just another plasma build and then some :)

dose not matter the process it all makes a mess. just messing around for a little bit cutting stuff has a mess of things. any kind of open machine cutting tosses crap all over the place. even the manual mill is a pain in the butt to keep cleaned up.

my plans are not to have everything mounted at the same time. i just want to have the different processes as an option by swapping things on and off the z axis if need be. i'm a far cry from plasma at this stage and it could very well be a while before i even get into it honestly.

all the cutting fluids for milling have rust inhibiters in them so things getting wet is not a big deal. a mister is mild compared to flood coolant. i would imagine plasma has the same thing for water tables to keep rust off the parts as well.

if a problem would come up it's just like anything else you find a solution to the problem when you notice it.

nice and shiny is what they make camera's for it never lasts if you use the stuff a lot

I use this fluid in my water table.

www.machineryhouse.com.au/P799

I should probably measure how much I put in but have been adding small amounts until I get no rust showing. Its hard with a table my size since the water evaporates and I just put the hose in to top it up.

sometimes going by what you see is better than a label instruction guide line honestly. i start with instructions and go with what works in the real world little bit extra could go a long way in the long run if it keeps the rust away.

checked that link out and seen a refractometer in the process i would bet you could use one of them to know what your concentration levels are and be a little more accurate and take any guessing out of it. we use them at my work for the water soluble oil for the flood coolant in the machining centers. they work great for that application. might work for additives for water tables too? might be worth looking into if you want a better way to keep track of the mix?

I will look into the refractometer. I would be good to know what the levels of the fluid are in the water instead of half assing it

Can you recommend a brand or model of meter?

I'm not sure that is necessary. There is a dilution rate on the bottle. I'm told the active ingredient does not evaporate so just keep topping it up until you need to clean it out. But then you may be able to reuse the liquid.

rodw wrote:

I'm not sure that is necessary. There is a dilution rate on the bottle. I'm told the active ingredient does not evaporate so just keep topping it up until you need to clean it out. But then you may be able to reuse the liquid.

Not sure I follow you Rod, how would I reuse the liquid? Do you mean the residual left after evaporation and the water is refilled?

I find the compound clings to the steel particles. But after a while and especially after I clean the bed out and top up the water level the slats start to rust a little bit.

The last couple of weeks have been good with little evaporation but during summer I have to top it up everyday.

this is the brand and model we use at work. i seen in the PDF a number for tech support. i would check with them to see if it works with the fluids on your water table? they have different models for different applications so i would find out if or which one might work for this application.

machinedude wrote:

this is the brand and model we use at work. i seen in the PDF a number for tech support. i would check with them to see if it works with the fluids on your water table? they have different models for different applications so i would find out if or which one might work for this application.

Thanks for that. I have a local guy I use for things like this that are out of the ordinary. I will ring him tomorrow and see what he can come up with.

thefabricator03 wrote:

Not sure I follow you Rod, how would I reuse the liquid? Do you mean the residual left after evaporation and the water is refilled?

Yeh, I can drain mine into plastic tubs so I guessed you'd be cleaning out your tray a lot more than mine so might be able to do that before you clean out your tray.

this was just a quick test on the machine cutting something substantial to see how it does at this stage. the depth of cut was .050 cutting at 30 IPM which is a pretty safe limit for now. don't mind the worlds loudest air compressor kick on from time to time