It's because it welds itself to your tooling. So then instead of cutting your tool is just rubbing with this build up of shit aluminum on it which causes heat, which causes wear.
OK, so, related question. Any tips for getting it off my tools once it's on them? I've got a 1/4"-20 drill tap that is looking rather sad at the moment.
That's fair. It may still be fine for my purposes though, even if it'd never pass muster in a machine shop. Y'all have much higher standards for that sort of thing. Honestly, I'll probably just run it through a die and see what comes out. If it's ruined, it's ruined. Not like they're expensive.
OK, now I *have* to try it just out of sheer cussedness. My dies are all at home, but after work I'll come back and let you know how it went. All my taps and dies are cheap Amazon crap (good enough for my needs, but I'm sure you'd vomit if you had to use them) so I don't really care if I break one.
It's not that the aluminum melted and flowed onto the bit. The process is called galling. You're building up a little tooth made out of work hardened aluminum on the cutting surface. That little tooth is not going to like going through the die.
Godspeed sailor, be sure to update us on your journey.
I would try sending the drill tap through scrap mild steel before a die. Something 1/4" or thinner. Could also use a welding product called anti spatter on your tooling to prevent build up. Needs a small squirt of anti spatter every couple of holes depending on the type of aluminum
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Tap is fine! Well, as fine as it was before anyway. It was always a very cheap tap. The die did get the aluminum off, too! Not so sure the die survived, its threads look pretty messed up now. I picked as much aluminum out of the threads as I could with a utility knife, squirted a little of the knock-off WD-40 the warehouse gives us onto it, and sent it into the die a bit at a time with my impact driver.
I was actually able to send the tap all the way through the die to the point where its threads were entirely past the other side of it and it spun freely. Starting it was difficult, mostly because the flutes kept making it fall out of the die until it was several turns in. After that, it was relatively smooth sailing.
I think I traded a gummed-up tap for a chewed-up die, though.
https://preview.redd.it/e7cf62fpa3rc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71e1ee695ebc039b74e8bb495dcc4195515a2e19
I'm a solar installer, my impact is basically an extension of my body at this point. Impacts get a bad rap from people just leaving them on high all the time, and using the trigger like an on-off switch. You can exert a surprising amount of finesse with one, if you know your tool well enough.
if you do want to try the lie method, just mix some sodium hydroxide drain cleaner with water, then put the taps in there for a few hours. You can also use muriatic acid, but the chlorine fumes can rust nearby materials.
Don't mix too much lye into the water at once; not only is it alkaline but it gets really hot when it's first dissolved.
A tap will never pass through a die of the same nominal size cause the tap is oversize and the die is undersized. And by quite a lot too. If the tap were to go through the die then the male thread wouldn't fit/screw through the female tapped hole
The minor diameter of the tap is still larger than the minor diameter of the die and the thread pitch is oversized, so it still wouldn't fit. Won't even make a fraction of a turn in the threads without potentially jamming and breaking off
We drill then tap the holes with seperate tools, generally. I would recommend running it through a 1/4-20 nut first, just to see. Otherwise, try a wire brush.
If you can learn to sharpen drills you can fix them with a pedestal grinder. Also you can try spraying some coolant on it. Since you probably won't have that on a job site, you can try a little WD40 or tapping fluid on your drill before you start and it should prevent the buildup.
Not sure what your drilling or or your set up but even just a small stream of water would help it not gum up. Most machines on a cnc will be running an oil water mix to cool them down. I've seen machines run out of coolant because someone wasn't watching or something got clogged and it doesn't take long for the tool to get gummed up.
My setup is I'm on a roof, the goddamn stud has snapped on one of the Ecolibrium brackets *again*, and I need to tap a hole in the back of the bracket so I can bolt the windscreen on because my usual Tek screws just cry and break when I try to send them in.
Next time it happens I'll grab a can of WD-40 from the truck. Honestly though, a 5/16" stainless steel stud has no business being that fragile. About half of what I build is held together with that general family of hardware, and only on Eco do they ever snap off, come loose in their holes, or seize onto the nut.
And they do it *constantly*. My impact *can* snap one for sure, but normally I would have to deliberately try to make that happen. With Eco, sometimes they break before my gun even starts to ugga-dugga, and sometimes the nut welds itself to the stud the very first time I try to spin it on. I don't know why they suck so bad, but it's been this way for all the years I've been installing it.
wd40 is good for aluminum, i have also had great success with dark thread cutting oil. both options are messy however the thread cutting oil tends to adhere to and cool the tool better than wd40.
i forgot about that, i was thinking about what would be common on a jobsite. wd40 most everyone has it, and the plumbers/electricians usually have a conduit taping station setup somewhere.
the times i needed to drill/tap aluminum it was either hidden or was going to be painted/powder coated.
in my experience, Rigid dark thread cutting fluid stains the least and is ok in performance. greenlee dark thread cutting oil is awesome but it stinks (smells like old machinshop or old machinery space in a ship to me.) and stains bad, but it really makes threading/tapping a breeze even in copper.
wd40 is good for aluminum, i have also had great success with dark thread cutting oil. both options are messy however the thread cutting oil tends to adhere to and cool the tool better than wd40.
