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Old-timer swore by air blast over coolant for stainless - am I missing something?

A guy with 30 years in told me coolant just smears the work hardening on 304, and he roughs everything dry with 800+ psi air. I've always used flood coolant for chip control and heat - has anyone else tried this and gotten better tool life?
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the_susan
the_susan6d ago
Tried the air blast method on 304 after fighting with coolant for years. Tool life jumped about 40% on my roughing passes, just had to dial back feed a hair to keep chips from welding. That old timer might be onto something, especially if you've got the CFM to clear chips fast enough.
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mason_flores21
mason_flores216d agoTop Commenter
My 304 warped like crazy with that method.
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