Drawing grease (lubricant)

Potassium salt of a fatty acid (example)

Potassium stearate, the potassium salt of stearic acid.

Drawing grease is a lubricant that is used in the manufacture of wire by drawing. Since these are actually sodium or potassium salts of various fatty acids, chemically so soaps , the term “pull soap” is also used. A distinction is made between reactive and non-reactive drawing grease:

• Non-reactive drawing fats are sodium or potassium salts of tallow , soy and coconut fatty acids .
• Reactive drawing fats are sodium or potassium salts of stearic acid ; In hot, aqueous solution they react with zinc phosphate layers on the wire to form zinc stearate , which forms a firmly adhering layer.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Otto-Albrecht Neumüller (Ed.): Römpps Chemie-Lexikon. Volume 6: T-Z. 8th revised and expanded edition. Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-440-04516-1 , p. 4699.