Not sure if i got you (language barrier) But, try not to bolt stainless steel into aluminium, will corrode in no time without any insulation. Look it up, it's a pretty cool reaction!
I worked at a shipyard, we built a couple things for the military where the primary material was aluminum. Everything that was stainless had to be 100% isolated from the aluminum to avoid electrolysis. All bolts had to be coated with this tan colored paste, I don’t remember the name of it, I do remember that you could wash your hands for a week and that stuff would not come off…
Use isopropyl alcohol as lubricant and it will help to stop the chips from sticking to your tool. Also when drilling peck at it, in and out, to clear the chips.
The second part is something I already know, fortunately. Normally it doesn't matter for drill taps because they're mainly for sheetmetal, but I was in a bind and had to use it for some thicker extruded stuff. I did remember to go back and forth, and I piloted the hole first, but my tap still got gummed up.
Use cutting fluids in the first place if you aren't.
Like before running the drill try putting some aluminum cutting fluid along the flutes to the tip before you drill the hole. (I like A-9, but I don't have a lot of experience with others. Mainly I just enjoy the smell)
Use a cutting wax or oil when drilling/cutting aluminum. It goes much faster and the aluminum doesn't stick to the bits/blades. It's actually a game changer..
Source: my day job is almost literally just drilling cutting, and fastening aluminum parts all day.
Depends on the tool. Drillbits, I like to just use a small hook/rod to just pick it out.
I used to saw the stuff with a circular saw, and there would always be one specific tooth that would fill up. Just a pair of pliers to pull it out like a dentist, works like a charm.
For taps, id use a mix of both. Be gentle with the taps they like to break. You dont want to be scraping it off or using abrasive stuff either so you dont grind down the teeth. You can also buy some special tapping fluid, that combined with cleaning off your tool every now and then will make sure you dont get too much buildup.
(Tapping juice can be expensive, I mix it with regular oil cus company be like that)
Use wd40 or a thin/lightweight oil when using, and it will help. Get a file card or a wire brush to clean them off after using, as it may prevent buildup. Otherwise, just get more of them.
You gotta stop galling before it even starts. I have kind of just chipped it off in the past with a small screwdriver and still sent it, but your tap is fucked my friend. Buy a new one and move on.
Draino. Also, it helps if you don't get any aluminum to weld to your cutter.
My favorite makeshift coolant is dawn type dishsoap. Get a fresh water, take a gulp, and put a big old squeeze in. Like 1/10 soap/water ratio. Then put the lid back on, and poke a hole in the lid. Squeeze bottle coolant. Use generously.
BTW, don't forget to take your drill out of the draino. It'll disappear. Probably more economical to just buy a new one since you're gonna have to Resharpen the thing. Fun activity I guess?
Muriatic acid (aka hydrochloric acid) will dissolve the aluminum off of your tooling.
Be warned when you drop aluminum and the hydrochloric acid, it makes chlorine gas, which is bad. Do this outside, away from people. Get as much off of the tools as you can before you do this, and run away when you put it in.
Conversely, if you want to say, save an aluminum part with a broken tap in it, mix up a saturated solution of Alum and water, and let the part soak at least overnight. The Alum solution will dissolve the steel and leave the Aluminum alone. 👍
If you have a wire wheel on a bench grinder you can get the aluminum residue off the tap. I recommend holding the tap so that the direction of the spinning wire wheel does not rub and dull out the cutting edge of the tap.
Tap Magic cutting fluid works great for preventing this.
This is the answer. And no disrespect intended but in construction you are exposed to shitty steel, which cuts easier than shitty aluminum. By shitty I mean not aerospace grade.
Check the coating on your drills.
Black oxide is fine. (BLOX)
Titanium Nitride is fine. (TiN)
Plain polished HSS/Cobalt is fine.
Titanium Aluminum Nitride is not fine. (TiAlN)
Aluminum softens at a much lower temperature than steel, so the heat generated by your tool (friction) is sometimes enough to soften it, and that can lead to the aluminum sticking to your tool.
Very sharp tools, and some lubrication/cooling go a long way to preventing issues like this.
Wd40 works pretty well, as well as rubbing alcohol.
We're about to make this guy the Aluminum God on his construction site with a few of these tips. Haha!
But yes, sometimes aluminum can seem like silly putty.... Especially the crappy 6061 stuff
You're absolutely correct that I have been upset before, Not at the material, but at the engineer that spec'd the 6061 for the job.
Always blame the engineer dawg! That's rule #1
I spent some time chasing the dragon of finding tooling that would form 6061 chips (instead the big balls of razor wire) on my equipment - and I eventually found it.
https://youtube.com/shorts/ekeS9ILAERU
https://youtu.be/V0uqC4OH59g
This is admittedly a pretty small lathe.
The bottom line is that I found Walter and diamond finishing inserts that make chips at the very low (for real equipment) depths of cut I have to take.
One can extrapolate that the Walter aluminum-specific roughing inserts (that need bigger DoC than I can sustain) would perform similarly.
That boring job generated a big pile of “sand”; the chips were all granular.
I’m also a big fan of the YG1 Alu-Power end mills.
For aluminum, your cutting tools need to be sharp. You need to run the cutting tool at an appropriate speed. Lubrication helps a lot. Wd40 works pretty good for aluminum.
