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Plastic and Metal Lubricant

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Trying to figure out what lube would work best for plastic and metal gears. Any experience with any of these or other suggestions? This is what I've gathered so far. 

White Lightning Clean Ride- Dry wax lube the flakes off any contaminants. Longevity seems like a concern. Highly regarded for Derlin gears on HeliFreaks. Good for exposed gearing.  

Labelle 206- Grease with PTFE made for RC industry. Still attracts dirt but after grease wears away/slings off PTFE is left to provide protection. 

Cera-GreaseHG- Boron grease. Good friction reducer but messy.

Tri-Flo Red Grease- One of the best for sealed gearboxes and metal gearing. Long lasting, but may not be safe for all plastics as it might contain petroleum. 

Sullivan Dry Ice- Dry lube. Made for RC industry. Not much info, but looks to be decent for metal gearing with low drag. 

BelRay Waterproof Grease. Medium tach grease good for waterproofing axle housings. 

PJ1 motorcycle chain lube. Good adherance and decent at repelling dirt/dust.

 

So far I'm leaning towards Clean ride for plastic gearing and PJ1 for ring and pinion. 

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MagicLube. It's a ptfe (Teflon) based waterproof lube for pool valves and the like. Works excellent on nylon gears and metal. It's a good bit sticky so it makes for a limited slip feel in an otherwise open rear end setup.

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Looking for a dry type lube and came across these

Triflo Dry Lube(bike chain lube)- Not sure this is safe for plastics, but looks promising.

DryFluid- Reports from HeliFreak show is seems to work well for plastic and is long lasting, but may not be too good for metal on metal.

 

 

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White, dry motorcycle chain lube has to be safe for the rubber O or X rings. It's also designed to stay put at over 100mph. I've never had a problem with plastic damage.

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This looks promising? Anyone else try Krytox?

 

Krytoxperfluoropolyether (PFPE) oils and greases

thickened with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are a

great choice for nonmetallic components.

Krytoxoils and greases have been used as plastic or elastomer

lubricants for over 40 years. KrytoxPFPE oils and greases and

FluoroguardPFPE compounding additives are used as lubricants

for nonmetallic materials in automotive, aerospace, and industrial

applications for seals, gears, squeak elimination, and other critical uses.

Krytoxoils and greases are inert and do not react with elastomers

or plastics. These oils and greases will not cause elastomers or

plastics to swell, shrink, or crack. Krytoxlubricants do not hurt the

performance of the elastomer, nor improve the upper temperature

capabilities of the material—the thermal stability of the elastomer

or plastic itself constitutes any limitation.

Krytoxgreases thickened with PTFE are equally non-reactive

with polymers. Some types of grease that are used for lubricating

metal bearings have additives for anti-corrosion and extreme

pressure metal-to-metal contact, and they can affect some types

of seal materials at higher temperatures. For high temperature

applications, Chemours usually recommends additive-free oils and

greases for lubrication of plastics and elastomers.

Krytoxperformance lubricants are resistant to oxygen and reactive

gases, and are inert to virtually all chemicals that are commonly

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I use WD40 brand motorcycle chain wax and have had no issues so far. It is clean and nice for rebuilding as well.

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On 7/12/2017 at 10:39 PM, magnumb said:

Labelle 206- Grease with PTFE

 

AV7GbW3.jpg

For posterity, I vote for Labelle 206 on plastic gears.  Plastic safe.  I've been using the same tube of Labelle 106--older version of 206--since 2000.  (until I put on a cap from a thread locker this summer --- Honestly, those caps look the same!  That silly mistake made 106 slightly thicker somehow.  To be safe, I'm using a fresh new tube of 206 now.)  

The viscosity of Labelle 206 feels about the same as Tamiya ceramic grease.  But it doesn't wash away as easily as ceramic grease.  And very thin film is enough to protect gears, so they could turn with minimum resistance.  If I ever get Konghead, I'll use Labelle 206 for its dozen gears.  I want to try DryFluid, but $31 including shipping is too expensive for my budget (aka wife).  

