Swapped my coolant after 7 years and wish I did it sooner

I run a Haas VF-2 at a small shop outside Dallas and last month I finally flushed out the old coolant that had been in there since I started. The stuff was milky and smelled like rotten eggs, I just got used to it. I swapped to a Blaser product after a recommendation from a buddy and the difference is wild. Parts are coming out cleaner and I've stopped getting that skin irritation on my arms. Has anyone else found a big improvement just from switching coolant brands?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_price25d ago

The "smelled like rotten eggs" bit got me, man. I had the same thing with my old coolant, and I honestly thought that smell was just normal for a machine shop. Once I switched to a synthetic blend, it was like night and day. The parts are way cleaner, and I haven't had that funky skin rash on my forearms since. It's funny how you get used to stuff like that and don't realize how much better it can be.

shanem3725d ago

The synthetic blend thing is definitely better, but just a heads up - that rotten egg smell usually means the coolant is going bad or bacteria got in there. Not always just a normal coolant thing. Some people get it worse than others depending on how often they run their machines and keep the sump clean. I used to ignore it too until I started getting bad rust spots on my ways. Cleaner parts and no rash sounds like a good tradeoff though.

val94925d ago

Funny you mention that smell thing, I actually watched a video online from a chemist who works with cutting fluids. He said the rotten egg smell is from sulfur compounds breaking down, and yeah it usually means the coolant is past its prime or there's bacteria eating it up. Makes sense why some guys get it worse if they don't run their machines daily and let the sump sit. The rust spots on ways part really got my attention, that's a nasty thing to deal with.