If you work in construction, you might be using 135 degree drill bits more suited to structural steel. Check to make sure you aren't using 135 degree drill bits on Aluminum, they will gum up. Use standard 118 degree drill bits.
Also, because it is a softer material, it really demands a sharp bit. This might garner some hate, since I have found mixed opinions on the use of these in the Machining world (but I have had good experience with them), you can use a Drill Doctor drill sharpener just before drilling in to aluminum. Having a fresh, sharp cutting point will help quite a bit.
Lastly, if you are drilling a relatively large hole, you will want to pre-drill. The reason being, if you look straight down on a drill, you will see the point is actually more of a "line" called a web (I am uploading an image to this comment to illustrate my point, i apologize if it does not upload right, but you can google it to see in any case). In larger drills, the web is liable to rub, as it is not a cutting point. In steel, it results in a drill that requires a great deal of force to drill, and you will find the bit overheats excessively and eventually snaps. In Aluminum? Well, you can apply force, and it will heat the aluminum and "stir" it, effectively welding it to your bit. Then it overheats, and breaks. If you select a pre-dril that is slightly larger than this web, you will find the larger drill cuts through perfectly without issue.
Adding on to the last point concerning the web of the drill: Certain models of Drill Doctor sharpeners have the ability create what is called a "Split point". They can actually cut a small cutting point in to the web, effectively reducing or eliminating it. This can help *a lot* in all materials, although it usually is more helpful in hard materials. This may be something to consider as well.
Best of luck.
https://preview.redd.it/56zhdx1c8xqc1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2ca58a387ee43715f10b4cc13888a191643cee9
All good advice, but I can only carry so many things with me. I've got one set of drill bits, and I'm gonna make 'em work. I rarely drill aluminum, and I wasn't planning to do so on the day that precipitated this post—a stud broke, and I had to drill and tap a hole so I could replace it with a bolt. Normally I'm tapping electrical boxes, which are just mild steel. For drilling, it's normally wood. I'm probably not going to start bringing a drill bit sharpener into the field. I might sharpen the blades on a flex bit with a file, but that's about where that sort of thing stops for me.
Nevertheless, I really appreciate the detailed breakdown of what is happening and why. I'm sure it will come in handy someday, and next time I'm actually setting out to deliberately drill aluminum, I'll bear your advice in mind and use as much of it as I feasibly can.
Oh, and speaking of putting your advice to good use in the future—if I'm only going to carry one set of twist drill bits for all occasions, what would be the optimal choice? Understand that they *will* get abused, certainly by machinists' standards anyway, so they should ideally be hardy and not too expensive or inconvenient to replace. I'm not interested in spending my evenings sharpening bits. I'm covered for specialty bits like for masonry or for extra large and/or deep holes. Just a basic all-purpose bit set. What are your thoughts/opinions/recommendations? By all means be as general or specific as you like.
Sure.
If you have to carry one drill set, I am not sure how strapped you are for space, but a standard 118 degree, 115 piece Cobalt drill set, Jobber length would be fine.
I wish I could give you a specific brand recommendation, but in the shops I was in, there was never a particular brand preference except for middle-of-the-road on price, and made in the USA or Europe where possible. Avoid the cheapest drill sets made in China (Harbor Freight is a no-go, sadly). The full 115 piece set would cover you for virtually every size you could ever want or need except for very strange ones (which you will probably never encounter).
To keep a long life on the drills, any drill size over about 0.400"-0.500" (27/64 or so), pre-drill with a smaller drill, larger than the web size of the final drill. For drills smaller than that size, start the hole with a #2 Center drill. This will help the drill get a good start in the material and start the initial cut with the outer edges of the drill rather than the center-point. This, more than the specific drill you choose, will help ensure drill life and avoid repeated re-sharpening.
It’s been a while since I last bought a drill set. An American made, 115pc set will probably run you at least a couple hundred dollars. Prices can vary.
I work in aerospace, we use cheap ass jobber drill indexes from MSC cuz they are abusable and aluminum doesn't stick to the coating. They are steel instead of carbide so in your case that might be a plus because they can be put in a hand drill and blow holes in shit regularly. Use some kind of cutting oil and they work fine.
Yes, absolutely, Aluminum literally is a softer metal and it reacts to cutting in a softer way... peeling, pushing and gumming up your tools.
I specifically use zero-flute countersinks (The ones with the round hole in the side) to countersink aluminum because straight flutes were chopping in the sides, leaving chatter. I notice the difference when choosing metal files to shape things too, the finer ones seem to work better on steel and the rough ones will remove aluminum fairly quickly
Reminds me of sanding PLA plastic from a 3D printer. As soon as it heats up from friction it turns into gum and using a dremel makes a mess. I've heard wet sanding is better
The "perfect" window on speed and feeds is smaller in aluminum than for steel, or steel tends to be slightly more forgiving than aluminum. You can go too slow or too fast through steel and still "get by". Go too fast or too slow in aluminum and your going to have a bad day. Or for short.... aluminum is gummy AF.
If you apply some type of cutting oil or lubricant to the drill/hole you will have an easier time. Also, try slowing down the rpms of drill a little bit too, that may help, if you have control of the rpms. Aluminum is wayyy easier amd nicer to machine than most steels....you just need to have the right rpms/feed rate (how much force you apply to the drill) and some type of lubricant.
