# Homemade cutting oil???



## Mastermaker

Reading the boring head tread I saw that lard was mentioned and as lard(at least the soft stuff) isn't something one finds in stores around my parts(only solid blocks of coco fat for baking).

What I have found works well for pretty much anything(still use rtd for expensive hss cutters) is the cheapest vegetable oil I can find with some lamp oil mixed in(does smoke though).

Are there any other homemade cutting fluids out there that anyone are using?

Recipes, anyone?????????????????????


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## picclock

I've tried mixtures of cooking oils on steel but have found that they tend to gum things up. I have brushes that have set solid with cooking oils (rapeseed/sunflower etc.). The other problem is that they tend to get thrown around with the cutter or work (mill or lathe), and then the droplets take up resident amongst the swarf making it very difficult to remove (after a few weeks when you get round to cleaning the awkward inaccessible bits).

Lard is just bacon fat (actually pig fat rendered and filtered twice). I've found it to be best for cutting, and even rustproofing the surface if you don't clean it off afterwards. FWIW I just brush it on. If its very cold just microwave it to soften. You can just see it liquefy at the edge of the cut where the heat is. Downside is that it makes a chip frying smell, and also imparts a very slight tint to the metal. 

So next time you have a bacon sarnie (or a pork joint), save the fat, and try it (+ you get a good excuse for a sarnie). 

Best Regards

picclock


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## pete

Mastermaker,
You've been given good advice about animal fat is good for a variety of reasons and it works very well with reaming, Sometimes it will still do better than the latest formulated synthetic snake oil invented. But after that? I really have to question why? If your a cutting oil chemist then yeah go for it. But if not, Your willing to risk your expensive equipment and cutting tools with home concoctions? I do use lard while reaming and your of course free to do what you want. But for myself I'll stick with the 21st century. Rancid, stinking cutting material doesn't work well with the normal cuts and scrapes that are part of any shop day. That salt added to your average package of bacon really doesn't help with rust issues either.

Pete


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## ksouers

Pete,
You make a good point about the salt mixed in with pork fat, and the bacteria associated with using animal fats.

However, your delivery tasted more like vinegar.

Perhaps you could be a little more diplomatic in your responses, please.


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## Mastermaker

I haven't found it to be that gummy so it is possible that adding the lamp oil(which is purified kerosene) helps in this department as I usually add enough of it to make the vegetable(soy I think) oil significantly less viscous.





			
				picclock  said:
			
		

> I've tried mixtures of cooking oils on steel but have found that they tend to gum things up. I have brushes that have set solid with cooking oils (rapeseed/sunflower etc.). The other problem is that they tend to get thrown around with the cutter or work (mill or lathe), and then the droplets take up resident amongst the swarf making it very difficult to remove (after a few weeks when you get round to cleaning the awkward inaccessible bits).
> 
> Lard is just bacon fat (actually pig fat rendered and filtered twice). I've found it to be best for cutting, and even rustproofing the surface if you don't clean it off afterwards. FWIW I just brush it on. If its very cold just microwave it to soften. You can just see it liquefy at the edge of the cut where the heat is. Downside is that it makes a chip frying smell, and also imparts a very slight tint to the metal.
> 
> So next time you have a bacon sarnie (or a pork joint), save the fat, and try it (+ you get a good excuse for a sarnie).
> 
> Best Regards
> 
> picclock


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## kcmillin

I use tapping fluid for cutting steel. 

Is this a bad thing? It seems to work fine, but with all the alternatives is there any reason that tapping fluid shouldn't be used?

Kel


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## milotrain

I use cool tool II. It's a biodegradable cutting and tapping fluid. It's pretty cheap too, but in order to stretch it's legs I usually use 1 part Cool Tool, 1 part 20W motor oil and 2 to 4 parts WD-40. Works nicely as cutting and tapping fluid, but doesn't act as a coolant much. A pint of Cool Tool, a Quart of 20W and a Quart of WD-40 will last you forever and cost very little.


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## arnoldb

> I use tapping fluid for cutting steel.



Kel, I do too; Can't say that it's bad, except that it gets a bit expensive. It gives me very good results - usually I rough out to near size dry on the lathe, and then just use the tapping fluid for the last two passes, except when screw cutting. It also works a treat for parting off. The specific tapping fluid I use also works for reaming and drilling, and makes copper a pleasure to turn/mill/drill. It's not suitable for aluminium though - for that I use methylated spirits (rubbing alcohol) or kerosene for drilling and tapping and parting off. I do all other machining on ali completely dry.

