Graphite

One of the three forms of carbon in nature (the other two are amorphous and diamond). It is one of the softest materials known, is lightweight and has high electrical conductivity. In colloidal form, graphite is being used as a lubricant, and is particularly suitable for hot drawing applications. A disadvan­tage of its use, however, is that dies need cleaning occasionally. It is usually supplied as a colloidal suspension of about 18 percent in water or as a fine suspension in oil, and then diluted with dis­tilled or de-mineralized water. Complete homogenization is of the utmost impor­tance and the lubricant should be thoroughly mixed before use. This lubri­cant is sometimes used for the lubrica­tion of extrusion dies.