In article ,
"Mike Henry" wrote:

"Joseph Gwinn" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Mike Henry" wrote:
snip

Could that be way oil? If not it sounds like you are getting some sort
of emulsion. Do you check the coolant concentration and adjust
periodically?
A refractometer is an easy way to check the concentration.

I haven't been able to convince myself that I need one that badly.


It is not way oil. Doesn't look like way oil, and I get it with the
drill press, which has no such oil. It appears that something in the
coolant is absorbing oxygen and solidifying.

Then perhaps your coolant is partially coalescing or separating in the mix.

Remixing does not work, and one can pick the gel lumps and ropes up with
the bare hands.


I've never had any problem in that regard with the Hangsterfer, but that's
all I've ever used. Mixing the raw coolant with water can be tricky if one
is to believe user reports and/or manufacturer's preparation instructions.
Does your give any special instructions and how closely did you follow them?

There are no mixing instructions other than giving the suggested
dilution range.

My usual approach for small quantities (such as to feed the mister) is
to put water into a gallon plastic bottle, followed by concentrate,
shake, top off with water, shake. For the 1 gallon coolant pump, I use
the gallon bottle. For the 3-gallon coolant pump, I pour the
concentrate into water while running the pump full bore with the output
being directed back into the tank.

In all cases, I get a uniform mix. The shaken bottle works very
quickly, while self-mixing by the coolant pump is far slower, but both
approaches work.

The gel lumps formed much later, from initially uniform coolant at 10%
to 15% dilution or so.

I also got gel lumps in the Kool Mist 77, which is pretty easy to mix.

The bottle feeding the mister is a total-loss system, with no
recirculation, and yet gel lumps eventually formed and caused problems
with spray generation. This happened with both WS-5050 and Kool Mist 77.

I assume that whatever forms the gel was supposed to perform some
function, which is no longer done. I think the simplest solution is to
completely replace the mixed coolant once or twice a year.

Joe Gwinn