Grease · Site
Organoclay Grease: The Non-Melt High-Temp Option and Its Shear Problem
Bentonite/organoclay greases do not have a dropping point in the soap sense. That is why they get sold as ‘non-melt’. Shear and water can still collapse the structure, and FE9 life can be poor. High-temp is a bearing-life claim, not a…
Direct answer
Bentonite/organoclay greases do not have a dropping point in the soap sense. That is why they get sold as ‘non-melt’. Shear and water can still collapse the structure, and FE9 life can be poor. High-temp is a bearing-life claim, not a melt claim — the same lesson as CaSX, with a different thickener.
- Bentonite/organoclay greases do not have a dropping point in the soap sense.
- Organoclay has no dropping point because it is not a soap. High-temperature limits become base-oil oxidation and evaporation. Bentonite also hates some polar additives. Use it where soap melts; do not use it as a universal HT sticker on a m
- Name the test method on any number that reaches a TDS.
- Patents and papers are prior art, not a product Lubechem sells.
- Written for Kiln, oven and slow-speed HT users.
How clay thickening works
How clay thickening works. Bentonite/organoclay greases do not have a dropping point in the soap sense. That is why they get sold as ‘non-melt’. Shear and water can still collapse the structure, and FE9 life can be poor. High-temp is a bearing-life claim, not a melt claim — the same lesson as CaSX, with a different thickener.
Organoclay has no dropping point because it is not a soap. High-temperature limits become base-oil oxidation and evaporation. Bentonite also hates some polar additives. Use it where soap melts; do not use it as a universal HT sticker on a mineral oil that will varnish at 180 °C.
Literature/prior art for this note: NLGI operating-temperature guidance; Lubechem HT grease spoke. Read it as evidence under its own method, not as a formula you can paste onto an Indian CoA.
The reader is Kiln, oven and slow-speed HT users. Search phrases around “bentonite grease high temperature” should land on a decision: duty, method, purge, SKU sequence — then a link to the manufacturing page, not a second SOP.
Where it belongs (slow, hot, dry)
Where it belongs (slow, hot, dry). Bentonite/organoclay greases do not have a dropping point in the soap sense. That is why they get sold as ‘non-melt’. Shear and water can still collapse the structure, and FE9 life can be poor. High-temp is a bearing-life claim, not a melt claim — the same lesson as CaSX, with a different thickener.
Organoclay has no dropping point because it is not a soap. High-temperature limits become base-oil oxidation and evaporation. Bentonite also hates some polar additives. Use it where soap melts; do not use it as a universal HT sticker on a mineral oil that will varnish at 180 °C.
The reader is Kiln, oven and slow-speed HT users. Search phrases around “bentonite grease high temperature” should land on a decision: duty, method, purge, SKU sequence — then a link to the manufacturing page, not a second SOP.
Where it fails (high speed, water, long life)
Where it fails (high speed, water, long life). Bentonite/organoclay greases do not have a dropping point in the soap sense. That is why they get sold as ‘non-melt’. Shear and water can still collapse the structure, and FE9 life can be poor. High-temp is a bearing-life claim, not a melt claim — the same lesson as CaSX, with a different thickener.
The reader is Kiln, oven and slow-speed HT users. Search phrases around “bentonite grease high temperature” should land on a decision: duty, method, purge, SKU sequence — then a link to the manufacturing page, not a second SOP.
How to write an honest non-melt TDS
How to write an honest non-melt TDS. Bentonite/organoclay greases do not have a dropping point in the soap sense. That is why they get sold as ‘non-melt’. Shear and water can still collapse the structure, and FE9 life can be poor. High-temp is a bearing-life claim, not a melt claim — the same lesson as CaSX, with a different thickener.
The reader is Kiln, oven and slow-speed HT users. Search phrases around “bentonite grease high temperature” should land on a decision: duty, method, purge, SKU sequence — then a link to the manufacturing page, not a second SOP.
Lubechem will not invent a client list or a certificate. If the next step is a trial, send the duty brief. If the next step is legal clearance of a filing, that sits with a patent attorney.
What this page is for
Completes the HT thickener set (LiX, CaSX, polyurea, clay, silica, graphite). Images are labelled conceptual illustrations. Patents and papers are cited so you can go read them.
Decision grid for this brief
| If this is true | Do this | Do not do this |
|---|---|---|
| The reader is Kiln, oven and slow-speed HT users | Write a duty brief first | Buy a thickener because a brochure ranked it |
| The search intent is Consideration | Answer in the first screen | Pad with generic grease history |
| A patent or paper is cited | Treat it as prior art | Paste claims into a TDS |
| A formula page already exists on this site | Link to it; do not clone it | Publish a second identical SOP |
People-first note: this is dated editorial for decision-making. It is not a scaled rewrite of the manufacturing pages, and it is not legal or certification advice.
Questions plants actually ask
Is bentonite grease high temperature a drop-in for whatever we run today?
Almost never. Thickener family, base-oil viscosity, NLGI grade and additive response all have to be matched to the duty. A purge plan comes before a plant-wide switch. Compatibility charts are screens, not guarantees.
Can we put bentonite grease high temperature on the TDS because a patent or paper mentioned it?
No. Patents are prior art. Papers are evidence under stated conditions. A TDS line has to be backed by a method you actually ran, on oil you actually stock, at a treat you can buy twice.
Who owns the formula if Lubechem develops it?
Ownership is the contract. The practice is independent formulation with IP transfer as scoped — not a branded additive package you can never leave. Ask for the assignment language before the first kettle.
What should Kiln, oven and slow-speed HT users send in the first brief?
Duty (load, speed, water, temperature, relube), the current TDS and fail mode, target specs (IS / ASTM / OEM), and whether the product is sold, used in-house, or exported. Photographs of the failed component help more than adjectives.
Literature and prior art
Citations below are orientation, not a freedom-to-operate opinion. Lubechem does not copy claimed compositions and does not treat a patent as a product endorsement.
- NLGI operating-temperature guidance; Lubechem HT grease spoke — cited as prior art or literature, not as a product Lubechem sells
- ASTM D217 cone penetration / NLGI grade — consistency, not chemistry
- ASTM D2265 dropping point — lab fluidity, not continuous service limit
- ASTM D1264 water washout — wet service screen, not a seawater proof
- DIN 51821 FE9 / ASTM D3336 — bearing life nearer to operating reality than drop point