Running a Copper job this week and I started scrapping parts, normal coolant and cutting oils where giving me grief on a few intricate cuts. Someone mentioned using Milk as a cutting fluid. I thought he was joking, but said the butter fats are supposed to work well in that application. I figured what the hell and gave it a shot on one problem area and it actually worked very well.
So if you are cutting, drilling, tapping copper you may want to reach for a bit of milk and apply a good amount to the tools cutting edges.
I tried butter too, thinking more fat solids, but the results where not nearly as good.
Trick to working with Copper
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Harry Babb
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- Location: Fairhope Al
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Milk???!!!!...........I will dang sure try it when the need arises
What comes to my mind is how the use of milk for a cutting fluid was discovered
The picture in my mind is....its 11:00 at night...the parts are due the next day....we have tried every fluid in the shop.....someone walks by drinking a carton of milk.........and the rest is history.
I am continually amazed at the things we share and discuss in this sandbox.
Thanks
Harry
What comes to my mind is how the use of milk for a cutting fluid was discovered
The picture in my mind is....its 11:00 at night...the parts are due the next day....we have tried every fluid in the shop.....someone walks by drinking a carton of milk.........and the rest is history.
I am continually amazed at the things we share and discuss in this sandbox.
Thanks
Harry
hb
I was shocked myself and I too wondered how someone thought to try it.
Maybe since some coolant looks like milk someone thought it was, who knows. Harry you may be right too, many times I have done things that should just not work but out of desperation I figured what the hell.
Apparently it is in a machinist handbook, although I looked and could not find, maybe an older edition.
Randall, most of the machining is done with regular coolant, just a couple ops gave me issue. One fluid that did work great made the piece turn green. I was able to clean the outside, but the inside...forget about it.
Maybe since some coolant looks like milk someone thought it was, who knows. Harry you may be right too, many times I have done things that should just not work but out of desperation I figured what the hell.
Apparently it is in a machinist handbook, although I looked and could not find, maybe an older edition.
Randall, most of the machining is done with regular coolant, just a couple ops gave me issue. One fluid that did work great made the piece turn green. I was able to clean the outside, but the inside...forget about it.
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Harry Babb
- Senior Member
- Posts: 2354
- Joined: Jun 30th, '06, 21:45
- Location: Fairhope Al
- Contact:
Carl, here in Alabama discoveries like that usually involve the phrase "Hey ya'll watch this" !!!!!
Sometime around 1981 I was young and green in the machining field. I was given a job to bore out some stainless sleeves. The job was a little big for the lathe I had.
I tried everything I knew for hours and hours trying to stop the chatter. Raise the tool above centerline....drop the tool below centerline....custom grind the insert.....try different inserts.......you name it, if I could think about it I would try it.
Finally after screwing with it all day I just lost it (mentally)....got pissed off and put the spindle in the highest speed 1500 RPM and as I engaged the feed lever I said "Chatter now you SOB".....
Guess what! ! ! I got the smoothest prettiest cut you have ever seen......that's how I discover things...."Hey ya'll, watch this"!!.
I have actually read about using Lard for certain applications. When aluminum trys to gum up I will use kerosene as a cutting fluid.
Harry
Sometime around 1981 I was young and green in the machining field. I was given a job to bore out some stainless sleeves. The job was a little big for the lathe I had.
I tried everything I knew for hours and hours trying to stop the chatter. Raise the tool above centerline....drop the tool below centerline....custom grind the insert.....try different inserts.......you name it, if I could think about it I would try it.
Finally after screwing with it all day I just lost it (mentally)....got pissed off and put the spindle in the highest speed 1500 RPM and as I engaged the feed lever I said "Chatter now you SOB".....
Guess what! ! ! I got the smoothest prettiest cut you have ever seen......that's how I discover things...."Hey ya'll, watch this"!!.
I have actually read about using Lard for certain applications. When aluminum trys to gum up I will use kerosene as a cutting fluid.
Harry
hb
Sean, never heard that before.
I don't need no stinking respirator...Got Milk??
Harry I think that is what sets us apart from the rest, at least in my shop. If something don't work we try a new approach. Sometimes it works sometimes it don't but at the very least we are not doing the same thing over and over and over again expecting a different result.
Sr took in a re-occuring job years ago when I first started with him. Stellite valves for a homogenizing pump, we just had to clean the tops (.02-.03) and make sure all where within a few thou of each other and a real nice finish across the top. It was after hours, everyone was gone and the customer called said he needed the valves ASAP, so I just brought them over to the lathe and tried to face as I would face anything else. Everything I seemed to thow at it wore right away, but I found one insert that held up somewhat so I started playing with speeds and feeds till I was able to take .002-.003 at a time and make headway. So I did multiple passes, then to give a nice flat finish I hit on the surface grinder and got all within a thousand or so. Called the customer and he picked them up.
