Dear All,
I'm stumbled with grease issue I can't figure out what is going on. Some time ago I bought Valvoline multipurpose lithium EP 2 grease what I've been using for greasing my milling machine linear guiderails. Machine is mid nineties and didn't have oiler so manual grease fittings. Yesterday when adding grease to my gloves for manual apply to ball screw I noticed metal flakes embedded in the grease. I got really nervous as I've been applying the same grease to the slides for many times already. Pumped few times to see if those metal flakes reappear and they did. Was wondering if they were EP additive flakes like graphite or something. Decided to change the grease cartridge to new one today and continued maintenance. With the new cartridge got the same issue. Extracted the shiny particle and it really was steel.
I've been trying to contact Valvoline Europe, but can't get anyone to reply on me. Those both cartridges were bought the same time and are with the same batch number. What do you think, is there any possibility that the grease could have these embedded somehow? I can't think of any way that the grease gun pump mechanism could do this. It is Pressol gun so should be good quality. And I've pumped almost complete 400g cartridge through it so possible particles left from manufacturing should have long gone. Been thinking also if some of the bad grease with embedded metal chips came back when pumping the grease. But that sounds just impossible as the grease nipples have one way ball valves. Please see attached picture of flakes in the grease.
Thank you in advance
I'm stumbled with grease issue I can't figure out what is going on. Some time ago I bought Valvoline multipurpose lithium EP 2 grease what I've been using for greasing my milling machine linear guiderails. Machine is mid nineties and didn't have oiler so manual grease fittings. Yesterday when adding grease to my gloves for manual apply to ball screw I noticed metal flakes embedded in the grease. I got really nervous as I've been applying the same grease to the slides for many times already. Pumped few times to see if those metal flakes reappear and they did. Was wondering if they were EP additive flakes like graphite or something. Decided to change the grease cartridge to new one today and continued maintenance. With the new cartridge got the same issue. Extracted the shiny particle and it really was steel.
I've been trying to contact Valvoline Europe, but can't get anyone to reply on me. Those both cartridges were bought the same time and are with the same batch number. What do you think, is there any possibility that the grease could have these embedded somehow? I can't think of any way that the grease gun pump mechanism could do this. It is Pressol gun so should be good quality. And I've pumped almost complete 400g cartridge through it so possible particles left from manufacturing should have long gone. Been thinking also if some of the bad grease with embedded metal chips came back when pumping the grease. But that sounds just impossible as the grease nipples have one way ball valves. Please see attached picture of flakes in the grease.
Thank you in advance
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