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Coolant problem?

jdholbrook33

Plastic
Joined
Mar 26, 2015
Location
Houston, Texas
I have a machine that cuts mostly copper.
It's been running alone just fine for a year and a half.
Now all the sudden the copper comes out tarnished and cloudy.
I have to really work to get the tarnish off and sometimes I can't get the cloudy surface to polish out without a LOT of work.
Not enough money in each individual piece to justify the time to polish it.

Another hint is that my coolant foam is blue colored! Hints of Copper Sulphate...
The coolant is the same I've always used, qualichem extreme-cut 250C and it's less than one year old.
I only use filtered water to top off the tank.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.
 
I have a machine that cuts mostly copper.
It's been running alone just fine for a year and a half.
Now all the sudden the copper comes out tarnished and cloudy.
I have to really work to get the tarnish off and sometimes I can't get the cloudy surface to polish out without a LOT of work.
Not enough money in each individual piece to justify the time to polish it.

Another hint is that my coolant foam is blue colored! Hints of Copper Sulphate...
The coolant is the same I've always used, qualichem extreme-cut 250C and it's less than one year old.
I only use filtered water to top off the tank.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

.
many coolant salesman will take coolant samples and analyze it and tell you whats wrong with it. when you got a 2000 gallon central coolant system connected to 4 machines, monthly testing of coolant is normally done. summer time the water to concentrate ratio often swings more than desired due to evaporation increase in warmer summer months
 
Just filtered water or deionized? I was using Trimsol LC specifically for copper and started getting spots. I finally found that one of the new guys on nights had been topping off with tap water. changed everything out and was back to normal.

Over a year and a half your machine surely had to get way lube in the coolant. I would say machining copper for over a year you definitely got your moneys worth out of the coolant
 
Could be PH level? Copper loves to take finger prints(oily acid eh?), doesn't take much to tarnish that crap.
Probably time to change it anyhow.
 
I too would say to check the PH level.

First - you need to find what your target range is. (from Qualichem))

I bought and hated the test strips that I got from MSC or McMaster.
It took me a while to search out my old supplier as they had gotten bought out apparently, but - I found them:

"pH Paper"

Fil-Chem Inc
Paul Frank Division
Raleigh, NC
919-878-1270

Fil-Chem.com


-----------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the advice.
I contacted my supplier and they are sending a man out to check the coolant.
It's only been in there about 6 months but there has been a LOT of copper run through that machine.

I'll come back with the results.

Thanks again,

James
 
My first mentor used to poor his cold milky tea in the coolant. It used to develop this skin that was science experiment level.
 








 
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