Slick Talk: Powered By Blackstone Laboratories - Blackstone Laboratories

Latest Episodes:

148: All About Averages Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

Universal averages! Unit/location averages! Those are included with every oil report, but what do they mean?

Ready to start your oil analysis journey? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your free test kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Have a question or shoutout? Leave a message for Blackstone Joe at 614-407-6169.

Host: Joe Adams

Producer: Arryn Dennard

147: Too School for Cool(ant) Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

We're often asked by potential customers what good oil analysis can serve for someone who's just a regular person trying to take care of their normal old car. To that, we have an answer: early detection of a problem. In this episode, Blackstone Joe relates a case of oil analysis catching a Range Rover's coolant problem before it became an expensive nightmare.

Ready to start your oil analysis journey? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your free test kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Have a question or shoutout? Leave a message for Blackstone Joe at 614-407-6169.

Host: Joe Adams

Producer: Arryn Dennard

146: Oil Contaminating Oil Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

A customer had a question for us: can we find evidence of automotive oil in their aviation engine's used oil? Fortunately, Blackstone Joe has the answer.

Ready to start your oil analysis journey? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your free test kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Have a question or shoutout? Leave a message for Blackstone Joe at 614-407-6169.

Host: Joe Adams

Producer: Arryn Dennard

145: Fill in the Blank Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

Blackstone Labs aren't the only oil analyzers out there, and sometimes customers come to us with reports from other labs (which we will always accept and add to your file, for free)! In this episode, Joe goes through how we handle those reports, what we can do with the info, and what Blackstone offers that other labs don't.

Ready to start your oil analysis journey? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your free test kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Have a question or shoutout? Leave a message for Blackstone Joe at 614-407-6169.

Host: Joe Adams

Producer: Arryn Dennard

144: The Blood Test Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

Having your blood tested is a lot like having your oil tested. How do we know? Because Blackstone Joe went and did it!

Want to read about Ryan's cholesterol? Click here.

Ready to start your oil analysis journey? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your free test kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Have a question or shoutout? Leave a message for Blackstone Joe at 614-407-6169.

Host: Joe Adams

Producer: Arryn Dennard

143: The Unspoken Question May 19, 2025

Show notes

We get asked a lot of questions, but just as often, we don't get asked anything at all. When we receive a sample with little to no information, how do we figure out what the customer might want to know? Blackstone Joe has the answers.

Ready to start your oil analysis journey? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your free test kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Have a question or shoutout? Leave a message for Blackstone Joe at 614-407-6169.

Host: Joe Adams

Producer: Arryn Dennard

142: Retrospective - No Time to Change May 05, 2025

Show notes

Is it time to change your oil? We addressed that question back in episode 105: No Time To Change. Blackstone Joe revisits that episode, and examines how our perspective has shifted since then.

Ready to start your oil analysis journey? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your free test kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Have a question or shoutout? Leave a message for Blackstone Joe at 614-407-6169.

Host: Joe Adams

Producers: Joshua Straley and Arryn Dennard

141: Meet the Analyst with Augustia Robinson Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

Meet Augustia! Another of our new bright stars, Augustia shares how her love of writing and knack for science brought her into the Blackstone fold. She and Blackstone Joe discuss what it's like to be a new writer, how they find the creativity necessary to crank out report after report, and share a few tidbits of advice for any potential new analysts.

Ready to start your oil analysis journey? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your free test kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Have a question or shoutout? Leave a message for Blackstone Joe at 614-407-6169.

Host: Joe Adams

Producer: Arryn Dennard

Guest: Augustia Robinson

140: Coaching Up Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

Oil analysis is a complicated topic, and no one knows that better than a freshly hired Blackstone writer. Helping new analysts master the nuances of the various engines, industrial applications, fuels, and other samples we see on a daily basis is one of the most important responsibilities senior analysts have. Teaching new writers how to communicate that info is a whole other beast. This episode explores how we at Blackstone go about training the analysts that go on to provide you vital info with every sample.

Ready to start your oil analysis journey? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your free test kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Have a question or shoutout? Leave a message for Blackstone Joe at 614-407-6169.

Host: Joe Adams

Producer: Arryn Dennard

139: Meet the Analyst with Chris Tulley Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

Meet Chris! One of our brightest up-and-coming junior analysts, Chris has also recently taken responsibility for the newsletters we send out quarterly. He joins Blackstone Joe in studio to talk about how his history as a journalist informs his report writing style, and how the writers around him inspire his current work.

Ready to start your oil analysis journey? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your free test kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Have a question or shoutout? Leave a message for Blackstone Joe at 614-407-6169.

Host: Joe Adams

Producer: Arryn Dennard

Guest: Chris Tulley