 :big: Like they say, if it works, it's good to go.

Regards, Arnold


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## itowbig

I use tranmission fluid and power steering fluid mix it all up. it works great and on alum it really works good too. need a steady drip with steel but it works for me and its cheap to.


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## Ken I

Whilst I don't use it myself - I know people who use old engine oil (the blacker the better - the free carbon is a HP lubricant).

I once worked in an automatic lathe shop and they all used old motor oil (the owner was notoriously "cheap") for machining steel.

Messy but cheap - they give the stuff away.

As one old guy said - if it was good enough for my motor last time it was used - its good enough.

Ken


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## robwilk

I am using hydraulic oil I don't know if this is the right thing to do but it seems to do the trick I only use it because I have a abundant free supply .

Rob......


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## Tin Falcon

Here are the recommendations Per army TC 9-524 appendix A










I have tried many home remedies as well as commercial products.
A-9 works great for aluminum. Moly-D is a great tapping fluid 
kero and Iso alcohol work on aluminum. Sulpherised oil works good on steel. 
And Of course I have used soluble oil as a gp cutting oil. Today I was using Anchor lube for drilling and punching stainless at work. 
The particular bottle has been around for a while and my son (also helper at work) says it smells like "monkey Butt" 
Yes animal oils do get funky. 
 So what does this all mean. 
1) use some sort of lube/coolant/ cutting oil. I does protect your tooling. (cast iron is generally cut dry with air flow) 
2) use what works for you .
3) the home shop is kind of like a university Lab, experiments are encouraged. 

Now back to the chart soluble oil shows up in most of the block but not all so it it is a widely used but not universal cutting oil. 

 Be safe some of the additives in cutting oils may be toxic or harmful. if you have a cup or glass of your favorite beverage in the shop keep it away from the cutting oils. And some of the common ones are flammable. So use caution and keep a fire extinguisher handy. 
Last but not least have fun.
Tin 
PS: I would not consider lard and bacon fat interchangeable for the shop. bacon contains salts and nitrates that I would not want on my machine.


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## Tin Falcon

As far as home made recipes 
there is an old book Henleys formulas that has instructions to make just about anything . but it is an old book and some of the materials may be dangerous toxic or unavailable. You have me curious I may pull out my copy and check for cutting oil concoctions. 
A digital copy can be found here
http://www.archive.org/details/henleystwentiet00hiscgoog
Tin


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## steamer

Alright....here ya go.

Acculube!

http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/NNSRI...re=ItemDetail-_-ResultListing-_-SearchResults

Very good on stainless and aluminum.  Supposedly you can eat it right out of the jar....I'll pass

It has worked for me....it does evaporate so keep it covered

Works well in mist lube too.

Dave


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## Mastermaker

As far as hazardous chemicals are concerned, part of my reason for coming up with my mix was because of the heart flutter/arrhythmia that I have heard many experience when using wd40 as a cutting oil since I have experienced the same symptoms.

Looking at the chart I can't help but think that the lamp oil I'm using serves a function similar to the soluble/mineral and the plant oil is a fat just as lard is one.

It is certainly about as harmless as they come.

I hadn't heard about using used motor oil but I think I will pass on that one for anything other than quenching as smoke from that one can't possibly be good for you.

Wonder if liquid soap would work?


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## kustomkb

I have heard that milk is the best thing for getting a bright finish on copper.

Never tried it but have always been curious to try an experiment.

Or maybe the fellow machinists were just trying to get me to pour milk on my shaft for a laugh.


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## steamer

By the way...Acculube is plant based IIRC.

Hope that helps.

Dave

Here's the company website

http://accu-lube.com/new_website/englisch/framesets/frameset.html


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## Swede

Not homemade, but I think my delivery system is handy...

I use tapmagic gold, good for all metals requiring fluid. It is good stuff, if a bit smokey, and very benign to the hands. To administer it (or any other liquid), buy a 35cc syringe at your feed or vet store. They are dirt cheap. If they come with a needle, you can blunt it with a grinder. Or, detach the needle and add a short section of 5mm plastic tubing or similar. Works great!


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## Mastermaker

I use syringes for this as well but I don't blunt the needle as the angled point makes it quicker to spread the oil on a flat surface.

