I need some. I’ve been using some EagleTac silicon grease rightly or wrongly for years. But it’s now run out. So I want to buy something else.
Any recommendations?
And specifically should you use different lubes on anodised and non anodised threads? Some reading suggests that maybe you should.
So what about different metals like Ti, Cu and SS?
I’m in the UK so US market product suggestions probably aren’t the most helpful. But if available in the UK or online from China then that’s fine. Ta.
Well, this is what I use:
it’s cheap on ebay and one little tub will last me forever
Nyogel 760G is all I ever used, or will use for quite some time - bout finished with 1 tube but have about another 1/2 tube left, so should be good for a year or more. Bought one tube here: http://www.batteryjunction.com/nyogel-760g.html, but no longer sold there.
Sold here now: http://www.amazon.com/NyoGel-Synthetic-Flashlight-Silicone-Lubricant/dp/B00BOMKGPW, but it's about 1/2 the capacity of the 57g tube I have.
Someone on BLF once suggested Coconut Oil for knives or flashlight threads (don’t remember which). I like it as any excess is great for the skin. Also use mineral oil sometimes. Not sure if they are ideal, but I like the idea of using food grade oils on stuff I handle.
thanks for that timbo114
use lithium grease, but read there this is not very good.
Will get good stuff then
Titanium is exdordinarily corrosion resistant, and very hard as well. I would almost not wory about lube if it wasn’t for o-rings. I’ve always just used Vaseline. Dirt cheap and works pretty well. If I have the money I’ll spring for some Nyogel.
I use Super Lube grease. I think some others actually use Super Lube oil which might be better?
I’ve always wondered about lubing threads. It is common knowledge to clean the living daylights out of them, then we go and gum them up with lube. I run mine dry as a bone. Clean as a whistle. They have never bound up, or been anything but smooth as silk to twist.
So, if the threads are perfect,why lube ? I can understand a wee bit on the o-rings, if you are in the rain. But the threads ???
Dupont Kryptox is probably the best o-ring/ thread lube that you can buy.
The lube is a lot more important on anodized aluminum threads, because it slows down the wear on the anodizing. If you like tailcap lockout, you might want to keep some grease on the threads. It’s really not that big a deal though I you don’t change the cell that often though.
When I was building my first maglite mod I unscrewed and replaced the head so many times without lube it started to wear off the anodizing.
I like a furniture wax, for stainless and anodized and bare aluminum. It is a mixture of carnauba wax, bee’s wax and orange oil, Howard Fee-N-Wax, Wood Polish & Conditioner. It is similar to their chopping board oil, so I don’t think it will be bad for skin. I have tried Super Lube but it doesn’t seem to reduce friction as much.
For a thinner lubricant, mostly for clean up, I use a bicycle chain lubricant. What I have from the nearest bike shop is Finish Line, Ceramic Wet Lube. It has boron nitride, as a substitute for graphite that isn’t black. Perhaps a dry lube would be better if you don’t clean it as much as I do.
A carnauba based floor wax such as Tree Wax might work well, but I haven’t tried it on flashlights. It works well for doors and aluminum window frames.
Jetbeam grease on FT. Just type in “jetbeam grease”, No smell and works wonders. I use it mixed with a quarter gram of piano key lube.
DO NOT USE PLUMBERS GREASE, please! It stinks horribly and many people here use it, while it is safe on rubber, it just fricken stinks. I’ve bought two flashlights here from folks and they were both loaded with the crap. Please don’t use it, even in a pinch, it will make you sick to your stomach.
BLAAH :SICK:
Secondly, whatever you do decide to use make sure it is not petroleum based. I had used high temp red axel grease mixed with my piano lube thinking I had it made, till my o-rings started dissolving……lol! Been there….
Same here. Dry threads won’t hold dirt.
Grease and oil need a lot of flat surface area to stop contact between two surfaces (think plain bearing). Obviously, grease does allow our threads to make contact, rub together and wear because they lack the surface area needed to support the high pressure between the contact points. As that grease turns gray, it’s evident that metal particles are being deposited and held in creating an abrasive paste which help rub even more of the threads away. That’s why it gets darker and darker. You can keep cleaning and adding fresh grease but it’ll still turn gray as more aluminum particles are added to the mix.
When threads are new, I clean ’em up, add clean grease and keep working the threads all the way in and out until the grease turns gray. Then, clean ’em up again and see how they feel. If not real smooth, repeat until they do. When I’m satisfied, I clean and dry them. If all the high spots are removed, the pressure between threads will be evenly distributed with no more high points to wear. Unless you can screw or unscrew it with such blazing speed that you friction heat the threads to their melting point, galling won’t be problem. A little silicone lube on the o-ring is all that I use.
That wasn’t hard anodized.
Oh, so that’s why it turns gray……duh…. Makes perfect sense now that I think about it.
+1 Super Lube grease, Harbor Freight Tools, Home Depo, Lowe’s Etc.
Or Amazon (click photo)
I think grease would be better than an oil, I try to keep the grease only on the threads, keeping the bare electrical contact surfaces free from any grease or oil. I would think an oil would seep onto the contact surfaces.
Oh, and its safe to eat, well that seals the deal for me……lol
Reading on amazon, you can use this stuff for many things……
PJ1 Blue Label for Oring type chains. It goes on like light oil then “grows” Clear. Next time if too light …hit it again.
Super Lube is a great synthetic grease. I use it on small bearings, hinges, and most things I don’t handle. Unfortunately, it irritates my skin and I wouldn’t ever consider ingesting it.