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Cutting Fluid for Threading and chambering!

I have done about 50 barrels over 20 years with sulfurized cutting oil.
This month I did 4 barrels with Castrol Moly Dee.
The tool force was less.
The feeds and speeds were higher without chattering. This is much nicer for parting on the lathe.
 
^^^
Cool, thanks for the info.
I see it online for under $120 for a 5 gal- that's way less than Ridgid.

Admittedly, much of the chemistry of all the neat cutting oils is way beyond my pay grade- and confusing.
Chorinated additives, sulfur content, etc. Some have both, some one or the other- or none.

Is the viscosity similar to darker cutting oils?
Do you use it strictly for chambering, or all ops where lubrication is beneficial?
It's thinner than dark thread cutting oil. I run it with an 1/8th HP pump with no problems.
I had the rep come by the shop and gave him the particulars of what I do and his engineers came up with this. I chamber on a Haas. I turn dry and do everything else wet. That's threading at up to 600 RPM's. Most of the time it's 400-500 for barrel tenons.
 
^^^
Last one, I promise :)
HSS or carbide reamers? Confirming you're using the oil in the same application/feeds/speeds as the rest of peasants chambering on a manual machine.
 
Oatey dark thread cutting oil is good stuff


  • Excellent lubricant for cutting sharp threadsllContains activated sulfur-lard and extreme pressure-antiwear additives
  • Free of halogens, PCBs and heavy metals
  • Cointains no nitrosamine-forming compounds or chlorine additivesllAlso used for hacksawing and light drilling
  • Better heat dissipation
  • Long lasting formula with less residue backup
  • USDA Listed
  • For warranty product details, refer to the Oatey limited Warranty document
 
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I would wager that 90% of all the home gunsmiths are using Some form of Dark Sulphur cutting oil to chamber with.
 
Tap magic X-tra thick for chambering!

I had to deepen a chamber by .025 today, for such a small amount I wasn't going to take the time to set up, use the flush system, etc. so I decided to deepen it by hand like a short-chambered barrel.

I was going to slather it with Viper's when I remembered this post, so I tried it.
No problem with the cutting, cut easily and left a mirror finish- but man, that s*** would NOT come off the reamer.
Before installing a flush system I would always clean between "pecks" by spraying liberally with brake cleaner, blowing it off, before dipping the reamer back in oil for another go.

The X-tra thick just hung on the reamer. Brake cleaner didn't cut it well, so the reamer still had chips in between the flutes even after blowing off with compressed air. I had to wipe it down with a rag and run shop swabs down into the flutes to clean it out completely when I was done.

Curious, how do you "cut" this stuff when you withdraw the reamer and clean it?
 
Haven't done it lately but we used to thin the sulfur based dark oils with kerosene, Rigid or other brands. Last cut on the threads is a spring cut with a fair amount of oil.
 

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