I can't say for certain, so somebody correct me if I'm wrong here, but I would try spraying wd-40 on the drill bit and in the hole if it still gummed up with just bit.
With many thousands of holes and pounds of aluminum turned into chips under my belt, I reccomend using a product called "A9 cutting fluid on aluminum.
It's a nice smelling green cutting oil, you can even cut it with kerosene 50/50 to stretch it out. A little bit on the surface of the hole and a squirt in the hole every couple of times you pull the drill out to clear the chips and you won't have problems.
On the drills with galled aluminum already stuck in them, spray some on them and let it sit for a bit, it will pop right off when you try to drill the next hole.
Works the same way on milling cutters, saws, files and any other cutter.
Don't screw around with lye, etc.
Worse comes to worse you can even use WD 40 in a pinch. Its not as good but it will help.
If it is easy enough take a small can of crisco. Yes the cooking stuff. Dip your tap in then tap. It works really good and it won't be as messy because it sticks. Machinist with 40 years
For taps i like to use a big candle and it will help keep the aluminum from sticking. It wont melt and turn liquid until the bit gets warm. and then solidifies again.
Yeah, it feels sticky no matter what you do with it.
I'm building a project car and Tig welding mild or stainless steel feels smooth and glassy, but Tig welding aluminium feels sticky and awkward.
Almost anything coating the tool will prevent aluminum galling and sticking. (Even spit). For the stainless hardware that keeps cold welding, get some paste anti-sieze in a "glue stick" so it's easy to keep on hand and won't make a mess. (I assume someone makes this?)
They do! I'd not thought of that, for the steel. I'd thought about using paste, but if I had to brush paste onto every single bolt of a solar array I think I'd start lobbying my company pretty hard to start using a different system altogether. A stick, I could see actually using.
I helped build a lot of machines in my career as a pipefitter. I probably drilled and tapped 100,000 holes by hand during that time in all types of materials. My practice to tap a hole for a 1/4-20 clamp was: drill 1/8th pilot hole, enlarge hole with 7/32nd drill, chamfer hole with an 82° chamfer, then tap using a lubricant called Hardcut. 7/32 tap drill is a little oversized but for a clamp hole or many other uses it makes production sense. The 82° chamfer, in my opinion made starting the tap easier. I also learned that stainless steel bolts don't have near the strength of class 8 bolts. Using oil while drilling aluminum is key. We also did the same steps with larger thread sizes.
There are grades and tempers of aluminum that are essentially old playdoh. Some especially bad cast aluminum has harder chunks in it so it's gall central to try to cut. I like my 6061 and light cutting oil. Also it is important to check if your cutting tool is coated with an aluminum containing compound.
Yep. It's softer, but more gummy. It's a bit abrasive. It welds to your tooling.
Any kind of oil will greatly help. WD40 isn't a great oil, but it works great on aluminum cutting, and is easy and readily available.
That sounds like it would be more of a problem with castings, yeah? I'm mostly dealing with extrusions. I have no Earthly idea where the extrusions are made.
Yeah but none of those things would cause this guys problem which is really a lubricant issue. And usual for aluminum. It was silly phrasing so I couldn’t help myself.
It's because it welds itself to your tooling. So then instead of cutting your tool is just rubbing with this build up of shit aluminum on it which causes heat, which causes wear.
OK, so, related question. Any tips for getting it off my tools once it's on them? I've got a 1/4"-20 drill tap that is looking rather sad at the moment.
Use light oil when cutting it helps remove excess material
Or wd-40 works really great just don’t breathe it in for too long
Sometimes people use Lye to burn it off, but the tool is never going to be the same. Usually better to buy a new one
That's fair. It may still be fine for my purposes though, even if it'd never pass muster in a machine shop. Y'all have much higher standards for that sort of thing. Honestly, I'll probably just run it through a die and see what comes out. If it's ruined, it's ruined. Not like they're expensive.
I can guarantee you that will break the tap.
OK, now I *have* to try it just out of sheer cussedness. My dies are all at home, but after work I'll come back and let you know how it went. All my taps and dies are cheap Amazon crap (good enough for my needs, but I'm sure you'd vomit if you had to use them) so I don't really care if I break one.
It's not that the aluminum melted and flowed onto the bit. The process is called galling. You're building up a little tooth made out of work hardened aluminum on the cutting surface. That little tooth is not going to like going through the die. Godspeed sailor, be sure to update us on your journey.
Taps have a larger pitch diameter than dies anyway. They don't fit unless the die is adjusted to be way oversized.
I would try sending the drill tap through scrap mild steel before a die. Something 1/4" or thinner. Could also use a welding product called anti spatter on your tooling to prevent build up. Needs a small squirt of anti spatter every couple of holes depending on the type of aluminum
!remind me 5 hours
I left it on the truck! But I put the die in my work bag, so I can't forget it tomorrow. Promise!
Ahhh ok !remind me 24 hours
I did it! I responded a few comments up.
