Serious question, did anyone else run their coolant way too rich for years before somebody called it out?

Jana Lewis · 2026-10-29T15:00:04.292317+00:00

I ran my flood coolant at about 12 percent mix for close to four years because that's what the guy who trained me on the Haas said to do, and I never thought twice about it. Last Tuesday a tool rep stopped by our shop in Fort Wayne and looked in the tank, stuck his hand in, and said it felt like soap. He showed me the refractometer reading and I was sitting at 13 percent when the book calls for 6 to 8. I switched to a 7 percent mix over the weekend and my tool life on the 4140 parts has already picked up, plus the sump skimmer isn't pulling up near the foam it was. I felt pretty dumb, but honestly the smell is way better too. What mix are you all running, and did anybody actually show you how to check it or did you just get told a number?

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Serious question, did anyone else run their coolant way too rich for years before somebody called it out? | CNC Operators - The Community Guide