To Skim, or not to Skim?

Dear friends,

Have you ever taken a look at your sump and wonder where all that oil floating on top came from, and better yet what in the world do I do with it now? Well listen up my friends because we’re going to school!

Tramp oil, (as we call it in the industry) is a real problem for metalworking fluids in general. It doesn’t improve the cutting action of the metalworking fluid, it leads to higher mist levels in the shop and it tends to be a readily available food supply for anaerobic bacteria. Facultative Anaerobic bacteria don’t require oxygen to live, but they still require a food source. Way lubes/Hydraulic oils as well as the raw materials in metalworking fluids are excellent food sources for these anaerobic bacteria. These anaerobes excrete hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) a byproduct of metabolizing the sulfur found in most way lubes and hydraulic oils. This in turn, creates the wonderful aroma of the famous Monday morning stink that we are all so fond of. If we choose to ignore this potential problem and not remove (Skim) this tramp oil on a weekly if not daily basis, then eventually it will become part of the coolant.

Now this potential food source is readily available throughout the emulsion itself. Older and even new machines being manufactured today use Way lubes/Hydraulic oils for lubricating the box ways, linear guides and spindle bearings. Unless the lubricating system is sealed, this oil will eventually to find its way into the coolant sump. Metalworking fluid manufactures formulate their coolants to reject out these larger oil agglomerate’s to the top of the emulsion. This foreign oil is to be removed by means of skimming or coolant coalescing equipment. This is done by design, as tramp oil leads to coolant deterioration/contamination and eventual disposal. By implementing simple measures of using coolant skimmers and filtration equipment on a regular basis, a metalworking fluids sump life can be greatly prolonged thus reducing overall fluid cost.

So the answer to the question of, to skim or not to skim is… skim that sump!

Stay tuned for more useful coolant tips, from The Coolant Guy!

Best regards,

Brett Reynolds, CMFS

Brett Reynolds, “The Coolant Guy” works for Blaser Swisslube Inc.

If you would like more useful information regarding metalworking fluids, or would like to find out more information about Blaser metalworking fluid products,

Please contact Brett at 801-722-4095 or via

E-mail at b.reynolds@blaser.com

theoilbaronbulletin@blogspot.com

The Oil Baron Bulletin is not affiliated with Blaser Swisslube Inc. or its subsidiaries

Is it Time for an Oil Change?

Dear friends,

Over the many years of being involved in the metalworking fluid industry, I’ve come across various companies, Swiss Screw and job shops alike, that when asked how long they were using their current cutting oil respond, “Forever… besides oil never goes bad”. How I wish this was true. Neat oils (cutting oils) do eventually go bad, as nothing lasts forever. The main influences that kill cutting oils and lead to their eventual disposal are as follows.

·         Contamination: Over time way lubes, bar feed/hydraulic oils, water and sub-micron metal fines contaminate the straight oil. The metal fines through proper filtration can be removed, but the cross contamination from the way lube and bar feed oil cannot. With proper filtration you can greatly prolong the life expectancy of the cutting oil.

·         Oxidation: Oxidation is a form of chemical degradation. Oxidation of the additives and also the oil occurs when heat is generated by the cutting forces produced at the spindle. Oil pumps produce additional heat which is put back into the oil. This in turn creates hydrocarbon molecules in the oil which then react with oxygen to form, you guessed it - water (H2O). Antioxidant additive packages eventually deplete out, which in turn leads to your once nice clean cutting oil turning the nasty turbid brown and in some cases black color.

As you can see all neat oils eventually go bad. The higher the quality of the oil the longer this process takes. Also this process can be extended by keeping direct water contamination out of the oil as much as possible. Implementing good filtration methods down to at least 1 micron in size is very beneficial.

This process can take a year or more to come to fruition, but it will eventually happen. When you compare tool life studies of new oil against old contaminated oil, the difference in cutter life can be up to 15-20%.

So ask yourself, is it time for an oil change?

Stay tuned for more useful coolant tips, from The Coolant Guy!

Best regards,

Brett Reynolds, CMFS

Brett Reynolds, “The Coolant Guy” works for Blaser Swisslube Inc.

If you would like more useful information regarding metalworking fluids, or would like to find out more information about Blaser metalworking fluid products,

Please contact Brett at 801-722-4095 or via

E-mail at b.reynolds@blaser.com

theoilbaronbulletin@blogspot.com

The Oil Baron Bulletin is not affiliated with Blaser Swisslube Inc. or its subsidiaries

The Do’s and Don’ts of Coolant Maintenance

Dear friends,

Every coolant manufacturer wants to sell you a metalworking fluid, but has anyone ever took the time and told you how to properly take care of it? Well today is your lucky day, because I’m going to tell you how. Basic coolant maintenance is actually pretty simple; but a few key points need to be followed regularly if you want to get the most out of your metalworking fluid. Here is what you want to do.

