Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Re: Reamer lube (was Oil Recomentations)
From: John De Armond
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 93 08:00:14 GMT

neidorff@uicc.com (Bob Neidorff) writes:
 
>In article <0dwspha@dixie.com>, jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond) writes:
>(stuff omitted)
>|> The very best cutting fluid I've ever used for ferrous metal is
>|> 1,1,1 trichloroethane.
 
>this is a volatile, hazardous solvent.  It may cause cancer or do
>some other funny things to you.  Have lots of fresh air in the shop!!!
 
>Yea, I know...who needs safety police?  But just in case someone
>isn't familiar with the stuff, you really should let them know that
>you aren't recommending something as benign as salad oil.
 
trike is about as harmless a solvent as can be used in the machine shop,
certainly less toxic than gasoline, anti-freeze and other common chemicals.
The vapor is heavy and sinks to the floor rapidly.  It is non-toxic and
the threshold value for the first toxic effects, dizziness, is 1000 ppm.
The OSHA 8 hour TWA is 350 ppm, a very large value as solvents go.
The chloronated solvent suspected of being a carcinagen is trichloroethylene.
 
I didn't post any safety nazi dribble about trike because none is warranted,
over and above the normal precautions used with any solvent, pretty much
summarized as don't take a bath in it and don't mix a drink with it.
One wonders why you didn't post about the hazards of ethylene glycol, a
legitimately acutely toxic substance.
 
The last thing we need to do in this group is further cloud the meaning of
terms that should be informational to people.  Terms such as hazardous,
toxic, poisonous, etc.  The government has done a remarkably good job
of this already.
 
John
 

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Re: Oil Recommendations?
From: dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams)
Date: 12 Feb 93 21:33:00 GMT

-> If you are cutting aluminum, it is essential to get a cutting fluid
-> which is correct for aluminum.  Some oils JUST DON'T WORK on
-> aluminum!
 
 The best stuff I've found for aluminum is soapy water.  A couple of
tablespoons of your favorite dishwashing liquid per quart of water, a
flood or mist pump, and away you go.  The soap keeps the machinery from
rusting.
 
 You can use water for tapping or threading unless you're working with
7xxx alloy, in which case you need aluminum tapping fluid.  7xxx acts
more like compressed chewing gum than metal.

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Re: Coolants?
From: dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams) 
Date: 16 Apr 94 20:24:00 GMT

-> If you use a ceramic tipped tool in the hobby shop you probably won't
-> need any coolant at all.

 You probably will if you're cutting aluminum.  The shop I used to work
in used some sort of "special CNC mist coolant" that worked pretty good,
but the drums were just marked with a part number and manufacturer name;
no address or useful information on the label.  (pre-MSDS, for Americans
reading)   The stuff smelled and felt quite a bit like plain old
dishwashing liquid, so I tried making up a squirt bottle of it at home.
1 part liquid soap to 10 parts water, and it works great.  It also
doesn't tend to rust the machinery, isn't nearly as slippery as oil,
doesn't stain your clothing, and is nonflammable.  Works like
gangbusters for drilling, and for tapping aluminum, but doesn't work
well at all for tapping steel.

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Re: Cutting Plexiglass on Table Saw?
From: shoppa@altair.krl.caltech.edu (Tim Shoppa)
Date: 28 Dec 1995 15:42:38 GMT

In article <4bq938$3u3@news1.svc>, Mike Rehmus  <mrehmus@grayfax.com> wrote:

>In one of The Machinist's Bedside Readers, Guy Lautard
>talks about 'disappearing oil' that is used to lube
>plastic while it is machined.
>
>Have you thought about using something like that?


The professional machinists I've seen milling Delrin always use
a bottle of "Plastic Polish" as a lubricant.  The polish is a
somewhat soapy liquid.  I'll see if I can find a brand name.  I've
also used this "Plastic Polish" while drilling holes (never done
much machining of Delrin myself) in Delrin and found the biggest
advantage is that the chips tend to come out much more freely if you
have a pool of the polish around the hole.

I have no idea if this polish would help on plexiglass.  The
local plastic shops just run plexiglass through their properly
adjusted table saws without any apparent lubrication.  And the
manufacturer's recommendations for cutting Acrylite (a plexiglass
clone) only mention water as a lubricant.

Tim. (shoppa@altair.krl.caltech.edu)