Drill and Cutting Coolant/Lubricant:

Keeping drills, taps and cutters cool and sharp

Cutting fluids or coolants greatl y i ncrease the l i fe of dri l l bi ts, taps, l athe and mi l l i ng cutters as
wel l as saw bl ades.
The standard cutti ng fl ui d was a dark sul phuri zed oi l . Today water sol ubl e oi l s are used i n
reci rcul ati ng systems and mi st systems. There are al so si mpl e shop reci pes, make do's and
l ocal i zed cutter l ubri cants.
These products al l do a number of thi ngs:
Cool the cutti ng edge
Lubri cate the non-cutti ng surfaces and chi ps
Wash away fi ne chi ps
For l i ght duty work I use WD-40 because i t i s handy as I keep several cans i n the shop at al l ti mes.
The spray cans are conveni ent di spensers and work wel l on movi ng parts. The resi due that does
not evaporate hel ps protect the machi ne.
For producti on dri l l i ng I have used kerosene mi xed wi th motor oi l . The kerosene boi l s and
evaporates at the cutti ng edge cool i ng where i t i s most i mportant. Thi s can be a smokey way to
dri l l and can be a fi re hazard.
On machi nes wi th pump systems i ncl udi ng l athes, mi l l s, saws and gri nders you use water sol ubl e
oi l . Thi s makes a mi l ky whi te l i qui d that cool s and l ubri cates. It washes off easi l y and carri es other
oi l s to the tank. These are know an "tramp" oi l s and there are systems for removi ng them from the
tank. Most water based cool ants have an anti -mi crobi al agent to prevent them from goi ng stal e.
Bacteri a growi ng i n the cool ant can be a heal th hazzard and often sti nks.
Pumped systems can be messy on saws and dri l l s. Some producti on dri l l presses are equi ped
tabl es wi th a l arge gutter and drai n as wel l as no hol es for cool ant to l eak through. Saws tend to be
messy even when desi gned for cool ant.
Mi st systems al so use water based sol uabl e oi l cool ants. These systems use a smal l contai ner of
the cool ant and and ai r powered atomi zer to spray the cool ant on the work. These are handy for
machi nes that do not have drai n pans or aprons to catch fl ui d from a pumped system. Care must
be taken as to what type of cool ant i s used as mi sts are i nhal ed by workers and can be a seri ous
heal th hazzard. Oi l mi sts are parti cul arl y hazardous and shoul d be avoi ded.
For tapi ng the same cool ants are commonl y used especi al l y when a machi ne has a pump or mi st
system. However there are speci al tappi ng compounds that cool better and l ubri cate better under
the hi gh pressures of tapi ng.
One of the best tapi ng agents was "Tap Free" a non-fl amabl e sol vent based product. It had a l ow
boi l i ng poi nt and you coul d hear i t "si zzl i ng" at the cutti ng edge. It was amazi ng stuff but has
been taken off the market.
Currentl y there are a number of tapi ng fl ui ds on the market and they al l do a fai rl y good j ob.
Machi ni sts often use them on di ffi cul t to machi ne materi al s on l athes and mi l l i ng machi nes as
wel l as for tappi ng.
-guru
I've used my el -cheapo Tai wan verti cal /hori zontal metal cutti ng band wet and dry. I used the same
hi gh carbon bl ades for both procedures. Cutti ng hi gher carbon steel , there was a defi ni ted
di fference, wi th wet cutti ng bei ng both faster and wi th a l onger bl ade l i fe. I di d not use a regul ar
"cutti ng oi l ", I used Tap Magi c, whi ch I happened to have on hand.
Paw Paw - Wednesday, 12/11/02 02:56:55 GMT
I started buyi ng taps made for my CNC machi ne from J&L and fi nd they are great for hand tappi ng
as wel l . Wi th good taps you can feel the di fference.
Cutting oil?
Another area where you can feel the di fference. Some of the better ones l i ke Rapi d-tap and
tap-EZ have had to change thei r formul a, guess they can't use fl ori nated hydrocarbons anymore,
but they sti l l work better than regul ar oi l . The ol d bl ack sul feri zed l ard oi l s are sti l l great too.
- grant - Saturday, 11/08/03 12:11:43 EST
Tap Lube:
I often use a sti ck l ube for machi ne or power tappi ng. (My favori te i s Tapmati c Edge Lube) Far l ess
messy than the oi l s but a l i ttl e more cri ti cal i n appl i cati on. Don't j am a bunch i nto the fl utes j ust l et
the tap rub agai nst the sti ck to pi ck up a l i ttl e bi t. After the tap i s warmed from the fi rst hol e i t mel ts
on very qui ckl y. Parti cul arl y good i n Al umi num operati ons and works for sawi ng al so.
