Ethanol mist for cutting aluminium

[Hallettoil]

Ladies and Gentlemen

Please...do take very seriously the health and safety aspect of using any type of misting coolant.

Apart from the said flammability issues, the slightest mist , even unseen can be breathed in unnoticed and once in your lungs, there WILL come a time when consequences will manifest themselves.

Vent/extract any form of mist. DO NOT breath it.

Any form of Oil/Chemical on the skin is not good and wise after the event is too late.

If you are using coolants where there is potential skin contact, follow the instructions, Wear protective gloves or at least a skin wet (if necessary) or dry barrier cream and if using hand cleansers, in the main will de-fat the skin so use a conditioning cream.

Those of you that will be expecting cracking skin when the weather turn cold will know what I mean

50 years in the Oil Industry, I could write a book but if you have any issues... feel free

Hi,

Has anyone here got any experience using ethanol delivered via a mister system when high-speed cutting aluminium? I understand that's what Datron use in their machines. At the moment I'm using WD40 which works but makes a horrible sticky mess when mixed with aluminium chips/dust and tends to stink the workshop out. I also have issues with the WD40 separating in the mister reservoir (the bottom of the tank ends up with white fluffy looking stuff floating around in it).

Are ethanol fumes an issue? Where can I economically source ethanol, in appropriate form, a few litres at a time? So far I've only been able to find bioethanol (the purity of which I'm unsure about) and methylated spirits (which probably smells worse than WD40) in bulk.

Cheers,
Matt.