A really large syringe with a very thin needle makes a "flood coolant"(of sorts) to wash away chips when doing slotting with thin mills.

Most of the time I just use a solvent rated hand sprayer.








			
				Swede  said:
			
		

> Not homemade, but I think my delivery system is handy...
> 
> I use tapmagic gold, good for all metals requiring fluid. It is good stuff, if a bit smokey, and very benign to the hands. To administer it (or any other liquid), buy a 35cc syringe at your feed or vet store. They are dirt cheap. If they come with a needle, you can blunt it with a grinder. Or, detach the needle and add a short section of 5mm plastic tubing or similar. Works great!


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## MachineTom

Since opinions are up, I'll share mine. The best by way of useful is CRC Thread cutting lube, in an aerosol can, it is foamy and sticky, comes with a nozzle extension that is perfect for those deep drill holes in SS or anything else. Because it is foamy it stays were you but it, as well as only needing a small amount you waste very little. It states that it will work on non-ferrous as well. It works well for turning and milling. For heavy threading I like dark sulferized stinky oil seems the best.


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## krv3000

HI all Bee wax works well for taping and turning


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## Swede

krv3000  said:
			
		

> HI all Bee wax works well for taping and turning



I've used stick wax designed for band saws when tapping, and it works especially well to get chips out of a blind hole, as the chips pack into the tap flutes. But it can be a bit of a pain to clean the tap afterwards! Waxes do work well, though.

A lot of guys have lusted after the Trico "Micro-drop" system as an alternative to flood. For those who don't know the unit, the Trico system pretty much drips lube, kind of a sputter. Uses shop air. I bit the bullet and bought one, and honestly, it wasn't worth the money, because it can be replaced easily with a homemade device.

Here's what you do - get on eBay and find an old mechanical "syringe pump." These are precision devices used to meter drugs to IV patients, and can be set up with variable flow rates. They use stepper motors to sloooowly drive the syringe piston. Load a 35cc syringe with cutting oil, route the output to the work, and turn on the syringe pump. Works great, does everything the Trico does except no cooling air flow.

Syringe pumps. I have the first one...


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## kwoodhands

KustomKB  said:
			
		

> I have heard that milk is the best thing for getting a bright finish on copper.
> 
> Never tried it but have always been curious to try an experiment.
> 
> Or maybe the fellow machinists were just trying to get me to pour milk on my shaft for a laugh.



Milk does work, I use paint thinner on copper.Thinner doesn't have to be refrigerated and works almost as well as milk.Dark cutting oil for steel,the stuff the plumbers use for threading pipe. Not expensive by the gallon. 
mike


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## Silverbrewer

I thought used motor oil was carcinogenic


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## vguerrao

What about water, motor oil and dishwasher soap? I tried and everything starts getting rusty very fast. Could only using water be best? where i live there are few options.


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## versatile

Hi, 
after overheating 2 HSS endmills while milling mild steel I had some thougths about coolant. 
I tried a mixture of about 6 parts water, two parts oil and two parts denatured alcohol applied with a brush before every cut.
So far I´m quite satisfied with this. The water and the alcohol is evaporating while cutting and thus cooling the endmill. All that is left is some oil. So you won´t have no problems with rusting either.


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## MawitÃ¶

Wich kind of oil you use on that mix versatile?? motor oil, mineral oil, vegetable oil ? Sounds like a nice mix for people like me who lives in places with no machine shop product vendors araund.


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## ROB 123

I use tapping fluied with about 10% paraffin to drill and tap 12.9 shoulder bolts the tap is 3/8th - i just bought a jsn reversible tapping head to tap the blind holes it does a great job .
Rob.


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## gus

kcmillin said:


> I use tapping fluid for cutting steel.
> 
> Is this a bad thing? It seems to work fine, but with all the alternatives is there any reason that tapping fluid shouldn't be used?
> 
> Kel



Hi Kel,

I use Tapmatic Tapping Fluid to machine Mild Steel and Grade 5 steel bolts with good finishing at 600 rpm spindle speed.
Tapmatic is expensive but I sparingly apply in dobs with a small artist paint brush. The cutting oil sold by Rigid for their pipe threading machine is also very good but dark brown and messy looking.Have seen some CNC Lathes using same oil too.


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## goldstar31

I use( and I have repeated this many times) lard oil.  KRV300 uses beeswax and again this will stand very high heats like lard oil.- before it falls to bits. Between the two of us, we could make very good tapping paste.


