FAQ

A: Quite often, we are asked, “I have an old specification that calls out Electrofilm 1000 (or Electrofilm 4396 or Electrofilm 5306, etc.) and all I can find is Lube-Lok^® 1000. Are these products the same?” The answer is yes.

Everlube^®Products purchased Electrofilm’s line of solid film lubricants in 1986. Up until that time, Electrofilm had a habit of putting their company name in large letters on all of their literature (such as technical data sheets, MSDSs, and labeling), or in many cases, simply using their company name as the coating’s tradename. Once Everlube Products purchased Electrofilm’s product line and began manufacturing these products, we have labeled these products with their official (legal) trademarks -mainly Lube-Lok and Lubri-Bond^®. So, Electrofilm 1000 is the same as Lube-Lok 1000, and Electrofilm 5306 is the same as Lube-Lok 5306, and so on. This would also be the same for other Electrofilm tradenames that now belong to Everlube Products, such as: Electrobond^®, Electrolube^® and Electromoly^®. So, to summarize, Electrofilm was the company name-not a product tradename. The products always had a legal (official) tradename; Electrofilm just didn’t always use the legal tradenames correctly. Hopefully, this clears up any confusion.

A: Everlube requires that all orders be in writing. PO’s can be sent by fax to 770-261-4805, by email to customerservice@everlubeproducts.com, or by mail to Everlube Products, 100 Cooper Circle, Peachtree City, GA 30269, Attn: Customer Service. If you would like to establish a net 30-day credit line account, please contact our Accounting Department at 770-261-4827 or email at accounting@everlubeproducts.com.

We also accept Visa and MasterCard. We will still need a hard copy of your order by fax. If you prefer not to list your credit card information on the fax, please note on your order for our customer service department to call upon receipt of order. We’ll be happy to contact you to take your card number and expiration date verbally.

We do not ship COD. Because much of what we manufacture is hazardous material for shipping, we are not setup for COD.Q: Is there a minimum order requirement?

A: Everlube Products has a $200.00 minimum purchase order for shipments within the U.S. There is a $500.00 minimum purchase order for shipments outside the U.S. This does not include shipping costs. There is no Minimum Line Item requirement for standard products, which have a lead-time of 3-7 days. Custom products, however, are made to order and have a $500.00 Minimum Line Item and require a 3-4 week lead-time.
Download Minimum Order Announcement

A: Everlube products provides a certificate of conformance at no charge for every product we ship. If a test report is needed for a particular specification, please note it on your purchase order, and we will provide certification for that spec. If no specification is listed, a standard certification is provided.

A: Please contact Everlube Products’ customer service department at (800)-428-7802 for more information on the possibility of expediting an order. Please note that non-hazardous material can ship ground, 3rd day, 2nd day, or next day air. Hazardous material, however, can only ship ground or next day air.

A: Please contact Everlube Products’ customer service department at (800)-428-7802 for more information on the possibility of expediting an order. Please note that non-hazardous material can ship ground, 3rd day, 2nd day, or next day air. Hazardous material, however, can only ship ground or next day air.

A: We do not have all of our products listed on the website. Please contact our customer service department at (800)-428-7802 if you are looking for a product that you could not locate at www.everlubeproducts.com.

A: Unfortunately, Everlube Products does not recertify outdated material. In most cases, the cost to do so would be prohibitive to you (our customer). In many instances, especially in regards to Mil-Spec testing, the cost to certify a batch of material may run as hig as $3,000 to $5,000 (or more). This cost is independent as to whether we are recertifying one quart or 500 gallons. However, there is a way that you might be able to perform some basic testing (solids, density, appearance, adhesion) and internally recertify the material for a short extended time period. If interested, please contact Everlube Products’ technical department for details.

A: Certifications may be requested through our customer service department at 1-800-428-7802. There may be an additional fee for this service. To avoid delays and/or additional fees, please list any needed certifications on your Purchase Order at the time of ordering.

A: The “D” in the PCD batch number indicates that the batch is for “diluted” material. Diluted material is simply concentrate material that has been diluted for use. Everlube Products certifies the concentrate version of the material to military and customer specifications. Therefore, you will get a test report based on the concentrate material from which your diluted material was made.

A: Everlube Products certifies that the shelf life for (almost) every product we manufacture is one year from the date of shipment, stored in a factory sealed container between the temperatures of 40 degrees F (4C) to 100 degrees F (38C). There are only a couple of exceptions to this statement, and those pertain to a certain specification.

A: Due to the nature of our products, most of our coatings are formulated to be as durable and chemical resistant as possible. Unfortunately, this also makes them very difficult to remove once the coatings have been applied.

