[TraditionalToolworks]

No so/wifey here, been a while since I had one of the.

Who cleans your shop then? j/k (looking over my shoulder to see if my wife is looking )

My wife just loves it when I track in small swarf from the machines...(we don't wear shoes in the house).

All the machines, lathes, mills, grinders, they all have water based emulsified oils for coolant. Hence the Val-Cool.

I don't have very much coolant in the shop and I don't use the couple machines that do have it...just out of lazyness.

I'm a kerosene man for AL. Dirt cheap by the gallon at the gas station, and much easier cleanup, IMO.

I clean machines with diesel/kerosene. Has lubricating properties in it that are good for the steel I'm told, so I've made it a habit over the years.

I haven't tried that aerosol Tap Magic. I do like the Anchor Lube, that stuff is the shizzle. Just a slight almond odor and it's natural.

[BugHunter]

You guys with the Benzene... That stuff is gonna kill ya...

[TraditionalToolworks]

You guys with the Benzene... That stuff is gonna kill ya...

Do you know you can actually wash your hands in diesel?

Seriously, don't try that with mineral spirits, acetone or lacquer thinner but diesel no problem. I used to get a rash on my ring finger from mineral spirits, never with diesel...just sayin'...

I'm sure it will kill us, breathing the air will kill 'ya also...but not breathing it will kill you as well...

[JustTheDad]

Why do people worry about acetone skin contact so much? Women used it for decades as nail polish remover. I use it to wash stuff off my hands periodically as long as there's good ventilation. I'm not swimming in it, but I'll soak a paper towel to get epoxy off my fingers.
I avoid skin contact with diesel fuel, mineral spirits and I won't even use lacquer thinner or MEK inside. Heck, with those two I wear a respirator working with them outside.
But acetone? Seems safe enough since you could even drink small amounts.

I have Sta-Lube SL2512 Soluble Oil, and while I have no idea if the Sta-Lube is great stuff, it's mostly water when mixed and the ingredients are used in cosmetic products so I don't worry much about it being toxic.

Editing to add that we actually produce acetone as a ketone byproduct of fat metabolism. Still wouldn't use it to clean my hands regularly, but it's safer than most!

[sbaker56]

I have to admit I've never worried much about occasional skin contact with Acetone, mineral spirits, non chlorinated Brake Clean, Xylene etc, largely because if I wear the wrong gloves they'll melt anyway . But I'm also not generally exposed to them very often and Acetone is definitely the safest.

[TraditionalToolworks]

I avoid skin contact with diesel fuel, mineral spirits and I won't even use lacquer thinner or MEK inside.

Todd,

I haven't done any scientific studies or anything, but know that mineral spirits has some type of adverse reaction with my wedding ring and my skin...which is kind of odd as my wedding ring is gold. I have always just figured that acetone, mineral spirits and lacquer thinner were just different levels of the same solvent, but I must be wrong.

I was told it is safe to wash your hands in diesel, aside from the flammability, it's safe. Just don't smoke while you're washing your hands...

I have done so many times to remove stuff off my hands and I do wash them in soap after as diesel is not my favorite smell, but haven't noticed any adverse effects, sometimes it's sit on my hands for 30 minutes with no problems.

Do you know, is acetone different than the other solvents? Now that you mention it acetone is the main ingredient in nail polish remover. Good to have around if you ever glue your fingers together with super glue.

You ask why? Didn't we use asbestos in our brakes for decades?

[JustTheDad]

Hi Alan,
Some of the stuff we're talking about is often a mix of different organic solvents. Lacquer thinner for example. Mineral spirits should be all petrolium distilates, but I don't know which are in it or if they've added something I don't want on my hands. It's too much of a bother to read the safety data sheet on it, so I just try to be a little careful with it. It's safer by far than lacquer thinner.
Diesel fuel is also just a petroleum distillate, and like kerosene, it's probably safe if it is pure. I think modern diesel probably is safe since they're trying to eliminate releasing toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. Again, I just don't know what additives are in it.

Acetone's actually an organic compound, I think two methyl groups stuck on carbon monoxide maybe. So C3H6O? You've probably heard about diabetics going into ketoacidosis, or people going on keto diets to push their bodies into ketosis. Acetone is one of those ketones, just a chemical that your body produces. Assuming there's only acetone in the can, it should be safe. I'm sure it would be an irritant if you breathe it a lot, and it would strip oils from your skin, and you wouldn't want to drink a lot of it because that's messing with your body's chemistry, but getting a little on your hands occasionally shouldn't be an issue. (Remember this isn't my medical advice, it's just my internet rambling, so be careful with anything you use.)

