is lard oil still considered the best?

iwananew10K · Jun 19, 2011

i`m running low on cutting oil and wondering if it would be worth getting some lard oil instead of commercial cutting oil? are the modern oils superior to lard oil? or is lard oil still considered the best?

aametalmaster · Jun 19, 2011

iwananew10K said:
i`m running low on cutting oil and wondering if it would be worth getting some lard oil instead of commercial cutting oil? are the modern oils superior to lard oil? or is lard oil still considered the best?

I don't think so alot has come along in the last 30 years. Plus who wants rotting animal fat all over their machine. Just my thought...Bob

jim rozen · Jun 19, 2011

"Plus who wants rotting animal fat all over their machine."

Me.

Well. Not all over the machine. It's applied with an acid brush. And it's not rotting.
Purified clear lard oil mixed 50/50 with kerosene. It's a good all-purpose
cutting and tapping fluid.

USMCPOP · Jun 19, 2011

Where is a good source of lard oil?

OldMachinist · Jun 19, 2011

McMaster-Carr has it. Item #1308K4
McMaster-Carr

fciron · Jun 19, 2011

I scored a brand new, old-stock quart of lard oil at the paint store. I did open the can to check it out and it is stinky. It's also probably 30 years old. :eek:

I'm only keeping it around for curiousity's sake now. It's recommended for all kinds of uses in old books and even my 18th edition of the machinery's handbook, which is mid-1980s IIRC.

New-Old-Stock FTW by fciron, on Flickr

hitandmiss · Jun 19, 2011

Crisco is a good general purpose lube for tapping, metal drawing etc. Your wife may have some in the frige.

Bill

jim rozen · Jun 19, 2011

I'm sure that a production shop would not use this. And it would never be used
for flood coolant.

But for my use, where I have various small stainless jobs it really excels. I don't
want to keep water-based coolant around and do do flood coolant. I don't like
the misters so the apply by brush approach to life really works.

I buy this from sigma chemical co, via the purchasing guys at work. My guess
is sigma would not sell to individuals these days - the the mcmaster carr option is
best.

wb2vsj · Jun 19, 2011

I have seen it in the grocery store coolers (At least here in the south) in "solid" form.

You like Bacon? Dad used to use the grease for tapping/cutting. Man, did the shop smell great!

Walt

Bruce Nelson · Jun 19, 2011

Sulfur is the magic ingredient that turns a lubricating oil into a cutting oil. The best source of this is the hardware store under plumbing supplies called "thread cutting oil". Sulfur is the reason this oil is a dark color and has a odor similar to night gasses.

If you don't have any of this, any animal fat or vegetable fat will work. What it does is prevents chip weld on the cutting edge of the tool. Petroleum based lubricating oils do not prevent chip weld and are not worth a damn for cutting oils. One thing that I've recently used for cutting oil is my WD-40 can with a pipe spout. Works good and doesn't leave an objectionable mess.

Lord Byron

k3vyl · Jun 20, 2011

Wd40

What Bruce says just supports the stories that WD is made from fish oil.

TDegenhart · Jun 21, 2011

This is from the WD40 website:

Myth: WD-40 contains fish oil.
Fact:
Consumers have told us over the years that they have caught some of the biggest fish ever after protecting their fish hooks and lures with WD-40. We believe this legend came from folks assuming that the product must contain fish oil since it appears to attract fish. Sorry Charlie®, it just ain’t so.

Tom

aametalmaster · Jun 21, 2011

TDegenhart said:
Consumers have told us over the years that they have caught some of the biggest fish ever after protecting their fish hooks and lures with WD-40. We believe this legend came from folks assuming that the product must contain fish oil since it appears to attract fish. Sorry Charlie®, it just ain’t so.

Tom

If it does or doesn't my dad 25 years ago sprayed down his rubber worms and rubber lures with WD-40 to keep them from sticking together and to his non rubber worm proof box. He said they attracted more fish with the WD but that could be an old myth too since i never got any fish to eat LOL...Bob

jim rozen · Jun 21, 2011

The MSDS sheet for wd40 says it's mostly stoddard solvent I think.

But bruce is sure right about the dark sulfurized cutting oil. That stuff works great,
and can be purchased in small quantities at home desperate in the plumbing section.
It'll really stink up a shop though. If you think lard oil smoke's bad, try that stuff.

packrat2 · Jun 21, 2011

try Kroil oil..look up Kano laboratories.

OldMachinist · Jun 21, 2011

"Plus who wants rotting animal fat all over their machine."

"I'm sure that a production shop would not use this. And it would never be used for flood coolant."

I read both these comments in this post and had to chuckle because the oil used in most of the milky water soluble production coolants is animal fat.

USMCPOP · Jun 21, 2011

FWIW, lard oil is a portion of the rendered pork fat, not just lard. By various processes, the olein is segrated from the stearates.

Bruce Nelson · Jun 21, 2011

OldMachinist said:
"Plus who wants rotting animal fat all over their machine."

"I'm sure that a production shop would not use this. And it would never be used for flood coolant."

I read both these comments in this post and had to chuckle because the oil used in most of the milky water soluble production coolants is animal fat.

And water soluble oil (milky when mixed) gets pretty gross when left in a coolant sump.

Lord Byron

OldMachinist · Jun 21, 2011

It's called going rancid, certain materials and shop pratices will cause it to happen fast. Machining cast iron or if someone spits in the coolant are two of the fastest ways for it to happen. Next major cause is tramp oil, it floats on top and allows anaerobic bacteria to grow in the coolant.

Raul McCai · Sep 18, 2015

k3vyl said:
What Bruce says just supports the stories that WD is made from fish oil.

The MSDS shows it's pretty much nothing but Aviation grade Kero (Jet fuel).
My suspicion is that they made it from that just to skunk people trying to "make their own." But if it's just jet fuel then any deodorized Kero will do as well.

I remember (in the bad old days of bad polymers and distributor caps) the practice of tossing a cup of Kero or diesel fuel on a car's ignition cables after the engine compartment got wet and the cables were sparking off all the electricity through cracks in the cables so the car wouldn't start.

After tossing the Kero on the car always started up fine because the kero displaces water like a champ

the WD in WD40 stands for Water Displacement

is lard oil still considered the best?

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Titanium

Cast Iron

Stainless

Titanium

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Stainless

Stainless

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Cast Iron

Titanium

Stainless

Cast Iron

Aluminum

Similar threads