I’ve been pretty happy with using Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (from Walmart). I think I used a 1/3 cup for 15 gallons. It doesn’t entirely prevent rust, but my slats don’t get too rusty/crusty either. Makes a BIG difference between using it vs. straight water. It stays in the tray for days at a time if I’ve got several things lined up to cut, and then I drain it into a tank where most of the crud in solution settles out below my pump pick-up.
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I have a question, can we paint the slats and always ground the actual peace?
You will introduce all sorts of toxic fumes in to your work environment by superheating hydrocarbons. Not worth the risk imo.
Plasma green 9010 seems to be a good water additive, no rust on metal , no build up and doesn’t effect aluminum.
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ya…no…
like @jamesh.works states…your slats will get burnt while cutting…fumes…waste of money
I myself use a water additive…Green Cut for now switching to Sterling cool…gonna give that a try.
these are pretty safe fluids designed for plasma cutting.
I have liked Greencut because I can pull a piece of metal off the table…wipe it down or no…and not rust for weeks…
as for my slats…no rust…
I drain and filter my fluid every few days…and keep the PH at the right level…
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Plus 1 on the Green Cut, I use the same stuff here and bonus for me they are in the next province over so it only takes 2 days to get it to me. 
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I use SterlingCool, seems similar to GreenCut. Made in US and ships for free in US. Using it since I got table. Zero rust, Zero complaints. They have distributors in Canada and UK.
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Hey @toolboy Let me know when you switch to Sterling what It costs you. I find it’s the shipping here to the island that jacks prices up for me. If it’s cheaper than the Greencut but works as well I’m all in. I still have more Greencut so it’ll be a while.
Of course on the other hand I could just email the rep but where’s the fun in that? 
Pete Fedorko twistedimagecustomsandfab@gmail.com
this is the Canadian supplier for Sterling cool…send him an email…get a quote…
I will be trying out the liquid in the next month…when I run out of Green…
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I see he’s in Ontario… Shipping might be the breaker but I’ll get in touch and see. Still have a refresh of greencut on hand here so it’ll be a while for me.
It’s almost one year now and the same batch of the DIY cocktail is still in there. Water losses due to evaporation of course, but I top up with H2O as necessary. It never went funky or anything. I also used some in my water soluble oil/water mixture as flood cutting fluid for my CNC mill and 4x6 bandsaw and works great keeping the rancidity and rust away.
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I also have a tester from Amazon for testing the alkalinity of the liquid in the table…keeping it between 8 and 10…optimum levels to prevent growth and rust.
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I just got 1/8" x 2" copper bars from the local metal shop and I am going to cut a 45* profile. I also installed a drain valve connected to a hose with the idea to drain the pan every few days and with the copper slats, I hope the rest will go away. Thanks for all the responses
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Using the sterling cool. Only 3 days in but not a sign of rust on anything.
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I’ll be trying this out when my table arrives. The price they charge for coolant+shipping is ridiculous.
If it works well I’ll owe ya a sixpack dude!
Hello Cletus.
I was wondering how your recipe is working for you?
Do you refresh the plasma table tank every year or how many years has it been in the tank?
Do you still use your DIY or have you changed to something else?
Does anyone else use this recipe?
How is it working for you and how long does it last in your tank?
Thanks for your time.
Kimball.
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I use that recipe. I mixed one batch to make 75 oz of mix and put 1oz/gal into the water whenever I add new water. I have used about 1/2 of the 75 oz in two years. I mostly replace what’s lost due to evaporation (which isn’t much when I’m not using it and it sits in the tank).
I don’t use my table all that often, but now there is only a bit of incidental surface rust on the slats. Frankly I don’t know what all the fuss it about… This works and doesn’t come much cheaper.
I suppose, if you want your water table to look like Cote d’Azure, then you probably have to pay extra for that. In my case, I’m ok with it looking like a bayou backwater…
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Works just fine. I’ve only changed my fluid once since owning the table and in retrospect, there was really no reason to do so. I usually just top-up loss from evaporation with water. I flood the table just before cutting, and let it down into the reservoir after cutting (I’ve never overflowed the table as I have a sensor probe which trips the bilge pump off when fluid is 3/4" from the brim). Also, the fluid remains clean as any fine particulate, which was once in suspension, settles and stays at the bottom of the reservoir.
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you have to be careful with home recipes for plasma water…I am sure both @TomWS and @Cletus would agree they are fine especially after you get used to the third ear that can grow on your head…
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…Oh, it’s supposed to grow on your head??? 
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