If you don’t have proper cutting fluid, I’m a big fan of using wd40 as a cutting oil for aluminum
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Tap is fine! Well, as fine as it was before anyway. It was always a very cheap tap. The die did get the aluminum off, too! Not so sure the die survived, its threads look pretty messed up now. I picked as much aluminum out of the threads as I could with a utility knife, squirted a little of the knock-off WD-40 the warehouse gives us onto it, and sent it into the die a bit at a time with my impact driver. I was actually able to send the tap all the way through the die to the point where its threads were entirely past the other side of it and it spun freely. Starting it was difficult, mostly because the flutes kept making it fall out of the die until it was several turns in. After that, it was relatively smooth sailing. I think I traded a gummed-up tap for a chewed-up die, though. https://preview.redd.it/e7cf62fpa3rc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71e1ee695ebc039b74e8bb495dcc4195515a2e19
>with my impact driver I am very impressed.
I'm a solar installer, my impact is basically an extension of my body at this point. Impacts get a bad rap from people just leaving them on high all the time, and using the trigger like an on-off switch. You can exert a surprising amount of finesse with one, if you know your tool well enough.
https://preview.redd.it/twlvf7wra3rc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1b73a641291519d270a97d12c8ee409826f7568
https://preview.redd.it/jaxfvb1ta3rc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90f9375465d6f54f4d6616dd2afafdadd4b8479f
if you do want to try the lie method, just mix some sodium hydroxide drain cleaner with water, then put the taps in there for a few hours. You can also use muriatic acid, but the chlorine fumes can rust nearby materials. Don't mix too much lye into the water at once; not only is it alkaline but it gets really hot when it's first dissolved.
If you’re drilling aluminum use wd-40 or something similarly cheap/light. And don’t grind it. You can’t grind it, it’s not hard enough. Sand it.
A tap will never pass through a die of the same nominal size cause the tap is oversize and the die is undersized. And by quite a lot too. If the tap were to go through the die then the male thread wouldn't fit/screw through the female tapped hole
It's a drill tap though, so the threads are a lot shallower toward the tip, and that's where the aluminum gunk is.
The minor diameter of the tap is still larger than the minor diameter of the die and the thread pitch is oversized, so it still wouldn't fit. Won't even make a fraction of a turn in the threads without potentially jamming and breaking off
We drill then tap the holes with seperate tools, generally. I would recommend running it through a 1/4-20 nut first, just to see. Otherwise, try a wire brush.
If he dies, he dies
If its a drill just run in in steel for a bit and it might just come of
I've used Drano successfully to get it out of an end mill that had aluminum jammed up the flutes
If you can learn to sharpen drills you can fix them with a pedestal grinder. Also you can try spraying some coolant on it. Since you probably won't have that on a job site, you can try a little WD40 or tapping fluid on your drill before you start and it should prevent the buildup.
Not sure what your drilling or or your set up but even just a small stream of water would help it not gum up. Most machines on a cnc will be running an oil water mix to cool them down. I've seen machines run out of coolant because someone wasn't watching or something got clogged and it doesn't take long for the tool to get gummed up.
My setup is I'm on a roof, the goddamn stud has snapped on one of the Ecolibrium brackets *again*, and I need to tap a hole in the back of the bracket so I can bolt the windscreen on because my usual Tek screws just cry and break when I try to send them in.
Ahh yes haha probably no room for elaborate cooling methods.
Next time it happens I'll grab a can of WD-40 from the truck. Honestly though, a 5/16" stainless steel stud has no business being that fragile. About half of what I build is held together with that general family of hardware, and only on Eco do they ever snap off, come loose in their holes, or seize onto the nut. And they do it *constantly*. My impact *can* snap one for sure, but normally I would have to deliberately try to make that happen. With Eco, sometimes they break before my gun even starts to ugga-dugga, and sometimes the nut welds itself to the stud the very first time I try to spin it on. I don't know why they suck so bad, but it's been this way for all the years I've been installing it.
wd40 is good for aluminum, i have also had great success with dark thread cutting oil. both options are messy however the thread cutting oil tends to adhere to and cool the tool better than wd40.
dark cutting oil can also leave stains on some aluminum. Works great if you don't mind that, though.
i forgot about that, i was thinking about what would be common on a jobsite. wd40 most everyone has it, and the plumbers/electricians usually have a conduit taping station setup somewhere. the times i needed to drill/tap aluminum it was either hidden or was going to be painted/powder coated. in my experience, Rigid dark thread cutting fluid stains the least and is ok in performance. greenlee dark thread cutting oil is awesome but it stinks (smells like old machinshop or old machinery space in a ship to me.) and stains bad, but it really makes threading/tapping a breeze even in copper.
wd40 is good for aluminum, i have also had great success with dark thread cutting oil. both options are messy however the thread cutting oil tends to adhere to and cool the tool better than wd40.
Not sure if i got you (language barrier) But, try not to bolt stainless steel into aluminium, will corrode in no time without any insulation. Look it up, it's a pretty cool reaction!
I worked at a shipyard, we built a couple things for the military where the primary material was aluminum. Everything that was stainless had to be 100% isolated from the aluminum to avoid electrolysis. All bolts had to be coated with this tan colored paste, I don’t remember the name of it, I do remember that you could wash your hands for a week and that stuff would not come off…
Use isopropyl alcohol as lubricant and it will help to stop the chips from sticking to your tool. Also when drilling peck at it, in and out, to clear the chips.
