I wanted a way to keep the work cool on the lathe without having to set up a coolant recirculation system. The result is a drip, mist, and air lubrication system. It does a really good job.
The fittings (November 2023)
I tried to DIY the container that holds the pressurized coolant and wasn't having much luck, so I went with a purchased container and some custom fittings. I had a fun morning on November 18 knocking these out. Machinist glitter included.
The finished system (November 2023)
The system was complete by November 20. A flexible hose with a brass nozzle drips coolant toward the chuck.
The coolant lives in a wall-mounted water filter housing, plumbed with brass fittings and an air regulator with a gauge.
The term for this is MQL, Minimum Quantity Lubrication. The advantage over just a mister (which is what I started with) is that forcing the lubricant into the mix with air pressure keeps the droplet size smaller, so less of it winds up in the air. Plus I can run a straight drip system.
Even running with mist alone, it takes me from "part is too hot to touch when I'm done" to "part is completely cool when I'm done". That increases accuracy, too, since a part gets bigger when it gets hot.
To be fair, I'm abusing the commercial system. It's meant as a mist system, and I'm overloading it by using air pressure to push fluid through it rather than relying on the Venturi effect, which is the design intent. It's a bit of a hack job, really, but I think it's still an upgrade.