Issues Milling Aluminium

[jack620]

Sulfuric acid is commonly used in drain cleaners. Whether it is any good at cleaning milling cutters I have no idea.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Liquid-Lightning-Buffered-Sulfuric-Acid-Drain-Cleaner/17133944

 

[canadianhorsepower]

Sulfuric acid is commonly used in drain cleaners. Whether it is any good at cleaning milling cutters I have no idea.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Liquid-Lightning-Buffered-Sulfuric-Acid-Drain-Cleaner/17133944

Quote:
Originally Posted by Twizseven
I'm sure I have bottle of sulphuric acid around from battery top ups so will try that to clean up cutter

Thanks for all the advice.
Colin

sorry

not sulphutic acid

but muriatic acid ( cement cleaner)
__________________
Luc

"if you dont stand for something
you will fall for everything"

 

[blighty]

i think Halfords sell WD40 by the gallon, its a lot cheaper than buying it in a can. if you go the gallon of WD40 way, put it in one of them spray bottles you get from B&Q for spraying your house plants with. you wont go through as much WD40 using a spray bottle.

or, as others have said Ali loves paraffin. B&Q/Home Base 4lt about 6 quid.

or..... soluble oil, if you cant find it locally, ebay's the place. i just had a quick look 1lt of soluble around £10. 5lt £26 and so on. it will tell you on the bottle what ratio (oil to water) to mix it up with. the stuff i get is 10-15 to 1 for e.g. again mix a load up in a bucket and use it to re-fill your spray bottle up when it runs out.

 

[MachineTom]

As already been stated lube is needed, 2 fluted cutter, and I am guessing you are running slow, with a two flute 1/4" you can use 2000 rpm and more. There are end mills just for AL, the difference is they are very sharp as compared to not very sharp on a standard HSS cutter, don't bother with carbide, you don't need it.

To avoid gumming up a bit with AL, run fast, do not recut chips, meaning blow out the channel you are cutting, do not run back through the chips, do not dwell in one spot, keep feeding, use some lube.

To clean a gummed up cuter just run it through some steel, gently but with feeling.

 

[abby]

Aluminium dissolves readily in caustic soda which , unlike sulphuric acid , will not attack steel .
Most drain cleaners are designed to dissolve fats and grease , the usual cause of blockage , and use alkali compounds rather than acid.
In the UK it is an offence to put high acid concentrations into public sewers.

 

[Chriske]

Hi,

For all cutting action, lathe, milling, drilling I use (own formula) a mixture 50% standard oil - 50% White spirit (Belgium , don't know the English name for White spirit..(help..!) Works very well...!
Used with aluminum it gives me, every time again, a high glossy surface.

For reaming and cutting threads I use special cutting fluid.

Chris

 

[LongRat]

GT-85 is not only available from Halfords and isn't their product, it is just an easy way of getting it. I buy it in 1 litre trigger spray bottles on Ebay.
It is definitely not the same as WD40. For small jobs like this I find it the easiest and most mess-free solution. For longer runs I use soluble oil as Blighty has suggested in an air line (99.9% air, tiny bit of coolant). Lots of people on the forum have made home made misters like I have, but for a 1 minute quick cut it isn't worth firing it up so I just use the GT-85.

 

[gus]

Hi Colin,
Welcome to the site. You could try using some WD40, CRC etc whilst cutting. I always have a can available when cutting aluminium. Depending on the grade of aluminium, some cuts really well whilst some cuts like putty.

Paul.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for info. Currently I am milling extruded aluminium bars which cuts very well. Some dobs of Tapmatic Tapping Oil for Aluminium gives good cutting finish. You are right.There are many grades. The annealed sheets would be hard to mill.