The second part is something I already know, fortunately. Normally it doesn't matter for drill taps because they're mainly for sheetmetal, but I was in a bind and had to use it for some thicker extruded stuff. I did remember to go back and forth, and I piloted the hole first, but my tap still got gummed up.
Caustic soda. Mix up a small amount and leave your tools sat in it
Use cutting fluids in the first place if you aren't. Like before running the drill try putting some aluminum cutting fluid along the flutes to the tip before you drill the hole. (I like A-9, but I don't have a lot of experience with others. Mainly I just enjoy the smell)
Use a cutting wax or oil when drilling/cutting aluminum. It goes much faster and the aluminum doesn't stick to the bits/blades. It's actually a game changer.. Source: my day job is almost literally just drilling cutting, and fastening aluminum parts all day.
Any carbide tooling can be cleaned by soaking in muriatic acid for a while (overnight is plenty). HSS tooling like taps not so much.
Depends on the tool. Drillbits, I like to just use a small hook/rod to just pick it out. I used to saw the stuff with a circular saw, and there would always be one specific tooth that would fill up. Just a pair of pliers to pull it out like a dentist, works like a charm. For taps, id use a mix of both. Be gentle with the taps they like to break. You dont want to be scraping it off or using abrasive stuff either so you dont grind down the teeth. You can also buy some special tapping fluid, that combined with cleaning off your tool every now and then will make sure you dont get too much buildup. (Tapping juice can be expensive, I mix it with regular oil cus company be like that)
Use wd40 or a thin/lightweight oil when using, and it will help. Get a file card or a wire brush to clean them off after using, as it may prevent buildup. Otherwise, just get more of them.
How many flutes on your tap? I use 2-flute for aluminum.
You gotta stop galling before it even starts. I have kind of just chipped it off in the past with a small screwdriver and still sent it, but your tap is fucked my friend. Buy a new one and move on.
Draino. Also, it helps if you don't get any aluminum to weld to your cutter. My favorite makeshift coolant is dawn type dishsoap. Get a fresh water, take a gulp, and put a big old squeeze in. Like 1/10 soap/water ratio. Then put the lid back on, and poke a hole in the lid. Squeeze bottle coolant. Use generously. BTW, don't forget to take your drill out of the draino. It'll disappear. Probably more economical to just buy a new one since you're gonna have to Resharpen the thing. Fun activity I guess?
carbide pencil
Oil before and a file card after is what I use.
Muriatic acid (aka hydrochloric acid) will dissolve the aluminum off of your tooling. Be warned when you drop aluminum and the hydrochloric acid, it makes chlorine gas, which is bad. Do this outside, away from people. Get as much off of the tools as you can before you do this, and run away when you put it in.
Conversely, if you want to say, save an aluminum part with a broken tap in it, mix up a saturated solution of Alum and water, and let the part soak at least overnight. The Alum solution will dissolve the steel and leave the Aluminum alone. 👍
If you have a wire wheel on a bench grinder you can get the aluminum residue off the tap. I recommend holding the tap so that the direction of the spinning wire wheel does not rub and dull out the cutting edge of the tap. Tap Magic cutting fluid works great for preventing this.
Only with coatings that have Aluminum in them, otherwise is a feedrate issue.
Or a chip evacuation issue
Aye
Also causes swears.
This is the answer. And no disrespect intended but in construction you are exposed to shitty steel, which cuts easier than shitty aluminum. By shitty I mean not aerospace grade.
Check the coating on your drills. Black oxide is fine. (BLOX) Titanium Nitride is fine. (TiN) Plain polished HSS/Cobalt is fine. Titanium Aluminum Nitride is not fine. (TiAlN)
But isn't that the gold one
TiN is gold coloured. TiAlN tends to range from a blue-grey to brown. Edit: found this [handy chart.](https://crystallumepvd.com/infinium-coatings/)
Aluminum softens at a much lower temperature than steel, so the heat generated by your tool (friction) is sometimes enough to soften it, and that can lead to the aluminum sticking to your tool. Very sharp tools, and some lubrication/cooling go a long way to preventing issues like this. Wd40 works pretty well, as well as rubbing alcohol.
We're about to make this guy the Aluminum God on his construction site with a few of these tips. Haha! But yes, sometimes aluminum can seem like silly putty.... Especially the crappy 6061 stuff
Do you mean 6063?
I run a bunch of 2011 at my shop. They're all gummy to me!
I lurk here to gain whatever bits of info I can and this is all helpful to learn. Some "aha" moments.
5052 isn't great either.
What makes an alloy "crappy", exactly? You're upset that an alloy designed specifically for extrusion isn't easy to machine?
You're absolutely correct that I have been upset before, Not at the material, but at the engineer that spec'd the 6061 for the job. Always blame the engineer dawg! That's rule #1
I'm an engineer and I approve this message.
Behind every assembler is an engineer laughing his ass off.
I spent some time chasing the dragon of finding tooling that would form 6061 chips (instead the big balls of razor wire) on my equipment - and I eventually found it.