I use silicone grease for faucets for waterproofing gearboxes.  It is literally designed for water pressure.  Only $3.50 at local hardware store.  It's safe for O-rings, so I am assuming that it's safe for plastics (So far no problem).  1/2 oz can be used for dozens of gearboxes.  

partsmasterpro-gaskets-seals-wax-rings-58352b-64_400_compressed.jpg.997034bc6d7ffc4a87bdfaae46618617.jpg

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Juggular can you explain how to waterproof the gearboxes with silicone grease?

  • Haha 1

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18 minutes ago, Hl0107 said:

Juggular can you explain how to waterproof the gearboxes with silicone grease?

lol, I can hear you just fine.

You can find a tube (or a mini tub) of "faucet grease" for about $3.56 (it was $3 last year!).  Then apply where two gearboxes meet.  This stuff is much thicker than Tamiya grease, but not as sticky as AW grease.  Just wipe away the excess when you are done.  When you rebuild, you may see fine dust trapped where two parts meet.  Wipe it away and re-apply.  

https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Silicone-Grease-1-Pack-88693/dp/B000DZFUPC/ref=sxts_kp?hvadid=241939655168&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9007234&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15372534760745777358&hvtargid=aud-647006051489%3Akwd-5562799480&keywords=faucet+grease&pd_rd_i=B000DZFUPC&pd_rd_r=c0ed2320-4ed9-4705-8ad0-007353d90ba7&pd_rd_w=rcqRH&pd_rd_wg=Z8ADj&pf_rd_p=9e1f8218-b1c6-41ee-b8db-ab27d6c0f6de&pf_rd_r=CSWGEKDEW2M7PTP2B6GM&qid=1551825945&s=gateway&tag=googhydr-20

Is it going to float?  No.  But it can keep mud and silt out in brief incursions.  

e0fuARQ.jpg

 

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:blink:Sorry, don't why the letters came out at that size. 
I got the one I use for the aquarium pumps and filters.
Its also the one I use for the drinking filters Orings.
thank you!!!

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I was thinking today that we all might be lubricant obsessed. Funny how this tread popped back up on the same day. Everybody has a grease or lube they like to use (and that's cool). I find it interesting (with a touch of amusement) that the full size automotive world is much the same about motor oil, etc.  Maybe we need a "Bob is the grease guy" site akin to "Bob is the oil guy". I mean no offence, just an observation. 

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I wish I had 20 different types of grease to be the grease guy. 

I love ball bearings.  Back in the days, I built 5-6 Grasshoppers for my friends, who didn't quite like the building process.  No matter how much grease you apply, bushings are bushings.  Bearings were soooo expensive.  

A year or two after re-ignition of love affair with Tamiya RC, I discovered ball bearings were much cheaper.  Going from bushings to bearings was a huge improvement.  All my used vintages (because re-re didn't exist then), got the bearing treatment.  I even took the shields off of bearings to wash out thick grease and apply thin oil.  Holy ball-bearings!  Naked bearings in the gearbox improved the speed and run time of still meager 2500mAh batteries.  

I bought Konghead just to play with ball bearings.  Reducing friction really changes how something moves.  Thin Teflon lube also helps.  Around that time, I was tired of walking to my Wild Willy 2 that sits on a tree root with an unloaded diff.  I tried out Bad Horsie diff lock, and once again, I thought, "wow, sticky grease makes Wild Willy 2 just go."  

On the same note, once a year or so, I shave a pencil lead, and treat the keyholes with graphite powder.  Stick the key in, turn it 180 degrees and shake it so the fine powder would get around the pins.  

Occasionally when I hear kids riding bicycles with their chains squeaking, I have a strong urge to stop the kids, and then lubricate their bicycles.  Of course, I don't carry bicycle chain oil around.  That'd be weird.  Besides, with all my RC cars around, I want to keep a distance from random kids. "No, you can't drive my LWB Willys M38 from 1985.  No, I don't want to exchange it with your $25 drone."  lol... kids... 

 

  • Haha 1

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