Organo clay (bentone)

Commercial bentone powder used as a thickener is basically an organophillic montmorillonite type of clay. They are formed by slurrying in the bentone powder in a portion of the oil, pre-gelling by adding a dispersant and stirring, then heating to drive off the remainder of the dispersant. Finally, the oil is blended in to adjust to the proper consistency. Bentones have a buttery texture, virtually no melting point, good adhesiveness, fair mechanical stability and poor rust preventative properties. They are valuable in high temperature applications and can be used as a multipurpose grease. The greatest disadvantage occurs if maintenance is neglected and an offing-out or breakdown of the grease occurs. The end result is bentonite clay in the bearing which will cause a rapid catastrophic failure of the system.