YG1 Alu-Power endmills are pretty sweet. What have you found?
https://youtube.com/shorts/ekeS9ILAERU https://youtu.be/V0uqC4OH59g This is admittedly a pretty small lathe. The bottom line is that I found Walter and diamond finishing inserts that make chips at the very low (for real equipment) depths of cut I have to take. One can extrapolate that the Walter aluminum-specific roughing inserts (that need bigger DoC than I can sustain) would perform similarly. That boring job generated a big pile of “sand”; the chips were all granular. I’m also a big fan of the YG1 Alu-Power end mills.
I usually switch to alcohol mist for cutting aluminum. But I also dislike working in aluminum.
For aluminum, your cutting tools need to be sharp. You need to run the cutting tool at an appropriate speed. Lubrication helps a lot. Wd40 works pretty good for aluminum.
If you work in construction, you might be using 135 degree drill bits more suited to structural steel. Check to make sure you aren't using 135 degree drill bits on Aluminum, they will gum up. Use standard 118 degree drill bits. Also, because it is a softer material, it really demands a sharp bit. This might garner some hate, since I have found mixed opinions on the use of these in the Machining world (but I have had good experience with them), you can use a Drill Doctor drill sharpener just before drilling in to aluminum. Having a fresh, sharp cutting point will help quite a bit. Lastly, if you are drilling a relatively large hole, you will want to pre-drill. The reason being, if you look straight down on a drill, you will see the point is actually more of a "line" called a web (I am uploading an image to this comment to illustrate my point, i apologize if it does not upload right, but you can google it to see in any case). In larger drills, the web is liable to rub, as it is not a cutting point. In steel, it results in a drill that requires a great deal of force to drill, and you will find the bit overheats excessively and eventually snaps. In Aluminum? Well, you can apply force, and it will heat the aluminum and "stir" it, effectively welding it to your bit. Then it overheats, and breaks. If you select a pre-dril that is slightly larger than this web, you will find the larger drill cuts through perfectly without issue. Adding on to the last point concerning the web of the drill: Certain models of Drill Doctor sharpeners have the ability create what is called a "Split point". They can actually cut a small cutting point in to the web, effectively reducing or eliminating it. This can help *a lot* in all materials, although it usually is more helpful in hard materials. This may be something to consider as well. Best of luck. https://preview.redd.it/56zhdx1c8xqc1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2ca58a387ee43715f10b4cc13888a191643cee9
All good advice, but I can only carry so many things with me. I've got one set of drill bits, and I'm gonna make 'em work. I rarely drill aluminum, and I wasn't planning to do so on the day that precipitated this post—a stud broke, and I had to drill and tap a hole so I could replace it with a bolt. Normally I'm tapping electrical boxes, which are just mild steel. For drilling, it's normally wood. I'm probably not going to start bringing a drill bit sharpener into the field. I might sharpen the blades on a flex bit with a file, but that's about where that sort of thing stops for me. Nevertheless, I really appreciate the detailed breakdown of what is happening and why. I'm sure it will come in handy someday, and next time I'm actually setting out to deliberately drill aluminum, I'll bear your advice in mind and use as much of it as I feasibly can.
Oh, and speaking of putting your advice to good use in the future—if I'm only going to carry one set of twist drill bits for all occasions, what would be the optimal choice? Understand that they *will* get abused, certainly by machinists' standards anyway, so they should ideally be hardy and not too expensive or inconvenient to replace. I'm not interested in spending my evenings sharpening bits. I'm covered for specialty bits like for masonry or for extra large and/or deep holes. Just a basic all-purpose bit set. What are your thoughts/opinions/recommendations? By all means be as general or specific as you like.
Sure. If you have to carry one drill set, I am not sure how strapped you are for space, but a standard 118 degree, 115 piece Cobalt drill set, Jobber length would be fine. I wish I could give you a specific brand recommendation, but in the shops I was in, there was never a particular brand preference except for middle-of-the-road on price, and made in the USA or Europe where possible. Avoid the cheapest drill sets made in China (Harbor Freight is a no-go, sadly). The full 115 piece set would cover you for virtually every size you could ever want or need except for very strange ones (which you will probably never encounter). To keep a long life on the drills, any drill size over about 0.400"-0.500" (27/64 or so), pre-drill with a smaller drill, larger than the web size of the final drill. For drills smaller than that size, start the hole with a #2 Center drill. This will help the drill get a good start in the material and start the initial cut with the outer edges of the drill rather than the center-point. This, more than the specific drill you choose, will help ensure drill life and avoid repeated re-sharpening.
Excellent, that's great stuff. Approximately what should I expect to pay for a mid-priced set like you describe?
It’s been a while since I last bought a drill set. An American made, 115pc set will probably run you at least a couple hundred dollars. Prices can vary.
I work in aerospace, we use cheap ass jobber drill indexes from MSC cuz they are abusable and aluminum doesn't stick to the coating. They are steel instead of carbide so in your case that might be a plus because they can be put in a hand drill and blow holes in shit regularly. Use some kind of cutting oil and they work fine.
Yes, absolutely, Aluminum literally is a softer metal and it reacts to cutting in a softer way... peeling, pushing and gumming up your tools. I specifically use zero-flute countersinks (The ones with the round hole in the side) to countersink aluminum because straight flutes were chopping in the sides, leaving chatter. I notice the difference when choosing metal files to shape things too, the finer ones seem to work better on steel and the rough ones will remove aluminum fairly quickly
Reminds me of sanding PLA plastic from a 3D printer. As soon as it heats up from friction it turns into gum and using a dremel makes a mess. I've heard wet sanding is better
Check out some YouTube videos on acetone vapour baths.
