Rant: That weird coolant mix I tried on Tuesday was a total game changer

I was running a big batch of 316 stainless parts, about 500 pieces, and my usual coolant just wasn't cutting it. The chips were welding to the tool every 30 parts or so. My buddy from another shop said to try a 12% mix of this synthetic stuff called Trim E206 instead of my normal 8%. I thought he was nuts, more coolant means more mess, right? But I tried it and ran the whole batch without a single built-up edge. The finish was way better too. Anyone else have a go-to coolant trick for nasty materials?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella_scott9611h ago

That 5% mix with the additive for aluminum... what was the additive called?

murray.robert13h ago

Oh man, that reminds me of a guy I know over at the gear shop. He was fighting with some nasty aluminum, getting all that gummy buildup. Swore up and down his coolant ratio was perfect. Another guy in the bay finally talked him into dropping the mix way down, like to 5%, and adding a bit of this special additive. Totally changed the game, chips broke clean and his tools lasted twice as long. Sometimes you just gotta listen to the weird advice.

tessaperry13h ago

That 12% mix is a wild number but it clearly worked. I've had the same thing happen with a weird water ratio on some old cast iron. Sometimes the textbook setting just isn't the right one for the job.