Next day I tell Sr I had a hell of a time turning those valves and asked what the trick was, he looks at me confused telling me you can't turn them they have to be ground and only take a thousand or so off at a time then let cool, go back take another thou or so til they are done. He proceeds to tell me its a long process takes a few days and how we have to get on them soon. I tell him you should have told me before I turned them, they are done and customer has them.
I don't need no stinking respirator...Got Milk??
Harry I think that is what sets us apart from the rest, at least in my shop. If something don't work we try a new approach. Sometimes it works sometimes it don't but at the very least we are not doing the same thing over and over and over again expecting a different result.
Sr took in a re-occuring job years ago when I first started with him. Stellite valves for a homogenizing pump, we just had to clean the tops (.02-.03) and make sure all where within a few thou of each other and a real nice finish across the top. It was after hours, everyone was gone and the customer called said he needed the valves ASAP, so I just brought them over to the lathe and tried to face as I would face anything else. Everything I seemed to thow at it wore right away, but I found one insert that held up somewhat so I started playing with speeds and feeds till I was able to take .002-.003 at a time and make headway. So I did multiple passes, then to give a nice flat finish I hit on the surface grinder and got all within a thousand or so. Called the customer and he picked them up.
Next day I tell Sr I had a hell of a time turning those valves and asked what the trick was, he looks at me confused telling me you can't turn them they have to be ground and only take a thousand or so off at a time then let cool, go back take another thou or so til they are done. He proceeds to tell me its a long process takes a few days and how we have to get on them soon. I tell him you should have told me before I turned them, they are done and customer has them.
Sean: Zinc poisoning from welding can actually kill you. A well known Blacksmith died from it a couple of years ago. I have heard of drinking milk in advance, but don't want to experiment with it. I welded some galvanized metal when i was young and it gives off a thick yellow/green smoke.
Rawleigh
1966 FBC 31
1966 FBC 31
Hmmm maybe I should be telling these guys they should forget the milk and get some niosh masks. And then again... have you ever tried to argue with a steel worker? These are the same guys that will wear their safety harnesses to shut up their bosses, but will typically flat out refuse to tie them off to anything
Hired a production guy some years ago that told me he could stick weld too, but didn't like it because it hurt his eyes. I didn't think much about it till I gave him a welding job and he refused to wear the helmet because it messed up his hair, he didn't like holding the hand held helmet either...
We bought out a screw machine shop a couple years ago for their client base, one customer wanted us to machine pure Cadmium. I asked if that stuff was Okay to machine as I thought it was dangerous and they said it was no problem the other guy did it all the time. I started checking into it and saw it was a big NO NO to Machine without containment systems. Later he brings the materail over in a sealed container with Skull and Cross Bones all over the place as I told him I wanted no part of it, he just started arguing that is was fine and didn't want to hear a word or even look at the container.
Yes I am always amazed at people...
We bought out a screw machine shop a couple years ago for their client base, one customer wanted us to machine pure Cadmium. I asked if that stuff was Okay to machine as I thought it was dangerous and they said it was no problem the other guy did it all the time. I started checking into it and saw it was a big NO NO to Machine without containment systems. Later he brings the materail over in a sealed container with Skull and Cross Bones all over the place as I told him I wanted no part of it, he just started arguing that is was fine and didn't want to hear a word or even look at the container.
Yes I am always amazed at people...
Re: Trick to working with Copper
I have found since the election, chochlate milk works even better. It was def the change i was looking for.sim wrote:Running a Copper job this week and I started scrapping parts, normal coolant and cutting oils where giving me grief on a few intricate cuts. Someone mentioned using Milk as a cutting fluid. I thought he was joking, but said the butter fats are supposed to work well in that application. I figured what the hell and gave it a shot on one problem area and it actually worked very well.
So if you are cutting, drilling, tapping copper you may want to reach for a bit of milk and apply a good amount to the tools cutting edges.
I tried butter too, thinking more fat solids, but the results where not nearly as good.
Re: Trick to working with Copper
hubris 1 wrote: I have found since the election, chochlate milk works even better. It was def the change i was looking for.
Oh yeah the Country is in much better shape now, defintely headed in a new direction at an astonding pace.
They wanted change...we got it. And oh boy are we gonna get it and get it good.
Well I have to get back to work to pay for that Stimulus package and all these wonderful new programs.
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