By George Kolar
For a machine that requires a flow of coolant, the use of a discarded home oil burner pump makes an ideal solution. The pump itself is about the size of an average orange, can be driven by a 1/12 hp motor, has a limited capacity for suction, and will deliver fluid at up to 100 psi. It also has an internal bypass so it can safely be run with the feed line closed off at the tooling and thus will allow a flow of liquid at a variable rate, from a slight drip to a full stream.
For the usual burner, the pump is designed to supply oil from 0.75 gph to 3 gph. That is gallons per hour, by the way, to avoid confusion. The limited suction is such that it will not lift as a water pump does but will pick only two or three feet of head. Because of this, it is best to arrange for gravity feed as I have done with mine. An added attraction is that a pump junked by the burner man is usually fit for coolant work. The pump is considered a failure if the built-in pressure regulator doesn’t deliver a steady 100 psi. The lathe man could care less. Thus, a unit can usually be had for nothing — a lovely price indeed.
My setup has the last 15″ of delivery tubing made of plastic with a core of No. 14 copper wire, the use of which allows me to shape the tube to the desired point of delivery. The wire is of course a very loose fit in the tube, and the flexibility of copper gives the desired result of easily aiming the coolant at the needed point.
