A shop foreman called my coolant mix 'soup' and it finally made sense

He walked by my machine yesterday and said, 'You're running soup, not coolant. That's why your finish looks like that.' I was mixing it 1 part coolant to 10 parts water, thinking more was better. He showed me his mix, which is 1 to 15, and the difference in part clarity was huge. I changed my ratio this morning and the chips are washing away clean now, no more sticky residue. Has anyone else had an old hand point out something simple you were totally overcomplicating?

2 comments

2 Comments

rileyjones20d ago

Yeah, that "soup" comment is spot on. It's exactly what @walker.grace said about it making a sticky mess. I did the same thing when I started, thinking thicker coolant meant better lube. My tool life was awful and everything was a gummed up nightmare. An old timer took one look at my sump and just shook his head. He told me to stop treating it like syrup and actually follow the mixing chart. The difference was instant, way less heat and the chips just fell off.

walker.grace20d ago

That's classic shop wisdom right there. More concentrate just makes a sticky mess that traps chips. Sometimes the simple fix is staring you in the face.