Mist coolant system

I have been looking for an affordable mist coolant system for my BP mill. Since I only have a hobby shop I don't need an expensive setup. I just want to have one on hand when and if the need arises.

I'm looking at a Trico Lil' Mister unit. It only holds a quart, and doesn't have a magnetic holder, but I can get it for cheap.

Here's a mfr. page describing the unit:

http://www.tricomfg.com/store/ProdLineInfo.asp?ProdLineID=20&ProdSeg=MetalCutting

Any opinions on this product as an entry-level coolant unit?

Thanks, Mike

hello.

i like mist.

i think trico makes a unit that consists of 2 hoses [air and mist] and mounts magnetically. i mix up the coolant in a gallon jug and drop the hose in it and go.

also have an 'aquaflo' that i don't like as well.

seems like the rico unit i mentioned costs about $60.

good luck.
bill

Small shop budget? Know how a purfume atomizer works? Got a model/hobby shop in your area?

Get a piece of 1/8" brass hobby tubing that their clear plastic fuel hose fits on, 10 ft of hose, and some barb fittings. Get some hose flow adjustment clamps (the kind that squash the IV hose to fine tune the flow rate) from the medical supply house. Make a couple 1/32" orifices to solder in the tubing, one for air and one for coolant. Arrange the air orifice so it blows across the top of the coolant orifice, experiment for optimum placement, bend for parallel runs of tubing, and solder in place.

Install hoses, flow controls, a fuel line hose filter in the coolant side, devise an adjustible magnetic mounting, and install the spray unit on the magnetic mount. Drop the coolant line in a coffee can of coolant, connect to air, adjust valves and go to town.

The the whole idea of a home shop is you don't have to buy stuff. You can make it yourself and save a bunch of money.

Alternatively look in the Enco catalog page 717. They offer a Spra Kool unit for $24.95 Model 505-2124 and lots of other stuff on neighboring pages

[This message has been edited by Forrest Addy (edited 07-25-2004).]

I hope that you are not paying 90 bucks for that, as listed on the site.

I like my Kool-mist that I bought from MSC-Enco for about $60, with magnetic bae, that uses any users resevoir. I use a one gallon plastic bottle. Hanz

At one of the yahoo groups, someone suggested using a cheap airbrush, that you can pick up at Harbor freight for about $10. If you already have one you could try it. A step up would be this item (just the basics) at LMS, for about $26:
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2226

Jeff

Thanks for the replies guys. I did check out the suggested units, the Spra-Kool and the Kool Mist, but decided to go ahead and buy the Trico unit since I think it's the best deal I have found so far.

I realize that I could have made up a homemade mister but unfortunately spare time is a luxury for me right now.

For the $30.00 price this guy is asking for the Lil' Mister I couldn't pass it up. It is a self-contained unit...I won't even have to look for a jug. I just happen to have an old indicator stand that will work fine for holding the nozzle too.

He has a couple more available if anyone is interested. Here's the ebay link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3829336779&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

Thanks again for your comments.

Mike

For future reference, when you get tired of the Trico clogging and sputtering start looking for a proper Bijur pressure type spray mist. Over $400 new but they pop up on eBay for under 100 bucks sometimes.


"suction sucks, pressure pleases"

I have a Bijur UBA coolant mister on my Gorton 2-30 TraceMaster. was drilling some stainless and a chip grabbed the end of the nozzle. Twisted that sucker around the bit before I could blink. 8 inches of metal flex with a nozzle on one end and a small metering valve on the other...... I always thought of Bijur as being a leader in the industry. I called a couple local tooling places here in Seattle.....didn't seem like they had ever heard of Bijur? So I called what was supposedly Bizur's US headquarters. They quoted $322.50 for a "jet assy spray flex, B101". Are they smoking crack?