Hmm, yeah, I can get that sort of stuff locally and it's not expensive either.
By the way, before going for the coconut oil idea I had a look around and was surprised to see that it's use as cutting fluid is documented in the literature (e.g. here). Other people suggest groundnut oil or even sunflower oil based products.
I'm not sure about the long term effects such residue can have on the metal, though.
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Using Tap Magic I have gotten more than 25,000 holes out of a standard 10-32 tap.
The old books I have suggest lard mixed with kerosine. Tap Magic works much better.
The white water/lube mixture also acts as a coolant to extend bit life at higher cutting speeds. You can get more work done in an hour at the higher speeds but you get fewer pieces per bit.
But whatever works for you should be fine.
The old books I have suggest lard mixed with kerosine. Tap Magic works much better.
The white water/lube mixture also acts as a coolant to extend bit life at higher cutting speeds. You can get more work done in an hour at the higher speeds but you get fewer pieces per bit.
But whatever works for you should be fine.
Turpentine - the real stuff, made from pine sap, not the synthetic imitations - is hard to beat for thread cutting taps and dies. I can still get it at genuine hardware stores (a breed on the edge of extinction) as well as the national "home center" chains, without going to a specialty machine shop supplier.
Ever since an old machinist showed this technique to me decades ago, I have wondered why it works. The best theory I have is that the low viscosity, low surface tension turpentine can get right to the very point of cutting contact, where the heat of deformation vaporizes it and leaves behind a microscopic trace of pine resin. No way to test that theory, but if it's true there are probably other combinations of slick solid materials and suitable solvents that could give the same effect.
Dale
Ever since an old machinist showed this technique to me decades ago, I have wondered why it works. The best theory I have is that the low viscosity, low surface tension turpentine can get right to the very point of cutting contact, where the heat of deformation vaporizes it and leaves behind a microscopic trace of pine resin. No way to test that theory, but if it's true there are probably other combinations of slick solid materials and suitable solvents that could give the same effect.
Dale
This is the best tip I have ever seen on cutting fluid! I've been trying to get Tap Magic Aluminum in France, but to no avail. I will try using the coconut oil. Cheap and non-toxic
Btw, I found this paper also:
Experimental Investigation on the Performance of Coconut oil Based Nano Fluid as Lubricants during Turning of AISI 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel
which states at the end of the paper:
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