[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Homemade cutting fluid? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 9/14/2011 5:27:30 PM EDT
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Any homemade recipes for making your own cutting/drilling fluid? I need to drill several 13/16" sized holes through 1/4" mild steel, and I'm going to need some kind of cutting fluid. I have several gallons of used motor oil, ATF, and the like, so I am curious if any will work as a decent cutting fluid substitute.
Any suggestions? |
| You are drilling mild steel the oil or ATF will work just fine. Start with a small hole and graduate up. As you get larger slow your cutting rate down. I'm assuming you will use a drill press. Make sure you clamp the work piece down good. You don't need it doing a helicopter on you. |
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If it's only a few (ie- less than a dozen), I'd just use whatever. give it some wd40, or some 3 in 1, or whatever machine oil you have. Pecking .100 at a time will go pretty quickly, it's not gonna heat the drill up too much. If you have a grinder, just touch the drill up if it gets too burnt (which it wont at proper speed with reasonable pecks) |
| I'm using a drill press, and I have used ATF in the past. I'm running at the lowest speed, which should be just over 200 RPMs. My understanding is I need to control heat more than anything, so is used motor oil a good alternative? I've tried WD-40 before, and it didn't seem to work as well as ATF. It was a lot louder (more squeals), and didn't seem to be as smooth. Of course, these were straight 13/16" holes with no stepping. |
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Quoted: I'd probably go around double that speed for mild steels.I'm using a drill press, and I have used ATF in the past. I'm running at the lowest speed, which should be just over 200 RPMs. My understanding is I need to control heat more than anything, so is used motor oil a good alternative? I've tried WD-40 before, and it didn't seem to work as well as ATF. It was a lot louder (more squeals), and didn't seem to be as smooth. Of course, these were straight 13/16" holes with no stepping. If you have a small paintbrush, keep a dish of oil that you can brush on between pecks. |
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You need to put your drill on it's fastest setting and pull down as hard as you can. Almost make it stop the bit.
With enough speed and enough pressure, you can cut through anything. 
BTW: Oil reduces friction, therefore making it cut slower. Why on earth would you do that? |
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Quoted:
You need to put your drill on it's fastest setting and pull down as hard as you can. Almost make it stop the bit. With enough speed and enough pressure, you can cut through anything.
BTW: Oil reduces friction, therefore making it cut slower. Why on earth would you do that? I hope this post is a joke. 
OP do not follow this advice to drill a 13/16 inch hole. |
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You need to put your drill on it's fastest setting and pull down as hard as you can. Almost make it stop the bit. With enough speed and enough pressure, you can cut through anything.
BTW: Oil reduces friction, therefore making it cut slower. Why on earth would you do that? I hope this post is a joke.
OP do not follow this advice to drill a 13/16 inch hole. Are you trying to tell me my drill bits aren't single use items? They don't seem to last very long, I just thought they were disposable. 
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1/4 mild steel plate.... I doubt you can drill a hole and move to the next one fast enough for a bit that big to get really hot. Just toss some of that used motor oil in a can give it one squirt and call it good.
BTW if your bit is getting hot or takes longer than about 20 seconds at 400ish RPM you fucked up sharpening your bit, or it's dull and you didn't sharpen it. You want big chips, if you arnt getting big chips your bit is dull. |
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Lard. This, but whale oil is better. Lard works pretty good, though. lard, tallow or bacon grease. Dip the bit into the cold congealed fat, and as the bit heats, more will melt down into the work, coolong the bit. Plus smells yummy ... I suppose candle wax or parrafin would work as well... |
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I use a quart of water with a couple tablespoons each of liquid dish soap and any oil. Trans fluid, motor oil, whatever. Using a mag drill, I drilled a couple dozen 13/16" holes in 3/8" mild steel today in about an hour.
Slow speed, high pressure. Keep the bit wet. |
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Is there a chart online that gives recommended RPM's for various bit sizes in mild steel? I found this with a quick search. Speed Chart |
| Just about any all-purpose lube will do, long as you don't overload the drill. What others have said - wd40, 3-in-1, etc. all work just fine. You just need some type of lubricant. If you're totally OCD, Lowe's or Home Depot will have tap magic or something similar, but that's really overkill for what you're doing. |
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Lard. This, but whale oil is better. Lard works pretty good, though. lard, tallow or bacon grease. Dip the bit into the cold congealed fat, and as the bit heats, more will melt down into the work, coolong the bit. Plus smells yummy ... I suppose candle wax or parrafin would work as well... Yep, bacon grease for the win! |
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Mild steel can be drilled dry. Motor oil will do the trick. Are you using a drill press? Your tools hate you. +1 Remember that cutting fluid is a coolant first, lubricant second. With what you're doing, motor oil doesn't sound like a half bad substitute. As far as rev's go, for some 13/16" holes, I'd keep revs under 350. Extending tool life, and especially without properly formulated cutting fluid, you don't wanna be going too fast. |
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You are drilling mild steel the oil or ATF will work just fine. Start with a small hole and graduate up. As you get larger slow your cutting rate down. I'm assuming you will use a drill press. Make sure you clamp the work piece down good. You don't need it doing a helicopter on you. Go ahead and file that one in the "learned the hard way" drawer. |
| Boelube at $3.55 will pay for itself in drillbit life very quickly, especially if you are not adept at sharpening drill bits. It is also a must have for tapping. |
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Quoted: 9th grade shop class.. Launched the work and the vice into the side of a welding booth Quoted: You are drilling mild steel the oil or ATF will work just fine. Start with a small hole and graduate up. As you get larger slow your cutting rate down. I'm assuming you will use a drill press. Make sure you clamp the work piece down good. You don't need it doing a helicopter on you. Go ahead and file that one in the "learned the hard way" drawer.  (vice wasn't bolted down) |
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Quoted: Boelube at $3.55 will pay for itself in drillbit life very quickly, especially if you are not adept at sharpening drill bits. It is also a must have for tapping. Boelube is the shiznit.  |
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Brake fluid. A drop or two on each flute before each hole.
For soft gummy 1018, brake fluid works great. The object is to transfer the heat from the thin cutting edge to the mass of the chip & the part being drilled. It does not take much fluid to do this. Anchorlube is also great in gummy stuff, especially tapping. |