| Author |
Message |
Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 2:08 pm: | |
Ok, I've had a machine shop for 40 years attached to my electronics manufacturing business. I mostly have worked with aluminum, thus got into a nasty habit of drilling, milling and turning the stuff dry with little or no lubricant.
Come time do do stainless, on many jobs I just decided that one hole-per-drill bit was the way it was, because I hadn't learned what PROPER lubricant would do. I did try using the same oil I use for steel and sometimes aluminum, but it didn't do much good either.
THEN....
I was talking to a machinist buddy and whining that I'm starting to spend a lot of money on trashed tooling whenever I work with stainless, no matter how hard I tried to go slow, use oil, etc.
He smiled, walked back into his storage room, came out and handed me a little bottle of some goo called Westlube, and said, USE THIS.
I went home and I gotta say, in all my years there are few things that astound me, but this stuff astounded me. Totally.
Putting just a dab on a chunk of stainless and milling it or turning it on the lathe resulted in a material that cuts smoother than a hot knife thru butter!! It's actually about as easy to cut as aluminum with Westlube!
Then I tried a hole drilling session in some 18 ga sheet, an operation that used to cost me a drill bit about every 10 holes no matter what I did.
Westlube got me through 125 holes with one bit, which was still as sharp and happy as the moment I started!!
The story goes on and on, and so could I but I've made my point now... everything stainless that I touch with this stuff simply works better... MUCH better. Even hole punching with a rotex- the holes come out cleaner and the punch no longer sticks as it has for 15 years!!
So guys, this stuff is a TOOL in my mind, and I'll never touch stainless again without it, ever!! I can't tell you how much $ it's saved me in bits and cutters, and how much nicer the job comes out.
Water soluble, non toxic, doesnt make stinky smoke... go get some!
Here's a photo with the company's info.
Cheers
http://www.heartmagic.com/zzwestlube.jpg |
Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 2:28 pm: | |
I've had good sucess with the CO (cobalt alloy) drill bits, it cost more to buy than HS, but much cheaper to use.
With this lube, they should last even longer.
Thanks for the tip |
Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 3:04 pm: | |
With a glowing reccomendation like that, I thought you were setting up a franchise.
Gary |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 3:19 pm: | |
How about trying it on aluminum and steel and see how it does. I'd like to know.
Richard |
Adame
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 4:12 pm: | |
Surface speed is important with stainless. 30 to 80 surface feet / minute works in 300 series. For comparison, aluminum can be machined at around 200 to 300 SFM.
In other words an 1/8" drill would run at about 900 RPM for SS and about 6000 to 9000 RPM for Al.
Also it's important to use enough drilling force to make the drill bite in, otherwise it just makes heat. This hardens the ss and softens the drill and makes us cuss all at the same time.
That green goo works good. I think it keeps the bit cool by changing phase from liquid to vapor. |
Marc Bourget
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 4:39 pm: | |
Richard,
Running a tool bit in the "red zone", a word of art used by some trade magazines. Top performance dictates different formulas and different flow volumes for carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum. Some will vary simply on the type of machining operation, drilling vs. milling etc. likewise for the tool bit. Varying formulas of Carbide will make a big difference.
Adding description to Adame, drilling force to "bite in" is sought to keep the cutting edge in "virgin" material.
"SS work hardens, it's a fact of life, so get UNDER it".
A good technique is to slow the drill and increase the feed to cut below the work hardened surface.
The good stuff makes it much easier!
PS they gots miracle stuff for Taps, too! |
JACK WATSON (Jck5b)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 17, 2004 - 3:49 am: | |
Try this site for lots of information regarding "WESTLUBE": http://www.emedco.com/emed2/resource/msds/msds_view.asp?pd=ba&pf=bqbpm
Also this site for more information,(You may need to copy and paste this URL), I can't seem to make it a click-able link:
http://westlandproducts.com/pages/page.asp?s=733
Best wishes, Jack |
+Always Positive + (Mr_positive)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 1:09 am: | |
Thanks for the infomation.
Us new to Stainless fabracation thank you very kindly for the input.
A very Positive experience !
Mr Positive |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 9:06 am: | |
When I was running my manufacturing plant my shop people swore by "RapidTap" for drilling or tapping steel and aluminum. Dozens of holes had to be drilled and tapped on each panel and they used an electric drill for both drilling and tapping. The RapidTap really made a great difference.
I never did any work with stainless, so I do not know about that. I vaguely remember that they had a product for stainless, but could not find a web page for the material.
Richard |
EXCUSE ME
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 3:16 pm: | |
WHO WAS THAT POSITIVE (MASKED) MAN ? |
Moonrover
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 24, 2004 - 11:38 am: | |
Westlube at one time was under Anchor Chemical Co. in Westlake, Ohio. Appears now to have split off to a separate company in California.
http://www.westlandproducts.com/
Anchor was bought out by Fuji Corp. Man ... this Google thing is dangerous in the hands of someone like me who is snowed in and has access to a fast cable modem. |
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