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A question of oil.

ducdon

ducdon

Super User
Premium Member
I have used Monarch Oil KLIR-CUT 2 cutting oil for years. Mainly because it was readily available from Home Hardware in 1 Liter quantity. For the same reasons I have used 20 weight Canadian Tire Non detergent motor oil as Way Oil. I think they are both now discontinued. SO what's recommended and were do I get it in the Calgary area. I'd like to continue to buy in small quantities. CHEERS
 
KBC jacked their shipping prices to 25$ min so puts a bit of damper on low $ orders.

I stumbled on OhCanada looking for Loctite products & made a mental note that they carry oils & related goodies if you want to compare. They carry LPS Tapmatic line which I am happy with. Not in Calgary but arrived quick.
Possibly DMH in Calgary stocks some options, or with a couple days lead time can source (more machining orientated than some of the big box hardware store offerings)

ohcanadasupply.ca

- Industrial Supply

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ohcanadasupply.ca

- Industrial Supply

- ohcanadasupply.ca
ohcanadasupply.ca ohcanadasupply.ca
ohcanadasupply.ca

- Industrial Supply

- ohcanadasupply.ca
ohcanadasupply.ca ohcanadasupply.ca
 
Cutting oil source is easy, plumbing supply or any source that sells stuff to thread black pipe.

As to bar oil I would consider more for cutting but not as way oil. True way oil does not have any tackiness to it. Any good 20-30 wt oil is likely better as it is intended to bear load and flush out debris.

Bar oil clings which in this application makes for a sticky mess but for cutting doesn't throw off which is good.
 
I'm in the camp of using way oils as way oil and nothing else. Yes, any oil is better than nothing, but way oil is alot better than anything else for your ways. You can use way oil for your gears, an that's fine.

as to cutting oil, I make my own from sulfated oil, WD40, and varsol.

I prefer solulable cutting oil at 50% with 40% water and 10% isopropyl alcohol...
 
I am a HUGE FAN of Vipers Venom High Sulphur Cutting Oil. It doesn't wipe off easily, sticks to the cutting surface over several passes, won't sling off except at extreme rpm, provides cooling and cutting action. The biggest problem is availability in Canada. You can get it almost anywhere in the USA. But, as far as I know the only guy who carries it is Gary Eakin in BC.

Bighorn Sales
#17-3960 Drive In RD
Houston BC Canada
V0J 1Z2
Phone: 250-845-2201
Email: [email protected]

I only use real way oil. Nothing else I ever tried has the high pressure capabity, stickiness, and lubricity that real way oil has. I got a 1 Gal jug from Southbend many years ago and I still have it. It goes a Loooooooong Waaaaaaaaay! If you can't find a member who will share some with you, you can get 5 Gal of Mobile - 105480 Vactra No 2 Way Oil on Amazon - but it's big bucks. Better to share.
 
Ok, I give up. I can't find any way to buy way oil on Vancouver Island. KBC is back-ordered.
My lathe is living on injections of 20WT/iso 168, but I get the need for something stickier.
Anyone from Victoria have a lead for me? Or can I buy a litre off you until KBC has it back in stock?
 
Buying actual way oil is difficult these days. I have not seen a source of even semi reasonable 1 gal jug anywhere. So I do what others do - use high ISO oil. Way oil starts at ISO 68 and goes to like 220 (or maybe more). Thus ISO oil of say 90 or so is good enough.
At this point main difference in way oil and non way oil at same ISO is additive package.

It would be interesting to see oil analysis for way oil vs. say gear oil. I assume both will have a lot of the same additives. I assume way oil would not have anti foaming additive.

For cutting oil I have lots of choices.
1) water soluble white stuff - works ok but not great - good for flooding.
2) Walter cutting oil - works very, very well. Lasts very long time, use it most of the time for all cutting needs
3) Tap magic - similar to walter but more watery and a bit less good
4) Walter cutting "paste" - this works well if you do not like / cannot use liquid. Its consistency of heavy grease. Works very well.
5) for AL I just use WD40
6) I also have spray cans of some cutting fluid, gold in color (cans) work very well, similar to walter.