·         First - You want to make sure to mix your fluids properly. This is done by adding the coolant concentrate to the water, while stirring vigorously. Remember – the acronym O.I.L. or Oil In Last. Also when topping off or refilling you’re coolant sump, don’t just add straight water to the sumps. Always add a lean mix of coolant and water as this keeps the concentration steady and the additive packages up in the fluid.

·         Second - Concentration is the key. Make sure to keep the concentration at the proper level for the material you’ll be machining, and never let the concentration fall below the manufactures recommended minimum for any given length of time. If you don’t know what the proper coolant concentration should be for the material you’re machining, feel free to ask you fluid supplier for the ratio you need. Another critical piece of information fluid manufacturers neglect to tell customers is that some fluids have a refractive correction index, to compensate for the water and or various additives in the coolant concentrate. These multipliers should be stated on the Data Tech Sheet and also on the drum itself. This multiplier can range from 1.3 to 4.5 or higher. You multiply the refractometer reading by the given multiplier value, and that is your actual coolant concentration in the sump.

·         Third - Skim off tramp oils on a regular basis. I have found that Monday morning is an excellent time to skim off your sumps, since the fluid has rested over the weekend and has rejected out the free oils. If you don’t have this luxury and you’re machining around the clock, you may want to invest in disc or belt skimmers and or coolant coalescing equipment. Also you may want to consider looking at going to a sulfur-free way lube. Conoco/Phillips the manufacture of the Hydroclear TCS slide way lubricant line makes an excellent hydro cracked, sulfur-free way lube. Sulfur free means less odor (Monday morning stink) problems, cleaner machines and ultimately, happier employee’s.

If these three basic rules are followed, you can experience great success and longevity with your metalworking fluids, ignore them, and they can cost you dearly.

Stay tuned for more useful coolant tips, from The Coolant Guy!

Best regards,

Brett Reynolds, CMFS

Brett Reynolds, “The Coolant Guy” works for Blaser Swisslube Inc.

If you would like more useful information regarding metalworking fluids, or would like to find out more information about Blaser metalworking fluid products,

Please contact Brett at 801-722-4095 or via

E-mail at b.reynolds@blaser.com

theoilbaronbulletin@blogspot.com

The Oil Baron Bulletin is not affiliated with Blaser Swisslube Inc. or its subsidiaries

Concentrate on the Concentration

Dear friends,

I have seen many coolant related problems over the years that I’ve been dealing with metalworking fluids. Smell/odor, rust, poor tool life, excessive foaming along with others, but they mostly all have one thing in common - low coolant concentration. Whoever would have thought that such a simple thing as low coolant concentration could lead to so many fluid problems? I am here to tell you that in many of these instances; this turns out to be just the case. So many coolant issues could easily be avoided by just doing a simple concentration measurement check once a week. This is done by using a refractometer. If you’re not familiar with the proper use of a refractometer or you’re saying to yourself, “what the heck is a refractometer?” then ask your current fluid supplier to show you what one is and most importantly, how to use it.

Don’t be alarmed if you haven’t heard about a refractometer, as most people don’t know what one is either. The most important thing to remember however is to use it once you have it. Whether it is an optical or digital refractometer doesn’t matter, as they all do the same thing, measure coolant concentration. There is an old saying in the industry; you might have heard of it, it goes like this, “You can’t control what you don’t measure”. How true this statement is, especially regarding metalworking fluids. Proper coolant concentration plays into so many factors regarding metalworking fluid performance. Tool life, corrosion protection, surface finish and coolant bio-stability are all controlled by coolant concentration. Now it stands to reason that if low coolant concentration can be such an issue, then high coolant concentration shouldn’t be any problem at all - right? Wrong.

When coolant concentration exceeds the manufacturer’s maximum recommendations, a whole host of other issues can develop. Higher foam potential, excessive drag out on chips (higher usage), potential staining issues on various Aluminum alloys due to a higher pH, and unjustifiable coolant costs. The goal is to keep the concentration within the recommended operating range; your metalworking fluid manufacturer can provide you with this information.

Just remember, concentrate on the concentration!

Stay tuned for more useful coolant tips, from The Coolant Guy!

Best regards,

Brett Reynolds, CMFS

Brett Reynolds, “The Coolant Guy” works for Blaser Swisslube Inc.

If you would like more useful information regarding metalworking fluids, or would like to find out more information about Blaser metalworking fluid products,

Please contact Brett at 801-722-4095 or via

E-mail at b.reynolds@blaser.com

theoilbaronbulletin@blogspot.com

The Oil Baron Bulletin is not affiliated with Blaser Swisslube Inc. or its subsidiaries