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## versatile

Hi Mawitö,

I use transmission/hydraulic oil but I guess any "thick" oil would do the job.
Before this I used plain oil for lubrication only but it startet to smoke and the endmill overheated and got a dark blue colour. Since I use the coolant the endmill only got a light brownish colour.
So its primary function is to carry away the heat.


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## MCRIPPPer

i use atf on the lathe for steel. cant beat wd40 on aluminum tho. 

at work we use the rigid dark cutting oil (sulfur) smells kinda interesting(not really bad). on the mill we have mist coolant (water, oil, and air) which works really good for keeping the end mill cool.


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## doc1955

In my opinion I think you should do yourself a big favor and purchase a coolant made for your application. I know I was doing the same trying to find the right concoction that would work. I came to the conclusion it just isn't worth it get it wrong you end up with shortened cutter life maybe rust to deal with and then the stench. So in my opinion the price of a jug for coolant is cheap. Here is what I use and we use it in the shop where I work and it is an excellent coolant. I do mix it a little on the strong side to make sure to keep the rust monster at bay.
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PARTPG=INLMKD&PMPXNO=19507263&PMAKA=319-3899

Just my opinion for what its worth.


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## pete

Despite my............................................dumb as hell wrist slapping for how I worded my first post in this thread, I still stand by it. Cutting oil manufacter's today are still trying to replicate the animal fats, and they can come close, but AFAIK they still can't better them. That refrigerated and refined baking lard works better than any modern cutting oil I've tried so far for at least reaming. Tool and parts cleaning is an issue to prevent rancid fat. Again like I said, bacon fat isn't an option, but it could be recommended to terrorist's.

Coolant is a totally different subject. A water / oil / synthetic combination will out produce any straight mineral or vegatable cutting oil made. Coolant and a proper cutting oil combination that doesn't eat paint, lubricates, cools the workpiece and cutting tool, DOESN'T CAUSE RUST, doesn't degrade to the point of a lump of solid cottage cheese in the coolant tank, doesn't require very expensive skimmers, test equipment, air bubbler's, inert mineral free water, Etc,Etc,Etc..............................................it just hasn't as far as I know been invented yet. What industry can use on there equipment doesn't work on most of our equipment that might go day's between each use.

Pete


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## goldstar31

Hi Pete

Thanks for the giggle- but you are so right.

What we are trying to suggest is that lard oil lubricates and continues to lubricate at temperatures that will have water thinned products far more useful than getting superheated steam coming out of your lathe or mill.

If your water is going woosh into steam- what is it going to be good for?

I use purified lard oil- presumably from the food industry. Those who use synthetic compounds are 'saving money' and the engineering  industry has been cutting costs since Pontius was a Pilot.

If you suddenly are transported into the canning industry, you will probably find that they are still using edible things- like vegetable oils. 

I'm old enough to remember something called Castrol which Wakefields in the UK sold for racing engines on cars, bikes and planes. Castrol was nothing more than castor oil. When I used to fart about with toy compression ignition engines- I used cheap cow castor oil in the mix. I wasn't the only one.

The Red Baron- before someone shot him up the rectum( it killed 'em') had a does of the sh1ts- as did every other flying ace in WW1. Castor oil, as every school boy knows- is a fine cure for constipation.

Castor oil was one of the plasticisers is paints and varnishes. Like vegetable and animal fats, it will stand hellish high temperatures.

We'll leave it -before we get bogged down.


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## versatile

hi goldstar31,

"If your water is going woosh into steam- what is it going to be good for?"

Actually, that´s the trick . As the water evaporates it consumes a considerable amount of heat. This heat is drawn from the endmill thus keeping it cool.

Flooding the mill with coolant will keep it somewhat cooler, but it´s always a mess, especially on small machines. 

Pure oil didn´t work for me as it wasn`t able to carry away the heat when cutting with high speeds and removing larger ammounts of material.
But i will try lard or something like that for reaming and tapping.
Especially on reaming steel I have some isssues getting a smooth surface.


