Drilling Lubricant

[Jason Kixmiller]

I would like to know what type of cutting/drilling lubricants work best in FIRST applications (i.e. drilling in aluminum, drilling in steel, milling...) What type of ventilation is needed with these products? Where do you purchase them?

Thanks for your help.

Jason Kixmiller

[Cory]

You should be able to use pretty much any kind of cutting oil.

I've mainly used Tap Magic. It works well for tapping, drilling, or whatever other things you might be doing.

No ventilation needed, either.

[sanddrag]

For aluminum, there's this stuff called A9 (I think that's what it is) that is green in color and it comes it a little rectangular can. Tap Magic is good but the smell gets to me after a little while and I don't like it on my hands.

My personal favorite for aluminum and/or steel is what is commonly used in CNC machines. It is some sort of water soluble oil. I believe you are supposed to mix something like 2 parts water to one part oil. The oil is motor oil colored but when mixed with water it is sort of a cream colored. I've seen it come in a blue jug, although I don't remember the name of it.

One other thing I used once for cutting aluminum with a good amount of success was RIDGID brand oil (that I think was made for pipe threading). It was like night and day, almost like dull blade vs sharp blade. Home Depot would be the only place that has it if they still make it; it was quite a while ago.

In a pinch, almost any oil is better than no oil. I've used motor oil quite a few times for steel. Smells really bad, but works better than nothing. Even liquid wrench works to some extent, although you'll want to watch out for fumes.

[evolution]

EDIT: Others have pointed out safety issues with WD-40, so i'm no longer recommending it here.

[Bill_Hancoc]

I think i may be talking about the same stuff as sanddrag but it is a bright lime green in color and works great. As far as i know no ventilation is needed

[Henry_Mareck]

WD-40 is definitley the simplest option, it is easy to find and purchase.
Works great for us too.

[RogerR]

believe it or not, in SAE, we use automatic transmission oil (we have a free supply, since our shop is right by the campus bus maintenance station). it works great going through steel, aluminum, iron, etc. the only downside is that the whole shop smells like a burnt out transmission.

[Jason Kixmiller]

Thanks for the responses...where do you purchase the green stuff?

WD-40 is a pretty easy solution that I have used in the past - one word of warning, though, fumes from it are not to be inhaled (written on the can) so I am hoping to avoid it.

Thanks again for the info.

[Elgin Clock]

I would strongly advise against using WD-40 as a cutting fluid.

WD-40 = flammable.

Most metal lube juices for cutting/milling is not flammable.

There is a whole science behind cutting fluids.
Don't use an all in one fluid like WD-40 as a cop out, or bad things may happen.

I was told we use something with the nickname gogo juice, but I'm not sure the real name.. Maybe Alumatap?? That's more for aluminum I'm guessing from the name though.

[TechnocratiK]

For some reason, everyone on my team complains to me that the term "coolant" is preferred over "lubricant" (but I can't imagine why). Anyway, the coolant we use is ESSO Cutwell (I can't remember which kind - 40 or 45 maybe?), which can be bought in 4-litre bottles and is usually dissolved in water before use, meaning that one purchase should last at least a whole season.

[greencactus3]

Originally Posted by TechnocratiK

For some reason, everyone on my team complains to me that the term "coolant" is preferred over "lubricant" (but I can't imagine why). Anyway, the coolant we use is ESSO Cutwell (I can't remember which kind - 40 or 45 maybe?), which can be bought in 4-litre bottles and is usually dissolved in water before use, meaning that one purchase should last at least a whole season.

well technically a good "lubricant" would keep you from cutting in as the drill bit's edge would only slide across the surface. a coolant keeps the tip cool

[dlavery]

Like so many other problems, the real answer is "it depends." Are you going to be applying it by hand, or using a misting system, or flood cooling? Are you looking for something to help with just drilling a few holes, or to help with thousands of holes and tens of hours of heavy-duty milling operations? Are you going to be hand-tapping everything, or using a tapping head on a mill? The best answer for one situation is not necessarily the best for another.

For my shop at home, I buy a gallon at a time of Mobilmet water soluable cutting oil. There are several equivalent medium-duty soluable oils that will do just as well. This class of lubricants will provide good general-purpose solutions that will cover the majority of typical situations you are likely to encounter when building a typical FIRST robot. If you are going to be applying the lubricants with a misting system, I would look for something heavier such as one of the sulfurized heavy oils (but don't use a sulfur-based oil on brass, bronze or copper unless you don't mind stains). The gallon may seem like a lot, but it is great to have a supply that lasts a while (and it is a lot cheaper by the gallon - or even five gallon - jugs than in the little 3-ounce bottles).

Check pages 689-692 of the Enco 2005 catalog (or just about any other industrial supplier - MSC, Grainger, McMaster, etc.). They carry all sorts of industrial lubricants, cutting oils, etc.

I would NOT recommend using WD-40 for anything other than a last resort, once in a while solution. It is a great penetrating oil for freeing stuck parts, but it is not intended as a cutting oil. Because it is so thin, it has a lot of volatiles that will evaporate very quickly, thus it should not be used in areas that are not very well ventilated. It will also leave residues on the work surfaces that can be a real pain to clean off later.

-dave

[Katie Reynolds]

Originally Posted by dlavery

I would NOT recommend using WD-40 for anything other than a last resort, once in a while solution. It is a great penetrating oil for freeing stuck parts, but it is not intended as a cutting oil. Because it is so thin, it has a lot of volatiles that will evaporate very quickly, thus it should not be used in areas that are not very well ventilated. It will also leave residues on the work surfaces that can be a real pain to clean off later.

In high school, we almost always used WD-40 for cutting (both in shop class and in FIRST) ... rather than it being the last resort, any other cutting fluid was deemed that. I never realized that it was potentially hazardous to your health, flammable, and not the best solution.

Thanks for the info!

[Cory]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

One other thing I used once for cutting aluminum with a good amount of success was RIDGID brand oil (that I think was made for pipe threading). It was like night and day, almost like dull blade vs sharp blade. Home Depot would be the only place that has it if they still make it; it was quite a while ago.

RIDGID Thread Cutting Oil is available from KBC Tools by the quart and the gallon.