skin fittings

[Timleech]

Solid fuel stove exhausts are often acidic, and this will one way or another encourage corrosion. Cast iron is much more resistant to corrosion than is mild steel. I've seen some horrible messes of welded collars, and they are harder to replace.

 

Tim

Edited December 24, 2014 by Timleech

[NMEA]

Sorry, but water is not a lubricant for cutting tools, cutting pastes, oils or emulsions are, if you use them you'll probably get 10 times the life out of the tooling. Water will do didly sqit except keep it cold.

Water will indeed both lubricate and cool, especially in sufficient quantity, good enough for rock drilling, it's advantage over cutting fluids (which I also use in apropriate conditions) is that you can use it freely even if the vessel is in the water, something you could not easily do with cutting fluid, also it's free.

Edited December 24, 2014 by NMEA

[ditchcrawler]

I can picture it now, kneeling there with his 240 volt electric drill in hand, shoving like billio against the hole cutter on the steel while some splashes a 1" hose about to get plenty of water on the job to keep the steel and cutter cool with just the odd splash to keep the drill cool.

 

I once saw a chap using an electric sander with wet and dry in it on his cabin side standing on the gunwale while his missus played a hose on the paintwork/ paper in Braunston Marina.

Don't think this one was brass

[NMEA]

Do people still use corded power tools drills around boats, not me, in fact I don't own any except workshop stuff. Also it helps if you don't use an idiot but rather somebody with enough sense to gently trickle the water down over the cutting site. Actually the thing I normally use is a weed sprayer with the spray nozzle removed, I cut exhaust and drainage skin fitting holes on a regular basis using the method.

[blackrose]

Solid fuel stove exhausts are often acidic, and this will one way or another encourage corrosion. Cast iron is much more resistant to corrosion than is mild steel. I've seen some horrible messes of welded collars, and they are harder to replace.

 

Tim

I've had a welded in mild steel collar on my roof for 10 years. No signs of deep corrosion on it yet, just light surface rust.

Edited December 25, 2014 by blackrose

[blackrose]

Do people still use corded power tools drills around boats, not me, in fact I don't own any except workshop stuff.

Yes, I still have some corded power tools on my boat (alongside my Dewalt battery drill), including a couple of corded sanders, an angle grinder a multitool and another corded drill. But then I don't have a workshop.

[Neil Smith]

I have a full set of starrett tank cutters from 19mm up to 127mm, I did have a 152mm but lent it but cant remember who to, I use them with cutting oil and they last ages even in stainless if you go very slow, you can also get water soluble fluid that turns milky, I use them with a cordless drill no problem.

 

Neil

[Timleech]

Do people still use corded power tools drills around boats, not me, in fact I don't own any except workshop stuff. Also it helps if you don't use an idiot but rather somebody with enough sense to gently trickle the water down over the cutting site. Actually the thing I normally use is a weed sprayer with the spray nozzle removed, I cut exhaust and drainage skin fitting holes on a regular basis using the method.

 

Yes, definitely. Cordless tools have improved hugely over the last few years, so that they sometimes really can be almost as good as the corded equivalent as well as being more convenient although usually much more expensive. They can't yet compete for sustained sawing or grinding operations though. My cordless jigsaw is very good, but with its battery it's a big heavy lump compared with its corded cousin.

 

Tim

[ditchcrawler]

I have a full set of starrett tank cutters from 19mm up to 127mm, I did have a 152mm but lent it but cant remember who to, I use them with cutting oil and they last ages even in stainless if you go very slow, you can also get water soluble fluid that turns milky, I use them with a cordless drill no problem.

 

Neil

I use Rocol when cutting holes in steel

[DHutch]

Rocal is good.

 

All our skin fittings are the brass type, placed well above the water line compared to most, if not all over 10inchs up, as compromised to allow self draining. In 20 years we have only knocked one off, but where greatful it was neither on the waterline, nor impossible to get to to replace.

 

Daniel

[onionbargee]

Water will indeed both lubricate and cool, especially in sufficient quantity, good enough for rock drilling, it's advantage over cutting fluids (which I also use in apropriate conditions) is that you can use it freely even if the vessel is in the water, something you could not easily do with cutting fluid, also it's free.

You only need a dip in cutting paste, rocol or similar, for a hole saw or drill. It won't pollute the water. I've never heard of plain water being used by any engineering practice for drilling mild steel. Soluble oil, yes. Plus your tooling is then wet, and will rust unless you oil it before you put it away anyway .

[smileypete]

Agree that water isn't really a lubricant, just a coolant,

 

But having said that it's probably OK in a pinch for what NMEA does, what really dulls a cutting edge quickly is excess heat.

 

I won't share my unorthodox way of drilling stainless sheet with a cheapo bit.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited December 26, 2014 by smileypete

[Guest]

In the absence of proper cutting fluid, milk works for hole cutters in m/steel. Done it a few times when stuck. Never tried water, but suspect milk is better.
WD40 or similar is OKish.

Edited December 26, 2014 by Guest

[onionbargee]

Milk is 90% water.

[Timleech]

Milk is 90% water.

 

So is soluble oil coolant. It's the 10% which makes the difference.

I've seen milk recommended for machining copper, which can be a pig to machine, never tried it as I don't fancy the smell when it goes off.

 

Tim

[smileypete]

In the absence of proper cutting fluid, milk works for hole cutters in m/steel. Done it a few times when stuck. Never tried water, but suspect milk is better.

 

Full fat, semi, or skimmed (ugh!)

 

Milk is 90% water.

 

Really?

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[magnetman]

I think the whole milk idea is udderly ridiculous.

[Robbo]

I think the whole milk idea is udderly ridiculous.

Tastes better than semi tho.

[onionbargee]

But there's nothing in milk that's a cutting lubricant is there ? Except the fat, and the fact its a little thicker than water.

[Timleech]

But there's nothing in milk that's a cutting lubricant is there ? Except the fat, and the fact its a little thicker than water.

 

From 'Machinery's Handbook', 1914, along with a host of other period recommendations for cutting lubricants:-

"Milk is generally considered the best lubricant for machining copper. A mixture of lard oil and turpentine is also used for copper. "

 

https://archive.org/stream/cuttinglubricant00newyrich/cuttinglubricant00newyrich_djvu.txt

 

Tim

[Neil Smith]

Beer is 90% water so cant we use that.

 

Neil

[magnetman]

Only 90% ?

WD40?

[Timleech]

Only 90% ?

WD40?

 

WD40 is OK for cutting aluminium.

 

Tim

[ditchcrawler]

We use to use Russian Tallow for cutting threads on steel conduit.

Edited December 27, 2014 by ditchcrawler

[onionbargee]

 

From 'Machinery's Handbook', 1914, along with a host of other period recommendations for cutting lubricants:-

"Milk is generally considered the best lubricant for machining copper. A mixture of lard oil and turpentine is also used for copper. "

 

https://archive.org/stream/cuttinglubricant00newyrich/cuttinglubricant00newyrich_djvu.txt

 

Tim

Well every days a learning day, though a lathe chip tray full of rancid milk doesn't appeal much.