Using coolant

[NoviceParticipant @novice]

We all know turning brass is a very tricky thing to do because the chips fly all over the place. When using coolant fluid the chips stay in the driptray so don't fly into your hair, ears, clothing etc. Is there a good reason not to do it this way? I know there is no real reason to lubricate brass and cast iron. Is using coolant fluid on these materials a big sin??

[NoviceParticipant @novice]

coolant on brass, bronze, etc.

[FMESParticipant @fmes]

No sin at all, but i prefer to have the shop vac nozzle close to the job to suck up the majority of the chippings as they come off.

Regards

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Try A **GT insert tool and you won't get the shower of chips that a traditional zero top rake HSS tool produces, even hard brass will come off in ringlets.

[JonParticipant @jon]

It dont often work like that chips drop in tray using coolant.

Hate the stuff, comes off travels 5 feet past tail stock to a wall and bounces back 3 feet and embeds in arms. Thats with any type of tip in posession.

Intermittant and brass when i do use it a hard hat with visor, full length jacket zipped up necessary.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Here you go. HSS power and then hand fed followed by CCGT power and then hand fed. HSS gives the usual shower of fine swarf, CCGT small curls under power and long ones hand fed and they are also thrown away from the user unlike the HSS which goes all over you. Same bit of brass, same feed rates, same DOC, same speed just two different cutters.

[Anonymous]

It's not a sin but you will pay a penance, especially with cast iron. You'll end up with a sort of black sludge that is very difficult to remove completely. If everything is dry, and you machine dry, it is easy to sweep and vacuum away.

I just stand out of the way of the stream. The only thing you really need to worry about is getting it in the eyes, and you should be wearing goggles anyway whatever the swarf is doing. Generally I try and avoid coolant when turning as it gets thrown everywhere and makes a mess on the floor and walls. Haven't managed to get it on the ceiling yet!

Andrew

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Hope that this is not too far off topic.

Cast Iron is a) dirty and b) abrasive if it gets between the sliding surfaces, so I try to minimise it's passage around the lathe.

To this end, a powerful magnet is placed about where the swarf will fall, and then covered by a sheet of newspaper, (which is tucked out of the way of the chuck and its jaws).

Most of the swarf then flies towards the magnet, and at a suitable time, the newspaper is removed and folded to funnel the cast iron swarf into a suitable receptacle, leaving a clean machine.

Brass, I machine dry, and ruefully accept the fountains of small chips flying about the place. Again, if possible, I use newspaper, (without the magnet!) to try catch as much as possible. A pastry brush makes a pretty good means of moving the rest to where it can be disposed of without too much trouble.

Howard

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

When using HSS on brass you should keep the lathe as dry and oil free as possible and make every effort to catch all the fine chips. If you have a bed oiler system its best to wipe down the cutting area every few cuts to make clean up easier. So long as your felt wipers are well wetted and in good order drying the bed will make no difference to lubrication. Its the oil pumped up onto the bed and absorbed by the felt that does the work.

My Smart & Brown 1024 clearly did a significant amount of brass work along with steel and alloy with no special cleaning precautions. Oil bonded lumps of brass chips packed everywhere. Serious clean-up and heavy duty servicing before putting to work got most of it but was around 5 years before Is topped finding chips during the annual service, slide lube and re-adjustment.

Clive.

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

I work to the idiom of … Brass / cast Iron , no coolant what so ever. Brass is often brushed into the swarf tray & collected later. Cast iron, I cover the bed ways & as much of the rest of the lathe with cloth, I also have small neodymium magnets in small plastic ' bank coin' bags placed on the cross slide + plus bedways where they 'attract' CI cuttings, when Job finished I remove magnets & 'peel off' the coin bags letting the CI drop into the swarf bucket, I still use vacuum cleaner to get into awkward places.

With aluminium I use both HSS ( tangential cutter ) or insert type tips with WD40 as coolant media, some say use paraffin, or a mix of kerosene ( paraffin ) + light oil, horses for courses ?. I concur with Clive that on a once a year maintenance everything is stripped back & cleaned out as far as possible, especially if the majority of work has been cast iron.

George.

[NoviceParticipant @novice]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. Have bought CCMT inserts with holder and this indeed helps in making a bit less of a mess. However being pig-headed I still us coolant when turning very ligt cuts; but only 2 or 3 drops per minute. Swarf forms a nice stalagmite under the tool that can easely be brushed away and doing so it keeps a good view on the toolpoint. Cast-iron is another matter. I now use kitchen paper with magnets and a vacuum cleaner.

Jan

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Hi Novice, I find it best to use a chip shield on my lathes, especially with brass and cast iron chips flying around,

Emgee

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I have a 6" square polycarbonate square with a few strategically positioned holes.

I use this on a magnetic stand with both lathe and mill to intercept streams of chips/swarf.

Neil

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

My Chester Craftsman lathe came with a steel cover and a plastic ? one. The only time I ever use the "plastic "one is when I,m working brass. Steel chips in the eye are bad enough,but brass ones are BAD BAD BAD ! They are not the easiest thing to remove,and do they hurt ? do they hell !

So I would say,yes, a full face shield by all means [makes you look better,sometimes ! ],but still work it dry.

cast iron is DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY Full stop ! Again,work it dry.

This is my tuppence worth.

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