SGensh - Saturday, 11/08/03 13:07:29 EST
TapFree:
Thi s product was waste dry cl eani ng fl ui d wi th a l i ttl e beeswax and perfume (to cover the l aundry
sti nk). It was tri chl orethl ene I thi nk. ABSOLUTELY the best. Reduced tapi ng force by four to one or
more. Tap l i fe i ncreased to 10:1. Li fe was good.
You coul d hear i t si zzl e at the cutti ng edge when you turned the tap. Thi s cool i ng at the cut was
what made i t work so wel l . Thi s requi red a thi n l i qui d and a l ow boi l i ng poi nt.
It stated, DO NOT USE i n automati c cool i ng systems and as cutti ng fl ui d. . . Wel l , peopl e di d i t
anyway. Bad fumes when used normal l y and much worse when abused. The abuse i s what ended
i t. . .
The repl acements are not nearl y as good but are much better than nothi ng.
- guru - Saturday, 11/08/03 13:30:28 EST
Tapping experience: Practi ce, practi ce, practi ce. It's a touchy, feel y sort of thi ng.
Most of my experi ence i s wi th A-36, 1018, and anneal ed 4140.
Sharp taps don't stay that way very l ong. As Grant sai d, you can feel good cutti ng. Pushi ng a l ess
than sharp tap "to get one more hol e" or to j ust "fi ni sh the hol e" i s a reci pe for di saster. Al ways
keep new taps i n stock speci fi cal l y to avoi d the "one more hol e" error.
Don't worry about usi ng a sl i ghtl y bi gger than recommended pi l ot hol e, but defi ni tel y avoi d usi ng
a smal l er than recommended bi t. A good wal l chart of metri c, al phabeti cal , numbered, and
fracti onal bi t si zes i n deci mal di ameter are a good hel p here for qui ck deci si on maki ng.
The spi ral fl utes are my best choi ce taps (the ones that l ook a bi t l i ke dri l l bi ts), and I try to use
those that are 1/2" to 3/4" l ong i n the cutti ng zone. Most of the shards/cutti ngs/shavi ngs (whatever
they're cal l ed--Paul , Jr. on Ameri can Chopper cal l s them stri ngy thi ngs) j ust come out the top l i ke
gangbusters. I do have to stop once i n a whi l e to use a magneti c ti pped scri be to extract crap from
bl i nd hol es.
I use power tappi ng a l ot wi th 3/8" and 1/2" NC taps. A magneti c dri l l wi th a Jacobs chuck
ti ghtened as much by hand as possi bl e. I keep my fi ngers on the swi tch and turn i t on onl y
momentari l y. I pi l ot dri l l bl i nd hol es deepl y to avoi d bottomi ng taps. Handhel d dri l l s are
conduci ve to breaki ng taps by an unsteady hand. I admi re Steve's abi l i ty, but I can't do i t.
Junk i n the rel i ef grooves of a tap or dri l l bi t wi l l cause j ammi ng and breakage. In and out, i n and
out, l i ke you know what, i s the best way to ensure a wel l done hol e.
I have found the onl y way to keep concentri ci ty as I go from smal l to l arger bi ts and then the tap i s
to keep the mag dri l l l ocked i nto one posi ti on. It i s tedi ous to unchuck and then rechuck, but
concentri ci ty i s VITAL to good power tappi ng.
It i s surel y best to use a tappi ng head i f usi ng the dri l l press so that forward and reverse acti ons are
qui ck and control l abl e. In a mag dri l l there i sn't enough room to mount one. Dexteri ty and focused
concentrati on are needed.
There are taps of di fferent materi al s for tappi ng di fferent materi al s. My machi ne shop suppl i er
brought thi s to my attenti on, and i t pays off i n tap l i fe to use the ri ght combo. Readi ng the pri nt i n
a vol umi nous catal og l i ke MSC's ought to accompl i sh the same advi ce. I haven't checked
Machi nery Handbook, but I bet i t i s l oaded wi th knowhow.
Tappi ng fl ui ds vary enormousl y i n producti vi ty. I'd l ove to have some TapFree. I keep
experi menti ng wi th brands and don't remember the name of the best stuff I've found--i t i s i n a
green and whi te aerosol can. Come to thi nk of i t, I'm on my l ast can so I gotta try to fi nd some
more. Thi s stuff came out of an aucti on, so mi ght be pretty ol d. Not as good as the guru says
TapFree was.
