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Ceramic vs Molybdenum Grease. Any difference?

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So I'm about to crack into an M07R, and the grease supplied for all the 'apply grease here' moments is Molybdenum 

I've only used it before in the Boomerang re:re, which included the usual ceramic plus some molybdenum. The Molybdenum was only used on the metal gears, all plastic gears and dogbones etc used the ceramic 

In the Bigwig re:re, using identical parts, it was only supplied with and asked for ceramic grease. No Molybdenum at all. So I'm guessing it doesn't make any real difference?

The M07R also specifies the Molybdenum for the cardan joints, which I've generally seen supplied with or spec'd as Anti-wear grease, which I've got tonnes of!!

As the M07R gears are all plastic, I'm assuming it will be fine to use ceramic grease rather than the kit supplied Molybdenum? The ceramic seems like a 'cleaner' product than they grey sludgy molybdenum. 

Or is there something about the FWD set up of the M07 that calls for the specific properties of Molybdenum?

Cheers!

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I think the theory is molybdenum for metal gears and ceramic for plastic. Thats what I have been using on other kits; I've had a M07-R in my build queue for a year but haven't got to it yet. 

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To be honest you don't need either the ceramic of molybdenum greases on the M-07 build. The diff is silicone oil filled, and there will be some leakage - within a few runs, the whole gearbox will have a nice coating!

CVDs are better oiled. Grease tends to attract dust and dirt and cause more wear at the end of the day. If you do use the grease, wipe the outside of the cvd clean afterwards.

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26 minutes ago, c64orinoco said:

I think the theory is molybdenum for metal gears and ceramic for plastic. Thats what I have been using on other kits; I've had a M07-R in my build queue for a year but haven't got to it yet. 

Yup, that's my understanding based on what I've been able to read up, which is why it seemed odd that the M07-R, with its all-plastic gears, came supplied with Molybdenum

Maybe just one them 'Tamiya-logic' things?

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18 minutes ago, sosidge said:

To be honest you don't need either the ceramic of molybdenum greases on the M-07 build. The diff is silicone oil filled, and there will be some leakage - within a few runs, the whole gearbox will have a nice coating!

This is also true :lol:

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1 hour ago, futureworks said:

There was a recent thread on this topic:

 

Thanks for that. I searched for ‘Molybdenum’, scrolled through 2 pages of search results and didn’t see it 👍

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I’m sure I read somewhere recently that molybdenum can weaken plastics and cause premature failure... so although better for metal gears I’d be tempted to use something else when inside a plastic gearbox. That said it the rate at which it weakens the plastic may well be years so if true then you’d have to weight up the pro & cons.

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On 3/28/2021 at 12:07 PM, Cynan said:

I’m sure I read somewhere recently that molybdenum can weaken plastics and cause premature failure... so although better for metal gears I’d be tempted to use something else when inside a plastic gearbox. That said it the rate at which it weakens the plastic may well be years so if true then you’d have to weight up the pro & cons.

When researching lube for a vintage Radio Shack Red Arrow, I came across this information as well. While initially I had found a recommendation for moly, other places indicated that over time it can penetrate plastics. The grease that I ended up settling on was multi-purpose Super Lube with Syncolon (PTFE).

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