Flood Coolant... What a difference!! (56k Beware!)

[Mirage_Man]

I had to stop work and post this because I just finished putting together a flood coolant system for my lathe. I was getting fed up with wearing out drills and other cutting tools prematurely due to all the work with the 6AL 4V titanium I've been doing lately. A machinist friend of mine really pushed me to give it a shot. Boy am I glad he did! It makes everything much easier and the finish? Outstanding! Is it messy? A little, but not bad and I can live with it considering what it does for me.

I was used to not being able to touch the drill after drilling because it was so hot. Now I can drill 2" deep and when I pull it out it's cool to the touch! I'm really diggin it!

I put the whole system together for like $80. A submersible pump from Wholesale Tool, magnetic base from Harbor Freight and various brass fittings and tubing from a local Goodyear hose and fitting dealer.

Here are a few pictures in action drilling with a 3/4" cobalt bit!

 

[wquiles]

Very "cool" - pun intended!

More photos of the recovery/pump part?

Will

 

[Mirage_Man]

Very "cool" - pun intended!

More photos of the recovery/pump part?

Will

I'll have to take a few later today or tomorrow when I get some time.

 

[TranquillityBase]

Hey! what gives! Brass plumbing for your cooling system...what a bunch of crap! I can't believe you didn't make Ti fittings.....

Very, very schweet my bro!

EDIT: Can I send all my solid round stock to you, for the rough drilling operation You suck!

 

[tino_ale]

Very cool modification

Since the coolant is water based, what do you do in order to make sure nothing on your lathe will rust? Do you spray WD40 after every use, or something else?

 

[Mirage_Man]

Very cool modification

Since the coolant is water based, what do you do in order to make sure nothing on your lathe will rust? Do you spray WD40 after every use, or something else?

The coolant has rust inhibitors in it. This is the same stuff used in CNC machines.

 

[ICUDoc]

My lathe motor is only a couple of inches above the tray- does yours need protecting or is it well out of the way?
Looks like an interesting thing to explore- thanks a lot for showing us.

 

[precisionworks]

Nice job, MM

The only practical way to machine Ti is with heavy flood. For some specialized applications (surface milling comes to mind) air coolant is OK, but not as effective as flood. With careful setup, hardly any coolant ends up on the floor.

 

[PhotonFanatic]

The coolant has rust inhibitors in it. This is the same stuff used in CNC machines.

Brian,

Which brand did you go with?

Those rust inhibitors better work.

 

[Data]

Water soluble oil coolants will not create any rust if the mixture is up at 10%. Some of them will create minor rust under the vice and such if the coolant level drops below 5%.

Cheers
Dave

 

[modamag]

Nice setup Brian.
Now you can really gets cracking with your Ti production.

 

[tino_ale]

The coolant has rust inhibitors in it. This is the same stuff used in CNC machines.

That's really excellent! Another thing I didn't know, thanks for the info

 

[Mirage_Man]

Very "cool" - pun intended!

More photos of the recovery/pump part?

Will

Here you go Will. Here are some more pictures for you.

The pump. I have since put a hose clamp over the tubing at the barb.

Where the fluid returns to the bucket. I drilled a hole in the pan and epoxied a plastic barb in it. But first I turned the threads off so it would be a nice snug fit inside the hole. I used 5 min. epoxy and it seems plenty strong. If I ever decide to remove it it shouldn't be too difficult.

Here's where the coolant resides. I just used a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. I cut a couple holes in the top to route the tubes and power cord.

Here's my high tech solution for a filter... a piece of red scotchbrite lightly pushed in the return drain hole. It works really well at keeping large particles from recirculating and is very easy to access and replace.

Now for a few shots of the whole shebang. Boy I need to clean up don't I? Oh and yes that blue bin is full of Ti swarf .

 

[wquiles]

AWESOME - thanks much Brian

Will

 

[greenlight]

I like the blue color of the coolant and the action shots. Do you resell your ti shavings?

 

[Handlobraesing]

Very cool modification

Since the coolant is water based, what do you do in order to make sure nothing on your lathe will rust? Do you spray WD40 after every use, or something else?

I don't know what the lubricating ingredient is, but rust inhibitor is very effective.

Think about your car. The coolant is 50/50 mixture of glycol and water. Neither really degrades, but the reason you change the coolant occasionally is that rust inhibitor additive starts to break down.

 

[modamag]

Brian, does all of the coolant drains to the tank overnight?
Some of the ones I've seen does and over time it build a film in the pan.

 

[SafetyBob]

Nice job Brian as always. To bad it reminds me I need to redo my setup that features regular black pipe, but at least when I got my lathe 15+ years ago I took an old hose off and used that neat plastic stuff you did.

I have been using a Rustlick product (can't remember the number) and have been really happy machining my aluminum with it.

Bob E.

 

[Mirage_Man]

Brian, does all of the coolant drains to the tank overnight?
Some of the ones I've seen does and over time it build a film in the pan.

The way I have it set up it drains completely in a couple minutes. There is a little bit left in the pan to evaporate and yes I believe it's supposed to leave a residue.

 

[Mirage_Man]

Nice job Brian as always. To bad it reminds me I need to redo my setup that features regular black pipe, but at least when I got my lathe 15+ years ago I took an old hose off and used that neat plastic stuff you did.

I have been using a Rustlick product (can't remember the number) and have been really happy machining my aluminum with it.

Bob E.

Thanks. Funny thing is the Loc-Line was originally purchased to make a light for the lathe. The nozzle and 2 blue pieces on the end of the black section were actually from a key-chain that was sent with my order .

I'm using a product called Trim E206 made by Master Chemical Corp. I got it from Enco after speaking with MCC's tech support.