If an oven cured coating has been applied, but not baked, then the coating should easily be removed by simply soaking the part(s) in solvent (the same solvent used for dilution will normally soften the coating). If you are unsure of which solvent to use, please contact the Everlube Products Technical Department for further recommendations. In most cases, air-drying products may also be removed using solvent, if the coating removal is attempted shortly after processing. Once an air-drying coating has fully cured, solvent will (generally) no longer remove the coating.

The following methods may used to remove/strip a fully cured coating (oven cured or air-drying):

Grit Blasting or Vapor Honing The first rule of coating removal is this: The Grit Blaster is your friend! Whenever possible, the easiest, safest, and most effective method of coating removal is to simply blast the coating away. If you are going to be reapplying a coating, this will also pretreat the part for the next coating application. This can be done using 200 – 400 grit (or finer) aluminum oxide at 30-50 psi blast pressure. For delicate substrates, other blast media may be used, such as, glass beads, walnut shells, plastic pellets, or even baking soda. For substrates that cannot tolerate any physical abrasion, then one of the other listed methods should be attempted. If your parts will allow you to remove the coating using one of these blast methods, then I highly suggest that you stop reading now and use that method. It only gets worse from here.

Industrial Paint Strippers There are hundreds of paint strippers on the market that may work great for you. Unfortunately, Everlube Products does not have any specific recommendations. Our experimentation with paint strippers has always ended with mixed results. Our experience indicates that paint strippers containing methylene chloride, or those that are phenol based, have the best chance at success. These seem to be the most aggressive. Companies like Chemetall-Oakite, Turco, and Henkel sell a variety of industrial paint strippers that may work for you. Note: Chlorinated paint strippers are not recommended for titanium substrates.

Chromic Acid Solution A 20% – 30% (by weight) chromic acid bath at a temperature of 200oF (93oC) will remove just about any coating in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, it will also remove skin and just about anything else which comes into contact with it. This method is mentioned with considerable hesitation. Due to the hazards associated with (hot) chromic acid, only those individuals who are experienced with this chemical should attempt its use. Not to mention that once you are finished with the chromic acid solution, you now have to properly treat and dispose of the chrome (this solution is virtually pure hexavalent chrome). The nice thing about this method, however, is that the chromic acid solution will completely remove the coating without damaging the substrate.

Sodium Hydroxide/Caustic Solution A strong caustic solution (20% – 30% by weight) at a temperature between 180oF (82oC) and 200oF (93oC) will also usually remove our coatings. Once again, this (hot) solution is very hazardous and should only be attempted by trained personnel using the proper personal protective equipment. This method is not recommended for aluminum substrates or any other substrate that might be harmed by the caustic solution.

Other Things To Try When it comes to stripping coatings, don’t be afraid to be creative. Just because a certain method is not listed here, that doesn’t mean it might not work. Without going into any detail, the following list offers several suggestions that have worked in the right applications:

1.) Cryogenics : Destroy the coating by freezing it.

2.) Burn-off Ovens : Destroy the coating by using high heat.

3.) Sandpaper : simply abrade the coating off (finer mesh sizes will be less aggressive)

4.) Steel Wool : same principle as using sandpaper.

5.) Ultrasonic Cleaner with (warm) NMP Solvent : NMP (n-methyl 2-pyrrolidone) is an aggressive solvent with limited health hazards. The aggressive effects of ultrasonics combined with the solvency of NMP have been used successfully for removing some of our coatings.

Now that you’ve read this far, two assumptions can be made. First, you probably can’t grit blast your parts, or second, you just love to read our wonderfully written FAQ’s. On a serious note, every one of these methods has health and safety hazards associated with them. Before attempting any of these methods, be sure to have the appropriate personnel at your facility review the hazards and determine which method is suitable for use in your facility. Be sure to always wear the appropriate personal protective equipment.

A: Everlube Products sells most products in both a concentrate and diluted form. Diluted products are already diluted for spray application. Further dilution is rarely required but they can be further diluted if required by the application method or part configuration.

The technical data sheet (TDS) contains all of the required information for diluting concentrated products. A broad range of dilution ratios is provided on the TDS because the optimal dilution ratio depends on the application method and part configuration. As an example, the recommended dilution ratio for spray application of concentrated MoS2 based coatings are generally in the range of 1:2 to 1:3 (product:solvent by volume), while PTFE based products are typically in the range of 1:1 to 1:2.

When using a solvent mixture, the solvents must be pre-blended prior to the addition of the solvent to the coating. As a convenience to our customers, Everlube Products offers a wide range of solvent blends for use with our products.

Solvents should always be added into the coating, preferably while the coating is mixing. See the FAQ for mixing for further information.

When initially establishing the optimal dilution ratio for a new application, it is generally best to add the dilution solvent in small increments. This will allow you to fine-tune the dilution ratio for your application without over-thinning.

