Applying cutting fluid

How do people apply small amounts - ie droplets- of lubricant/cutting oil when turning, threading or drilling? I've used a brush (which seems to apply as much swarf as oil), an oil can (which often supplies too much, most of it falling onto the cross-slide), a washing up bottle (ditto) and a syringe (which is a pain to store).

Does anyone use one of those squirty-ball things, are they any good and if so where do you get them from?

I use a small brush and try to keep swarf out of the pot

With apologies to Clive Hartland ... Rowse squeezy Honey bottles are O.K.

MichaelG.

Wash bottle

Russell

Can't help on a squirty-ball thing, I use a washing up bottle. To stop it going everywhere I catch what I can with a plastic Chinese take-away food tray on the cross slide. When lathe polishing plastics (which accounts for 90% of my cutting fluid usage, and most of the rest is used parting off the plastics, with an 80C melting temp it's important to keep parting cool), I recover probably 95%, and wear most of the remaining 5%. The recovered stuff goes straight back into the bottle for re-use.

Regards,

Richard.

I use one of this type for applying my cutting fluid - easy to control from a jet to drops.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/500ml-Plastic-Bottle-Squeeze-Dispensing/dp/B00E9M5PWI/ref=pd_sbs_328_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=W2XXAKBNAHRYQ8C25C5P

I prefer these to the sort with a tube that comes out of the screw top, which don't seem to be as easy to control.  However, that may just depend on how soft the plastic bottle is.

HTH,

Rod

Edited By Roderick Jenkins on 09/01/2017 16:37:50

I don't; it doesn't achieve much, so I don't waste time doing it.

For hand tapping stainless steel I use Rocol, but that's like a grease, so it stays put.

Andrew

As well as small squeezable bottles, I use a gravity feed system. The reservoir was originally a 1 Litre shampoo dispenser which is placed on a high shelf above the lathe. It is connected to a shop made needle valve, (incorporating an O ring seal), by windscreen washer tubing. The needle valve and integral delivery jet is mounted on a pillar screwed into a small pot magnet, sited on the Cross Slide. All the pipe connections are 1/8 BSP.

Once the pump in the bottle has filled the tubing, the cutting fluid syphons down to the needle valve which can  regulate the flow from zero to a full flow. Like everything that I do, the coolant is a dead loss.

Howard

Edited By Howard Lewis on 09/01/2017 16:46:16

I'm with Andrew on this. Getting small amounts of cutting fluid et al into the right places to be effective takes a proper mister system, e.g. Bijur et al. Which has its own issues of air quality in the home workshop. However when its going right, remember small droplets not a mist, the effect is impressive and fluid consumption tiny.

A modest but steady trickle directed in the right place can work OK if not too ambitious with cuts. Certainly helps a lot to control chip jamming when parting off. Intermittent dabbing and squirts are more to make you feel good than anything else although sometimes useful when eaking out a couple or three more cuts from a below par tool. Laying a bead of a heavy cutting lube such as Dormer Supercut is good when screw cutting uncooperative materials.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 09/01/2017 17:21:52

For most stuff i use an acid brush and neat soluable cutting fluid ( because it was free ) and it seems to work fine but can get a little smoky .

For hand tapping i mostly use tap magic and it is in a little can with a spout .

For deep drilling especially in the lathe i use trefolex ctd spray ( because it was also free ) and it has a long fine nozzle / tube that i feed up one of the drill flutes and inject the spray right up inside the hole .

I don't seem to find a problem with acid brushes picking up swarf as they have short bristles and i use one of those cant spill type containers that i keep up on top of the lathe so it's not swimming in swarf .

You could just use a short bristled artists brush about 10 mm wide and cut the handle down to a hand length .

Acid brush and neat soluble for me to. Plus the usual washing up bottle with a bit of small plastic tube solvent welded to the cap.

My missus uses a hair dye that comes with a small "squeezy" type bottle for application of the dye. Once she has finished with it a quick rinse out and they are make excellent applicators for oils etc. Because they have a long nose they can be used with some accuracy.

Martin C

P.S. make sure she has finished with it first!

I use a home made mist block, more small droplets than mist but can be directed exactly where needed, it does need a low pressure/quantity air supply to function. Full details in my Picture album, the following link shows the block with a description.

http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/sites/7/images/member_albums/87760/581408.jpg

Similar type units are now very low cost (£5-£8) inc postage from ebay sellers.

Emgee

Added link

Edited By Emgee on 09/01/2017 20:01:28

Eye dropper, syringe, baby medicine dispenser - basically a giant eye dropper

Eye drops are sold in chemist shops in packs of 100 tiny disposable 0.4ml plastic ampules

Gravity dispenser controlled by an adjustable tap, out to a small hose then to a very thin metal tube.

Small paintbrushes ie children's watercolours - have seen these with a puffball on the end and the oil is squirted drop by drop into the brush and applied

3 in 1 oil tin from a hardware store - squueze the tin to force some drops out of the spout.

I got frustrated by clumsy attempts to dispense and subsequent waste of cutting fluid and started using the above methods.

Bill

Wow, a great range of suggestions, too many to comment on individually so I'll just say thanks everyone. I've ordered one of those wash bottles... £1.34 won't break the bank if it doesn't work

I use the little bottles vaping fluid comes in as shown here one with neat cutting fluid other with "suds"

Edited By Bob Brown 1 on 09/01/2017 21:32:08

Edited By Bob Brown 1 on 09/01/2017 21:32:20

Leave the top loose when not in use - A change in air pressure can cause the the bottle to wee all over the bench top

Rod

Forgot to mention before, window cleaner bottle with adjustable nozzle set to very fine jet is also a favourite of mine.

You can get quite good at sending a very fine jet right where its needed.

Bill

If you know someone who colours their own hair, the colour part of the mixture (for Clairol anyway) is contained in a squeezy bottle with a long nozzle. Only needs washing out and saved from going to landfill.

I have them in the workshop filled with: cutting oil, slideway oil, chain oil, engine oil, thinned PVA, etc., labelled with permanent marker as to contents.

If anyone is wondering, no I don't; a regular No2 doesn't leave enough hair to worry about.

Alan