Way oil and flood coolant

Coolant isn't lubricant - keep skmming. You'll also want to maintain your coolant. Use a refractometer to check it frequently and if you want to aerate the tank to keep the anaerobic bacterial content down you might be happier. The bacteria that lives on waylube is nasty and hard to get rid of once it gets a foot hold.

JC

Ignoramus28270 fired this volley in news:sM-dnRsskvpUnB_UnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

There's a really good reason tramp skimmers came to be. Way oil is necessary -- period.

Lack of it is often why machines end up needing re-scraping before they should.

LLoyd

The air tank for aeration (fishtank pump) is coming and will be installed.

So, you are basically saying, use way lube, use skimmer and aerate, right?

Should I just put it on timer to run a couple of times a day? My own plan was to run aerator constantly, and run skimmer for an hour a day, or something like that.

Yep. There are also anti bacterials and fungicides you can use if you want to go that route.

The skimmer should run any time the machine is operating. but wait for Wes to respond. I'll bet he can give you chapter and verse on this.

JC

On the 6 compartment, 15 gallon coolant tank for my grinder, I run the aquarium pump on a timer. Fifteen minutes run at three hour intervals seems to be more than enough to keep the nasties away. There's a manifold so that I've got an air brick in each compartment. Running all the time will cause a lot of evaporation for little extra benefit.

Mark Rand RTFM

I'd do as John said. You really don't put that much oil into the sump. I'm assuming this is an engine lathe.

On our Cnc's we tend to leave the skimmers running during the work week whether the machine is running or not running. The oil goes into a bucket. CNC's with box ways and some ball ways have oilers that shoot a shot every so many minutes while the control is on. A whole lot more oil to deal with than you are generating.

Over the weekend we turn them off since there isn't anyone to empty the buckets and it makes a mess by sunday night startup ;) DAMHIKT, I started up the plant for 6 years.

Wes

On my machines, i found just running the skimmer when the machine was on was not enough, so i have both the air and skim on for one shot of

karl

--Two questions: 1) Anyone got plans to build a skimmer? Those suckers are waaay too pricey for what they do. 2) Whaddya do with the scavenged oil? Seems to me it'd be unsuitable to simply be slopped back in the way oil tank. What further steps are needed to make it reusable?

I cannot imagine that it could be reusable, based on my results with my skimmer.

Well, if you get enough coolant out, an oil drip into your shops wood stove comes to mind.

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

Yes, the important bit is the "when the machine was not on". When the coolant is running, it gets oxygenated and stirred up. When it's sitting idle the pollywoggles are breeding like crazy and making it stink :-0

Mark Rand RTFM