A: Only people who have been trained and certified under DOT 49CFR, IATA or IMDG can ship hazardous goods.

A: Water Base – Non-hazardous paint
Aerosol – Aerosols, flammable, 2.1, UN-1950, PG-n/a, flammable base
Solvent Base Products: Paint related material, 3, UN-1263, PG-II, flammable liquid
Corrosive Products – Phosphoric acid, 8, UN-1805, PG-III corrosive

A: Non-hazardous paint – 3209100000
Aerosols & Paint related material – 3208900000

A: USA – 1-800-424-9300 – Chemtrec
Outside USA – 1-703-527-3887

A: The white crystalline deposits (or white haze in some cases) you are seeing is referred to as “blooming”. Most of our water-based inorganic coatings use a sodium silicate binder system. This would include coatings such as: Everlube® 811, Everlube 812, Lube-Lok® 2306, Lube-Lok 2396, and Esnalube® 382. Sodium silicates are hygroscopic, meaning they have the potential to absorb moisture from the air and re-soften, even after they are cured. When a coating re-softens (re-dissolves), the rehydrated sodium silicate binder separates or “blooms” to the surface leaving a “resin rich” layer on top. Then, once the coating re-dries, the resin rich layer, composed mostly of sodium silicate, leaves white spots or a whitish haze. This is the nature of sodium silicate binders, and they all have this potential.

Usually, the blooming effect is more prone to happen in warm, humid conditions, but that doesn’t mean sodium silicate can’t precipitate out and re-crystallize on the surface in cooler temperatures as well. In extreme cases, the coating would need to be removed and be re-applied.  There is no quantitative test for determining if or when the degree of blooming requires a re-application of the coating. In most cases, it is probably safe to use the existing coating if less than 10% of the surface contained the sodium silicate crystals (or haze). If there is less than 10% of the surface showing the blooming effect, then we suggest you “brush off” the white crystals with a small dry paint brush and then re-cure the coating (to be on the safe side). Please keep in mind that if a significant amount of binder has separated from the coating (greater than 10% of the total surface area), the pigment to binder ratio of the coating has changed and the coating will not provide optimal performance. If this has happened, then the coating would need to be removed (blasted off) and re-processed.

To minimize this blooming problem, we offer two suggestions:

1)   Store parts, components and assemblies coated with sodium silicate based coatingsin such a way as to minimize exposure to high humidity conditions.  This could be storing parts in air-conditioned or humidity controlled rooms. The most common approach is to store parts in plastic bags or wrapped in plastic, preferably with the use of desiccant paper or drier packs to absorb any residual moisture. The parts should be wrapped/protected as soon as they are cool enough to do so.

2)  Another suggestion to help minimize blooming is to increase the final cure temperature from 400oF to 500oF or even 600oF.  We have found that these higher cure temperatures make the cured coating more resistant to re-hydrating by driving off additional waters of hydration in the sodium silicate binder. The re-softening usually isn’t a problem in operation as the coating is being “re-cured” during each use. Using this higher cure method should be used in conjunction with protecting the parts as described in #1 above.

A: Dry film lubricants such as Everlube® 851 and Everlube® 853 use aluminum phosphate
binder systems. Aluminum phosphate binders are hygroscopic, meaning they have the potential
to absorb moisture from the air and re-hydrate (or re-soften), even after they are cured.
Usually, the rehydration/re-softening issue is more prone to happen in warm, humid conditions,
but that doesn’t mean aluminum phosphate binders can’t rehydrate/re-soften in cooler
temperatures as well. In most cases where Everlube 851 or Everlube 853 has rehydrated and the
parts have become “tacky,” all that is needed is to re-cure the parts. Once re-cured, the parts are
ready for use. If the coating(s) were damaged while tacky, i.e. the coating was wiped off or
something rubbed against it, then the coating would need to be removed and re-processed.
To minimize the rehydration/re-softening issue, we offer two suggestions:
1)   Store parts, components and assemblies coated with aluminum phosphate based coatings in
such a way as to minimize exposure to high humidity conditions. This could be storing parts in
air-conditioned or humidity-controlled rooms. The most common approach is to store parts in
plastic bags or wrapped in plastic, preferably with the use of desiccant paper or drier packs to
absorb any residual moisture. The parts should be wrapped/protected as soon as they are cool
enough to do so.
2)  Another suggestion to help minimize the re-softening issue is to increase the final cure
temperature from 400 o F to 500 o F or even 600 o F. We have found that these higher cure
temperatures make the cured coating more resistant to re-hydrating by driving off additional
waters of hydration in the aluminum phosphate binder. The re-softening usually isn’t a problem
in operation as the coating is being “re-cured” during each use. Using this higher cure method
should be used in conjunction with protecting the parts as described in #1 above.