cutting oil

[mechanic]

what do you guys use when you are drilling and tapping in steel. I use to never use any but I've read it makes your cutting tools last longer and keep them cool. I've thought motor oil would be good. Some say they use wd40. I think that is a little to thin for that. So whats up.

 

[nybirdman]

They do make purpose made cutting oil.Check with your plumbing supply houses.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I use WD40 on aluminum. I use dark cutting oil on steel (same stuff plumbers use for threading pipe). For tapping I use TapMagic cutting fluid.

 

[dragoneggs]

Using cutting oil does a couple things... lubricates keeping heat down and carries heat away by flooding if you use a lot of it. For small jobs I think WD40 works fine.

 

[rswyan]

Right now I'm using my own home brew concoction of straight 30 weight detergent motor oil and GM ATF ...

Mostly it's whatever I have lying around that I have no other use for ...

 

[kennyd]

For steel, I use thread cutting oil (Rigid brand maybe?) sold at Home Depot in the plumbing isle. For aluminum I use WD40 or Tap-Magic.

 

[Wolfy]

I like Marvel Mystery Oil.

 

[Rocky Hoffler]

Right now I'm using my own home brew concoction of straight 30 weight detergent motor oil and GM ATF ...

Mostly it's whatever I have lying around that I have no other use for ...

any lubricant is better than no lubricant. I use tap magic for taps and spray lube for drilling

 

[rswyan]

any lubricant is better than no lubricant. ...

Yup ... that's pretty much what I figured ... and it's more or less proved to be true: none of my large S&D bits or Lennox Bi-Metal Holesaws have dulled appreciably in the 10 or so years I've had 'em ...

Always a kick to see how long of an "apple peel" you can get when using the drill press ... I think I've managed to get around 18" or so ... before it starts slapping not just the column but me as well ... :laughing:

Sacrificing that Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is gonna be a tough one tho' ...

 

[newbury]

any lubricant is better than no lubricant. I use tap magic for taps and spray lube for drilling

How well do the "specialty" cutting oils adhere to the drill and hole?

I seem to have had a lot of holes to make where the work was vertical. Anything dripped on immediately ran off. So I switched to chain-saw bar oil. It's sticky. And I have several gallons. I pour a little in a bottle cap, dip the bit in it and proceed.

 

[jaotguy]

anything can lube .. even butter ..... any old oil / grease ... for regular general stuff ....

production = use the good stuff specified ....

then CLEAN after using either ...

 

[94BULLITT]

I use cutting oil made by a company called Chempack.

 

[Kernopelli]

I used to use any oil I had on hand. I figured something was better than nothing. I recently started using Tap Magic and I am sold on it. Liberal amounts of spray lubes or oil helped, especially to cool but really made a mess. It amazes me how a little Tap Magic applied and you are suddenly removing long chip curls of metal. I have always been told those chips not only demonstrate a well cutting tool but are what carry a lot of cutting heat away. They must..... lathe tools and drill bits stay cooler and cut better with a little cutting fluid than they did with lots of oil.

 

[crazyal]

I use pipe thread cutting oil that comes in a spray can. I get it at the local plumbing store. It might be the same as the Rigid brand but I figure if it works for people in the trade then it must be good. I also use it when sharpening blades and the chainsaw chain. It's kind of tacky so it just doesn't run off like WD40. Can't remember the name though.

 

[Gem99ultra]

How well do the "specialty" cutting oils adhere to the drill and hole?

I seem to have had a lot of holes to make where the work was vertical. Anything dripped on immediately ran off. So I switched to chain-saw bar oil. It's sticky. And I have several gallons. I pour a little in a bottle cap, dip the bit in it and proceed.

I use Tap Magic for drilling and WD40 for cutting. Both really accelerates to task at hand.

To keep the fluid from running off of drilling operations, I usually place a large washer surrounding the around the spot being drilled out. That keeps the fluid where it's supposed to be. That's not all that scientific, but I'd read about that system in a 1950's Popular Mechanic magazine. It worked then and it still works now.

 

[flusher]

I use WD40 on aluminum. I use dark cutting oil on steel (same stuff plumbers use for threading pipe). For tapping I use TapMagic cutting fluid.

Exactly what I use. The drills are Milwaukee Thunderbolt black oxide coated. I sharpen the bits larger than 1/8" with my Drill Doctor or on the bench grinder.

 

[Texasmark]

what do you guys use when you are drilling and tapping in steel. I use to never use any but I've read it makes your cutting tools last longer and keep them cool. I've thought motor oil would be good. Some say they use wd40. I think that is a little to thin for that. So whats up.

Cutting oil is a peculiar oil in that it supports cutting where regular oil is a lubricant. Your drill will slide on regular oil but will dig in with cutting oil.

I found that a farm supply store from Oklahoma, Attwoods stocks in in the rattle can under the badge CRC which produces numerous other rattle can products. It is a foam and really does a nice job. The other thing I found that aids in good cutting is slow speeds and lots of pressure like a drill press offers.

When I was younger I used to run the hand held drill at max rpms with no cutting oil and would ruin a bit every time I used one. With the above, I have bits that are over 10 yrs old and still cut like they were new.

Mark

 

[Big Barn]

Cutting oil is a peculiar oil in that it supports cutting where regular oil is a lubricant. Your drill will slide on regular oil but will dig in with cutting oil. I found that a farm supply store from Oklahoma, Attwoods stocks in in the rattle can under the badge CRC which produces numerous other rattle can products. It is a foam and really does a nice job. The other thing I found that aids in good cutting is slow speeds and lots of pressure like a drill press offers. When I was younger I used to run the hand held drill at max rpms with no cutting oil and would ruin a bit every time I used one. With the above, I have bits that are over 10 yrs old and still cut like they were new. Mark

Ha ha. That sounds like me. These are my favourite cutting oils now.



Terry

 

[mikehaugen]

I use tap magic for drilling and tapping. I have the special formula for aluminum as well but haven't used it yet as I rarely do aluminum. I really do like it, my father was a machinist for many years and that's what he always had around.

There are probably cheaper/slightly more efficient fluids for drilling but the little that I use it is no problem. If I started doing a whole lot more drilling I would seek an alternative, in fact i would probably invest in a flood coolant system... but for now it's one less thing to have to keep stocked.

 

[dragoneggs]

I use Tap Magic for drilling and WD40 for cutting. Both really accelerates to task at hand.

To keep the fluid from running off of drilling operations, I usually place a large washer surrounding the around the spot being drilled out. That keeps the fluid where it's supposed to be. That's not all that scientific, but I'd read about that system in a 1950's Popular Mechanic magazine. It worked then and it still works now.

Yes creating a little dam helps keep the fluid from leaving the area too early. I use little magnet strips sometimes.