Wi th bi g di ameter taps I use my mi l l and use a bi t hol der that al l ows the tap to determi ne feed
condi ti ons. Agai n, concentri ci ty i s vi tal . On the mi l l , one steady downfeed movement i s al l that's
ever needed wi th spi ral groove taps. I don't do much of thi s bi g stuff, so my advocacy i s cauti ous.
Your mi l eage may vary.
- John Larson - Saturday, 11/08/03 19:59:45 EST
Cutting fluid:
Haven't worked i n a steel shop i n about three years, but when I di d we used somethi ng to l ube the
mag-dri l l cal l ed "Hawg-Wash". It was a Mi l waukee product made speci fi cal l y for dri l l cool ant and
we used i t i n Mi l waukee rotobroach or button dri l l s. Vegetabl e based compound that came i n a
smal l bottl e that was mi xed wi th water. Worked very wel l i n al l appl i cati ons I tri ed. Wonder i f any of
you guys have any experi ence wi th i t and woul d i t make a sui tabl e tappi ng fl ui d?
- Larry - Saturday, 11/08/03 21:46:10 EST
Drilling and tapping lubes. From many years experi ence wi th power tappi ng and i nternal and
external di e chasi ng of threads I can offer the fol l owi ng: For the common steel s, al most nothi ng
beats a HIGH QUALITY sul furi zed oi l . Thi s means a name brand l i ke Ri gi d etc. We found several
off brands that were very bad, and al so caused deri mi ti s i n the empl oyees. The rati o of fat to oi l
and sul fur i n these oi l s i s cri ti cal , and i f the fat i s too hi gh, bad resul ts!
Another good choi ce, that beats every other oi l we tri ed, especi al l y i n screw machi nes was a
MASTER CHEMICAL product, OM303. Thi s oi l was excepti onal i n carbon and stai nl ess steel s for
al l screw machi ne operati ons, and I now use i t i n rol l spl i ni ng. Harder to fi nd for the smal l shop but
a gal l on or two wi l l l ast a l ong ti me.
On Tap Free and the other tri chl or products, good ri ddance! l i fe i s too short to spend any of i t
dead, i nj uri ed or i n j ai l . These products di d work somewhat, but a good tappi ng oi l wi l l al so do the
j ob, and not gi ve off fumes that ARE dangerous.
For tappi ng al umi num, sti ck tal l ow i s very good, especi al l y wi th rol l taps. In a pi nch kerosene wi l l
work, but i s not nearl y as good.
On al l tappi ng fl ui ds. To recycl e, i nsure good fi l trati on. Under seri ous study, we found that a 10
mi cron fi l trati on pri or to reuse i mproved tool l i fe by about 20%, reduced dermi ti ti si s, and i mproved
the thread fi ni sh. A si mpl e bag fi l ter rated to 10 mi crons wi l l work for the smal l shop.
ptree - Sunday, 11/09/03 09:39:12 EST
Even good taps break. We EDM them out on parts that are worth i t. Actual l y, we thread mi l l much
of the producti on stuff now. Better threads and vi rtual l y no damaged hol es. I real l y l i ke rol l tapped
hol es, but getti ng rol l tappi ng ri ght can be a tri ck. Cool ant, Ti N coati ng, and correct tap dri l l si ze
are essenti al . When buyi ng taps, make sure you understand what H l i mi ts are. There are cl asses of
tapped hol e si ze. Di fferent H-l i mi t taps produce di fferent pi tch di ameter threads. Ti ght or l oose.
Cheap (even name brand from a hardware store) taps can be al l over the map from an H-l i mi t
standpoi nt so may not be consi stent from tap to tap. Machi nery's Handbook has i nfo. MSC catal og
mi ght di scuss i t.
Sul phur cutti ng oi l i s good. LPS makes a green water based cutti ng fl ui d that works wel l too. I can't
remember the name. But i t's sti cky when i t dri es.
I l i ke tappi ng hol es i n a l athe when I can and i t's l athe work anyway. Rotati ng the part wi th the tap
centered and started wi th a center i n the tai l stock. Tap dri l l i ng done i n the same chucki ng.
Tappi ng heads i n radi al dri l l s are sweet too! Seems l i ke cheati ng al most. Gri n John!
I agree that cheap taps and di es are a compl ete waste of ti me and money. I bought one cheap set
from Whorbor fri ght one ti me. I l et ki ds wreck them on i nconsequenti al work so they l earn.
- Tony - Sunday, 11/09/03 18:10:27 EST
References and Links
Al phabet Soup What's that acronym?
MACHINERY'S HANDBOOK, Industri al Press
Copyright 2007 Jock Dempsey, www.anvilfire.com