glass and metal with a black slimy
coating, and would not come off. Tool life has increased substantially
also. Be aware, that this coolant is not cheap, but it is not outrageous
either. We have had more than excellent service from Castrol.

Ken

[Klox]

Ben,
the no#1 tapmatic(yellow) is for ALL Metals. The no#2 tapmatic (red) is for alluminium. It works great for brass and copper as well.....

Klox

[cn2ca]

Do you know your what type Al are you cutting? Soft or hard? There are so many kinds of Al alloys.

If Blaser coolant available. Suggest Blasocut BC 20 or Blasocut BC 20 SW for your choice. The cleaning performance is great. SW if for soft water.

[TinkerGeorge]

Do you know your what type Al are you cutting? Soft or hard? There are so many kinds of Al alloys.

If Blaser coolant available. Suggest Blasocut BC 20 or Blasocut BC 20 SW for your choice. The cleaning performance is great. SW if for soft water.

FYI, Blasocut BC20SW strips the paint right off of my Tormach PCNC-1100, as well as whatever floor-pollish the facilities department puts on the floor, if I spill any. It takes a little while - the floor pollish takes a day or so, and the paint in the coolant catchment trays and surfaces has taken a few years, but it definitely strips some paints.