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Old timer at the shop taught me a trick for tapping aluminum
He showed me to use a bit of WD-40 instead of cutting oil, and after 500 holes I've never had a tap break since - anyone else use something different for soft metals?
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milessmith1mo ago
Oh man, that's the gospel truth right there! I was skeptical too when a buddy told me to try WD-40 on aluminum threads, but now I swear by it. I was drilling and tapping a bunch of 1/4-20 holes in some 6061 plates last month and the tap just glided through, no binding or galling at all. I've even used it on stainless steel in a pinch (you know, when I couldn't find my real tapping fluid) and it helped a ton, though I'd still stick with proper oil for that. But for aluminum, WD-40 is all I reach for now, it's cheap and it doesn't leave that sticky residue that cutting oil does.
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joel_butler1mo ago
Wait, you're telling me WD-40 actually works better than cutting oil for aluminum?
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james_campbell121mo ago
100% agree, WD-40 is ALL I use on aluminum now, works way better than cutting oil for sure.
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