Aluminum

[james mcgrew]

i have 3 25 hp compressors so an air chiller works just fine yet i would not recomend the air chiller to anyone with a 5hp, i also have the mister and will lay a sheet of laminate down in order to protect the spoil board

[Scott Shepherd]

i also have the mister and will lay a sheet of laminate down in order to protect the spoil board

No need if you're using the synthetic stuff, it doesn't do anything to the spoilboard. Now, if we're talking water based, I'm with you. I ruined my spoilboard by using spray mist that was water based. Since switching over, no worries at all. In fact, I've left it overnight and had it siphon coolant out of the container. Got a huge puddle right on the spoilboard, overnight. Just wiped if off, no damage. That stuff works great.

[Bob Savage]

Which Koolmist systems did you guys buy? I need to get one quickly to do some testing hopefully this weekend but don't know if I should go with the $100 single output one, the $200 quad output (don't know why I'd need that), or whether it's a different one. I'm thinking I should go with the cheapo initially but then again it could be a waste of $100. Any advise?

Edit: It looks there may not be a $100 system, nonetheless, I'd like to hear what you guys bought.

[Mike Heidrick]

I would like to see some video.

[james mcgrew]

bob having multiple spray heads (2-3) will insure the coolant is always being sprayed on the cutting area, on a long arc with one fixed head the coolant will not be sprayed on the cut for a large portion. small parts this is much less a problem

[Scott Shepherd]

Bob, look for a "tankless mist system". That will get you into the price range you're looking for. I have one nozzle and I'd like to have 2, so I agree with James, a couple of heads if possible. That synthetic doesn't take much to work, so you don't need to flood it, just a tiny tiny bit will keep it slippery enough for the aluminum not to stick to the cutter.

[Bob Savage]

Thanks guys. Bought this one which has two outs.

SST Siphon Type Coolant System (Trico) (6333-0040)
Tri-Cool Synthetic Coolant (6333-0060)

[Paul Phillips]

Scott, I'm glad to hear that the tutorial helped and that the misting system is working out for you.
Bob, I'm sure you won't go wrong with the Trico mister and like Scott said, although the synthetic lube is expensive, it will last a long time if you use it right, a little bit goes a long way. I noticed it has gone up in price, not sure why other than the economy in general. I wonder although it's synthetic is it still a petroleum based product? That would make more sense. Dan probably knows and will chime in. I usually buy mine from MSC but at last check they were up to $113. a gallon, I found these guys yesterday for $81.09 http://www.trico-oilers.com/MD-7-Syn...icant_c175.htm , a bit less painful.
Ideally, if you're cutting your material in one pass, when you are done cutting your job you should have a thin layer of lube residue next to your cut lines, you can easily remove the majority by squirting a little de-greaser and wiping with a rag. If I'm going to be prepping for paint then I keep a large plastic wash-out bin filled with water mixable de-greaser and wash and rinse my parts with water, pretty quick and easy. Let me know if I can help with any questions you may have, feel free to PM me if you want my phone number, I'm happy to help a fellow Creeker.
Paul

[Dan Hintz]

Here's the MSDS for Trico MD-7:
http://www.predictusa.com/pdf-files/...i-CoolMD-7.pdf

According to Trico, "[MD-7] contains no petroleum or chlorinated derivatives".

[Joey Jarrard]

Bob we use the trico as well and no problems. Had one we had to replace after about 10 years of use.
Glad to see you jumped into aluminum it is fun but does make a mess. Hay did the sign make it to the ponderosa in one piece.

[Wes Grass]

Bob has a mister, and the water soluble TC-1 coolant. The MD-7 is for the micro-drop systems.

[Bob Savage]

Bob we use the trico as well and no problems. Had one we had to replace after about 10 years of use.
Glad to see you jumped into aluminum it is fun but does make a mess. Hay did the sign make it to the ponderosa in one piece.

It did make it in one piece. It's being finished in TX so I won't have pictures until it's complete, hopefully in a couple weeks. I'll post pics when I have them.

Bob has a mister, and the water soluble TC-1 coolant. The MD-7 is for the micro-drop systems.

I ended up getting a different system because the place I ordered from seem to have a problem with what "in stock" means.

The system I bought is the 30543 Spraymaster & Tri-Cool coolant kit. Is the TC-1 coolant the wrong stuff? It's a lot less expensive than the MD-7 mentioned above, but if I ordered the wrong stuff I need to get the MD-7 ordered right away because I don't want to ruin my spoilboard.

Help!

[Scott Shepherd]

One more thing- don't cheap out on the coolant. The stuff that came with my kool mist destroyed my vacuum table. The $100 a gallon coolant he recommended does not do anything to the table.

You'll be spending $40 and the time involved to make a new spoilboard with the coolant you plan on using.

[Bob Savage]

You'll be spending $40 and the time involved to make a new spoilboard with the coolant you plan on using.

Well that figures... thanks Scott.

[Wes Grass]

The MD-7 is a synthetic oil, not water soluble. For the micro-drop systems only, AFAIK. They also have a vegetable based oil for these.

The spray mist systems use a water soluble coolant. So the TC-1 you bought is the right stuff for the Spraymaster. It's just that it's 'water based', so it'll destroy your spoil board.

BTW, 'synthetic' in this case, doesn't mean it's a synthetic oil. 'Synthetic coolants', at least the types used in flood coolant systems, are not oil based. Exactly what they are I don't know ... I've heard rumors ... but some of them have bad reputations for causing rust and peeling paint off machines. They're 'coolants', not cutting lubricants for the most part.

Personally, I think you'd be better off with a cutting lubricant instead of a coolant, but keeping things wet with something is better than nothing.

And yeah, I know the micro-drop systems are stupid expensive. What's that they say about stuff like this; 'cry once'?