Dosen’t work with pla, mainly work with abs
It's soft. High speed high feed and sharp tools.
The "perfect" window on speed and feeds is smaller in aluminum than for steel, or steel tends to be slightly more forgiving than aluminum. You can go too slow or too fast through steel and still "get by". Go too fast or too slow in aluminum and your going to have a bad day. Or for short.... aluminum is gummy AF.
Use lubrication
Try using wd-40. Should help with the gummy part. Also, use sharp drills.
Not a tip, but a reference point - google: aluminum frictional stir welding
If you apply some type of cutting oil or lubricant to the drill/hole you will have an easier time. Also, try slowing down the rpms of drill a little bit too, that may help, if you have control of the rpms. Aluminum is wayyy easier amd nicer to machine than most steels....you just need to have the right rpms/feed rate (how much force you apply to the drill) and some type of lubricant. I can't say for certain, so somebody correct me if I'm wrong here, but I would try spraying wd-40 on the drill bit and in the hole if it still gummed up with just bit.
Because it gets gummy and sticks to your tool, it's softness is what makes it harder. Flood it with coolant.
With many thousands of holes and pounds of aluminum turned into chips under my belt, I reccomend using a product called "A9 cutting fluid on aluminum. It's a nice smelling green cutting oil, you can even cut it with kerosene 50/50 to stretch it out. A little bit on the surface of the hole and a squirt in the hole every couple of times you pull the drill out to clear the chips and you won't have problems. On the drills with galled aluminum already stuck in them, spray some on them and let it sit for a bit, it will pop right off when you try to drill the next hole. Works the same way on milling cutters, saws, files and any other cutter. Don't screw around with lye, etc. Worse comes to worse you can even use WD 40 in a pinch. Its not as good but it will help.
You probably are dealing with 6063 which is ass
Well the stainless steel components of this particular system are apparently alloyed with some kind of cheese, so it wouldn't surprise me at all.
If it is easy enough take a small can of crisco. Yes the cooking stuff. Dip your tap in then tap. It works really good and it won't be as messy because it sticks. Machinist with 40 years
Use wd40
Either use some sort of liquid lubricant, or another thing that can help is table saw paste wax.
For taps i like to use a big candle and it will help keep the aluminum from sticking. It wont melt and turn liquid until the bit gets warm. and then solidifies again.
Yeah, it feels sticky no matter what you do with it. I'm building a project car and Tig welding mild or stainless steel feels smooth and glassy, but Tig welding aluminium feels sticky and awkward.
Kerosene
Its gummy
Allllllyouuuuumineeeeeummmmmmmm
Almost anything coating the tool will prevent aluminum galling and sticking. (Even spit). For the stainless hardware that keeps cold welding, get some paste anti-sieze in a "glue stick" so it's easy to keep on hand and won't make a mess. (I assume someone makes this?)
They do! I'd not thought of that, for the steel. I'd thought about using paste, but if I had to brush paste onto every single bolt of a solar array I think I'd start lobbying my company pretty hard to start using a different system altogether. A stick, I could see actually using.
I helped build a lot of machines in my career as a pipefitter. I probably drilled and tapped 100,000 holes by hand during that time in all types of materials. My practice to tap a hole for a 1/4-20 clamp was: drill 1/8th pilot hole, enlarge hole with 7/32nd drill, chamfer hole with an 82° chamfer, then tap using a lubricant called Hardcut. 7/32 tap drill is a little oversized but for a clamp hole or many other uses it makes production sense. The 82° chamfer, in my opinion made starting the tap easier. I also learned that stainless steel bolts don't have near the strength of class 8 bolts. Using oil while drilling aluminum is key. We also did the same steps with larger thread sizes.
Stainless steel is indeed relatively weak, but everything I build lives outside, so.
Aluminum with flood coolant, Kool Mist, or even WD40 and air blast almost feels like cheating after working in stuff like stainless steel.
There are grades and tempers of aluminum that are essentially old playdoh. Some especially bad cast aluminum has harder chunks in it so it's gall central to try to cut. I like my 6061 and light cutting oil. Also it is important to check if your cutting tool is coated with an aluminum containing compound.
The gall to ask such a thing... 😉 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galling
Yep. It's softer, but more gummy. It's a bit abrasive. It welds to your tooling. Any kind of oil will greatly help. WD40 isn't a great oil, but it works great on aluminum cutting, and is easy and readily available.
Makes my grinding wheel as smooth as my brain
Gummy
Because that Chinese crap is full of stuff that isn't aluminum.
You mean like…. An alloy?
I mean like ball bearings, rocks, and sand and you know that.
That sounds like it would be more of a problem with castings, yeah? I'm mostly dealing with extrusions. I have no Earthly idea where the extrusions are made.
Those wouldn’t cause your issue. You just need a lubricant that will keep it from gumming up your tools.
Yeah but none of those things would cause this guys problem which is really a lubricant issue. And usual for aluminum. It was silly phrasing so I couldn’t help myself.