[BugHunter]

I have this really simple rule of thumb. If I dump a gallon of some crap on my yard and my yard now has a dead spot for a couple of years, I figure it's some pretty bad stuff. Not conducive to Optimum Health. Pretty much everything mentioned above Falls in those categories. The diesel fuel may not be quite as bad from a contact standpoint but it is absolutely pure hell from a respiratory angle. Now I grew up on a farm and I have siphoned some gas in my day and done lots of dumb stuff, but I don't make a specific point to see how much of it I can do now that I know better. I figure they don't say Benzene is one of the most toxic substances known to man, just for the hell of it. Dump a gallon of diesel fuel on your yard and see how long it is before a weed grows there again. It's going to be a while.

[JustTheDad]

If acetone were cheaper I'd dump some on the yard to test that
But it's not cheap
And I am

[TraditionalToolworks]

Dump a gallon of diesel fuel on your yard and see how long it is before a weed grows there again. It's going to be a while.

Isn't that what my neighbors yard is for? Or the gutter? *gd&r*

[Spartan]

20 welders and one organic chemist walk into a bar...

[BillE.Dee]

20 welders and one organic chemist walk into a bar...

Spartan,,,,YOU'RE AWESOME....

[Oscar]

20 welders and one organic chemist walk into a bar...

Spartan,,,,YOU'RE AWESOME....

Yup, cant wait to try out these bits!

[Poland308]

RTD makes some food grade cutting and drilling paste. For use in production plants.

[Oscar]

Got new toys.

[TraditionalToolworks]

Are those the pig steel bits? I read those are definitely made in u.s.a., I think mine are but not entirely sure.

Will be curious to hear how you like those masonry bits.

[Oscar]

Are those the pig steel bits? I read those are definitely made in u.s.a., I think mine are but not entirely sure.

Will be curious to hear how you like those masonry bits.

According to Mike @ Drill Hog, there are two lines of Pig Steel bits; the regular one and the "premium" line. Reg set is about $75 and the Premium are about $90. I bought the premium so I don't get any excuses when I end up breaking them

[BugHunter]

Got new toys.

I'll be curious to know what you think of the metal cutting blade. I cut a lot of aluminum. As in, probably more than anybody here can possibly imagine. For example, last year more than 30 miles of aluminum Extrusion into pieces mostly not more than 48 in Long. The blades in the saw have not been changed since 2012.

[Oscar]

Got new toys.

I'll be curious to know what you think of the metal cutting blade. I cut a lot of aluminum. As in, probably more than anybody here can possibly imagine. For example, last year more than 30 miles of aluminum Extrusion into pieces mostly not more than 48 in Long. The blades in the saw have not been changed since 2012.

Oh the blade is awesome on steel, I can already tell from just one cut. Runs nice and smooth, just as I expected, and cut 1/8 flat bar very smooth, so that means it could likely deal with angle/tube/channel with 1/16" walls pretty good I hope! If not, there are other higher-tooth-count blades that could deal with thin stuff well I suspect. Though I don't think this blade would be good for aluminum since I think those have a negative rake, and steel cutting dry cut blades still have a slight positive rake that would make it easier to load up with aluminum. This one from Benchmark Abrasives might be a better choice for aluminum, or this one from Oshlun perhaps. Although I do have to ask, if the blades you are using haven't been changed since 2012, why would you be looking to go in other directions? Or unless I misunderstood the two comments within your post and connected dots that weren't meant to be connected.

[BugHunter]

Oh the blade is awesome on steel, I can already tell from just one cut. Runs nice and smooth, just as I expected, and cut 1/8 flat bar very smooth, so that means it could likely deal with angle/tube/channel with 1/16" walls pretty good I hope! If not, there are other higher-tooth-count blades that could deal with thin stuff well I suspect. Though I don't think this blade would be good for aluminum since I think those have a negative rake, and steel cutting dry cut blades still have a slight positive rake that would make it easier to load up with aluminum. This one from Benchmark Abrasives might be a better choice for aluminum, or this one from Oshlun perhaps. Although I do have to ask, if the blades you are using haven't been changed since 2012, why would you be looking to go in other directions? Or unless I misunderstood the two comments within your post and connected dots that weren't meant to be connected.

I don't cut steel with the blades that I have. Just aluminum extrusions. I have a metal cutting bandsaw and I have a 12 inch radiac saw but neither one is all that useful for 45s. I hate the smoke and smell of the Radiac saw so I basically never use it.

Be careful about going to too many teeth. As the count goes up the amount of webbing holding them on becomes almost nothing and they break off very easy.

A week after I got my current aluminum cutting blades I liked them so much I went back and bought three more sets. I'm good for them. LOL

[Oscar]

Well the work, but time will tell how they hold up. Let's see how they are 6mo from now. I can't say I'd be drilling anything other than mild steel and aluminum, so perhaps I won't really be ever to test their claims.