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## doc1955

pete said:


> Coolant and a proper cutting oil combination that doesn't eat paint, lubricates, cools the workpiece and cutting tool, DOESN'T CAUSE RUST, doesn't degrade to the point of a lump of solid cottage cheese in the coolant tank, doesn't require very expensive skimmers, test equipment, air bubbler's, inert mineral free water, Etc,Etc,Etc..............................................it just hasn't as far as I know been invented yet. What industry can use on there equipment doesn't work on most of our equipment that might go day's between each use.
> 
> Pete


You should give Trimsol a try I think you will be very surprised  when mixed properly it will not cause rust can set for very long periods without stinking or clumping and isn't that expensive. I think 1gal of concentrate is just under $20. I mix it put it in a squirt bottle and also have it in my coolant tank on my n/c machine.  I don't have any skimmers or any other set up and my machine sets weeks between being use in the summer months with no problems.


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## goldstar31

versatile said:


> hi goldstar31,
> 
> "
> Flooding the mill with coolant will keep it somewhat cooler, but it´s always a mess, especially on small machines.
> 
> Pure oil didn´t work for me as it wasn`t able to carry away the heat when cutting with high speeds and removing larger ammounts of material.
> But i will try lard or something like that for reaming and tapping.
> Especially on reaming steel I have some isssues getting a smooth surface.


 
I always thought that making models was a rather refined hobby.

Chucking gallons or litres of stinking coolant over one's person is not, in my humble opinion, what refined people do to return to one's better half 'stinking like a poke of devils'  

If you want make your hobby into a factory or a Dark Satanic mill- so be it.:hDe:

And as it is said in the Bible --- And Lo! He stinketh!:fan:


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## Tin Falcon

There are hundred of commercial products to choose from as well as dozens of common products . So material cut and personal preference will dictate choice. 
Every good machine book has a chart of what to use. 

Like mentioned earlier a water soluable oil is pretty much the one product fits all solution. mix and maintain the proper ratio and you will be fine. 

the evaporation of water cools the tool the oil left acts as a lube. 

dabbing or squirting  is fine for HSS but letting a carbide bit get hot an then cool it it will crack . carbide  and flood coolant is the way of a production shop. and if a home shop guy want to use it why not. 
I do not use flood coolant it tends to be messy and is extra work to maintain. 

GS no one is forcing you to install a coolant tank. 

Tin


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## goldstar31

Tin Falcon said:


> I do not use flood coolant it tends to be messy and is extra work to maintain.
> 
> GS no one is forcing you to install a coolant tank.
> 
> Tin


 
In a foolish moment, I bought one. In a wise moment, I dumped it.

I have a very efficient little glass jar which contained French pate, a cheap Chinese paint brush and a bit of lard oil. I have visits from people who think that I have a Chinese restaurant


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## doc1955

Tin I have seen many machinist using carbide in the past wonder why their tool didn't hold up only to see then get the tool hot then squirt coolant on it and poof now it's not cutting clean anymore. I personally use air jet on carbide unless I can keep it flooded. As far as a mess with flood yes if you don't use multiple shields it can be a mess. I put an external coolant tank on my N/C machine to keep the way lube contamination to a minimum. I would not be without flood coolant on my N/C but the conventional machines I use squirt bottles on the HS tools and air on my carbide tools.


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## wackyvorlon

To my recollection, carbide is happiest when the chips come off blue.


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## Holt

Spit is the best tapping fluid you can get when you are tapping steel, especially if you don't have to tap hundreds of holes, for many years I worked as a machine builder at the LEGO factory, and every time I should make some treads in the "field" I used spit because it was ready available, and I didn't have to bring different bottles with me. try it - it's free 


Holt


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## gerritv

A good alternative is a peristaltic pump. Search eBay, they are generally below $12 with free shipping. A variable power supply controls the flow rate.

gerrit



Swede said:


> I've used stick wax designed for band saws when tapping, and it works especially well to get chips out of a blind hole, as the chips pack into the tap flutes. But it can be a bit of a pain to clean the tap afterwards! Waxes do work well, though.
> 
> A lot of guys have lusted after the Trico "Micro-drop" system as an alternative to flood. For those who don't know the unit, the Trico system pretty much drips lube, kind of a sputter. Uses shop air. I bit the bullet and bought one, and honestly, it wasn't worth the money, because it can be replaced easily with a homemade device.
> 
> Here's what you do - get on eBay and find an old mechanical "syringe pump." These are precision devices used to meter drugs to IV patients, and can be set up with variable flow rates. They use stepper motors to sloooowly drive the syringe piston. Load a 35cc syringe with cutting oil, route the output to the work, and turn on the syringe pump. Works great, does everything the Trico does except no cooling air flow.
> 
> Syringe pumps. I have the first one...


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