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COOLANT, REVISITED

Interpolate

Aluminum
Joined
Nov 26, 2002
Location
CALIFORNIA
Hi there Guys... I know this topic has been talked about before I read the past posts that I could find and couldn't get the answer I was looking for.
What coolant type and brand is going to last the longest without getting funky and smelly and also give the best corrosion protection. Of course I want it all! Does it exist?
I want to buy a VMC for my small shop and the machine isn't going to get used in a production environment. I'd like to get a coolant that I can leave in there for as long as possible.
Thanks,
JD
 
Last a long time ???
I cant tell you about that , because im making a part that is finishing at about 3,500 rpm in my lathe... All my coolent (about 10-20 gallons) is turning into vapor every 3 days... SO i have to fill it up again, and so it never has a chance to get stunky... hahaha

But we use Solubal oil... Its a DARK blue... And you mix it about 1 part to 10 parts water...

Works great...
 
I have been using blaser 2000cf for abut a year, and it does not go bad. not cheap, but it is not like coolant is your biggest expense
 
I'll second the Blaser swiss lube, this stuff is awesome. It smells good and it never, ever goes nasty, unless your spitting tobacco or peeing in it or something. We did have some that was a little stinky because we had mixed it with our previous coolant that you could smell from the street it was so rancid. Just take the nasty stuff, stick it in a barrel and let the bacteria in the coolant go to work, suck the resulting sludge off the top and reuse, its been about 9 months and the coolant in the used barrels smells just like the fresh mixed stuff.
I don't know about the 2-3%, we run 8-12% on the refractometer with a multiplier of 1. I can see a synthetic reading 2-3% with a multiplier of course.
This stuff isn't cheap though, figure 15-20 a gallon, but well worth it. For solar, we used to use straight Chevron soluble and it didn't get too nasty sitting around for a while, throw in a couple of those blue tablets and it was OK, a bit cheaper around $7 a gallon if I remember right.
 
We experimented with alot of different coolants.
Two have been working well, Master chemical Trim Sol E206 and a coolant from PICO chemical.
 
To Pi!!!

Well shit!!!
I dont know... Maybe im putting in too much ?
Damn!!! no wonder we run out so fast...
It comes in a 5 gallon bucket... And we use it about 1 month...
This is for 3 cnc lathes, 3 conventional lathes...
and 1 cnc mill 2 conventional mills...

But ok... So your saying i should mix it with more water ? i will try that... i just didnt want my machine to rust, so maybe im put a little extra ;)
hahaha

thanks for the tip
 
to huflung....

Hi!!!

Well i dont really know...
Yes there is a label but i have not read it...
The other machinists told me to mix it about 20 to 1... but i mix it about 10 to 1... It looks too watered down when its only 20 to 1... anyway... It works great... i can look on monday, to see the name and type of coolent it is...

Anyway...

Seems to work very well
 
The right mix is kinda important. Solar, ask your boss to invest in a refractometer. It's used for checking the concentricity of the coolant. It's a waste to use too much, and rust problems in you use too little.
 
Another vote for Blaser here.
I switched about 6 months ago and won't be going back anytime soon.
At work we use valcool and cimstar. The valcool lasts well if you don't let tramp oil occumulate. The cimstar has no tolerance for tramp oil at all. It will turn to peuk in no time. I think it is time to switch to Blaser at work now that I have proven it in my shop. At $20 a gallon it aint cheep but it works so damn good. :D
When you make the decide to go with Blaser. call them up and talk to their tech people and they will be glad to recommend the appropriate coolant for your application.


Good Luck,

ARB
 
Your biggest problem with coolant on the left coast is going to be getting rid of it. Unless you have some sort of a recycling system, coolant disposal is a real problem. Talk to some shops in the area and ask them how they deal with it.
JR
 
Solar--

You must get a refractometer. It's the only way to know your mix. Look and feel won't work. The water evaporates at a faster rate than does the oil. Over time your mixture becomes richer and more water has to be added. And remember the acronym "OIL" stands for Oil In Last. That means to add the coolant to the water, not the water to the coolant. It really does make a difference.

pi-- 2% to 3%? Seems kinda light. Are you sure that is the percentage or is that the refractometer reading? Most coolants I've used are mixed at about 7%-10% accoring to label directions. Then there is a refrac factor. One of the coolants we use has a "refrac factor" of 3.33. So we keep the refractometer reading between 2-1/2 and 3 which when multiplied by the refrac factor gives us a 8%-10% mix.

We are currently using two different coolants. Both are Trim products from Master Chemical. One is the bluse stuff (semi-synthetic?) and is OK for most stuff. The other is a milky white (synthetic or oil soluable?) and is far superior. We are slowly swithing all the machine over to it. All the lathes, one vertical mill and the saw have been swithced and now we're slowly converting the rest of the mills. May take six to nine months to do it. On the machines we have switched, there has been a dramatic increase in tool life, part finish and corrosion issues. It costs about $100 more for a 55 gallon drum but we seem to be consuming less of it and the end results, especially on aluminum, is well worth it.
 
That's great. What brand are you using? This might be worth checking on since we use a 55 gallon drum every 3 to 4 weeks. Mixing at a third of what we do now could net a substantial savings.
 
We use GoldenWeast Lubricants 5503 Synthetic. Mixed 10:1 for the VMCs, 8:1 for the grinders. Never have had a problem with with rust or rancidity. Except on the Blanchard where swarf and oil and grease contamination become something of an issue. All the other machines, i.e., mills, lathes, and Shizouka CNCs we use Valcool in mister systems.
The 5503 is about $85. for a five gallon pail. But it is the best coolant I have used. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's possible there are better things out there. There are so many different coolants. But in my opinion at least for grinding, it is the best, period.
Greg B.
 
i dont know estop. but what i do know is if i was to mix it 10% it would peel my skin off. 4 on the refractor gives me a rash
 








 
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