It feels that indeed expensive industrial solutions work much better then cheap stuff (such as white soluble oil) - Walter stuff is very expensive retail - but it works the best. It feels like you are getting more or less what you pay for.

I have not tried "old school" cutting fluids.

There is project farm test video comparing some cutting fluids. Bottom line is anything is better then nothing.
 
PaulL said:
Ok, I give up. I can't find any way to buy way oil on Vancouver Island. KBC is back-ordered.
Click to expand...

Here is Way Oil on Amazon.

Mobil - 105480 Vactra No. 2, Way Oil, 5 gal, ISO 68 https://a.co/d/3KkVJjz

At $433 + 80 shipping + tax, it's not cheap but you do get a lot of it. I got what I have from Grizzly in the USA and had it delivered to a friend in Michigan.

I bet you could also drop into a few local machine shops and buy just a few litres.

I believe that the primary additive that is in way oil is a sticker that make the oil stay on the surface instead of slowly running off. I think that additive is worth paying for. I wouldn't use a straight oil without it unless I had no choice and even then only temporarily.

Basically, I think that the heart and soul of a lathe or a mill is its ways and its spindle. I believe these two elements especially need all the love and care I can give them, so I would not compromise on the oil I used. That's my view of it anyway.
 
I feel like asking project farm to do a test to see whatever way oil is indeed better for the ways in any significant way then say heavy grades of gear oil.

The main additive of note is Tackifier.

What is interesting is that you can buy additive separately and just add it to oil and make your own way oil - which can be as sticky as you want it to be.

Main thing to not here is that way oil with its tackifier simply stays on longer vs. same oil without tackifier. So you simply use more non tackifier oil for the same result.
 
I was hoping OhCanada would have comparable sizes to KBC. Unfortunately not, they just show ~5gal pail in this weight. $156 works out to higher $/gal than KBC

Propel Lubricants WAY6820 WAY LUBE INDUSTRIAL OIL | pplway6820

Propel Lubricants WAY6820 WAY LUBE INDUSTRIAL OIL Specially formulated fluid for the lubrication of slideways on industrial machine tools., It is formulated with pure paraffinic base oils which have been fortified with specially designed additives to protect machine tool slideways., Very low...
ohcanadasupply.ca ohcanadasupply.ca

I have been happy with the KBC distributed EEZ oil on lathe & mill & another plus is they offered a few different viscosity variations. I wonder inventory issues is yet more supply chain shenanigans.
 
I would try Boss Lubricants in Vancouver. They are a Shell Authorized Dealer. Perhaps they would even know of someone on the Island. Or check at a marina / city maintenance department and ask who is their Shell rep?

Vancouver — BOSS Lubricants

www.bosslubricants.com www.bosslubricants.com

I would get a pail of Tonna 68 sent to one of you on the Island (if there is no Shell dealer). Fill it into smaller containers and distribute it amongst yourselves.
 
RobinHood said:
I would get a pail of Tonna 68 sent to one of you on the Island (if there is no Shell dealer). Fill it into smaller containers and distribute it amongst yourselves.
Click to expand...

Ding ding ding!

This is the million dollar answer. 500 divided by 2 is 250. Divided by 4 is 125. Totally reasonable cost and volume. Anyone who thinks they need more can afford the whole pail themselves.
 
RobinHood said:
Or another option: Grainger Canada. The product is by CIMCOOL.. $150 for 19 litres.


Heard of it, but not really familiar...
Click to expand...

Dunno about that stuff @RobinHood . I know you are not promoting it just pointing it out it's availability at a reasonable cost and volume.

It claims to be way oil, but also says pure iso-68 with no additives. That seems contradictory to me.

I suppose that supports the theory that no special oil is required.

But since I don't know enough to know the real difference, I'd rather stick with something that has the generally accepted way oil sticker additive in it and plainly says so.

Again, I consider the ways and the spindle to be the heart and soul of mills and lathes - ie sacred items not to be treated casually. Until I know better with much higher certainty, mine will get high quality way oil and spindle oil that meet the manufacturers specifications.

I still think you had the best idea of all. Do a group buy of some good stuff.
 
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