Metal Lubricants

[ezygmont708]

This year our team tried something a little different for lubrication. We used Dupont Teflon Chain Saver. Very little mess and a little bit of this amazing stuff goes a long way. In addition to using this on chain, we put in our gearboxes and even the gearing in our shooter head. Plays nicely with polycarbonate.

http://www2.dupont.com/Consumer_Lubr...ubricants.html

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by ezygmont708

This year our team tried something a little different for lubrication. We used Dupont Teflon Chain Saver. Very little mess and a little bit of this amazing stuff goes a long way. In addition to using this on chain, we put in our gearboxes and even the gearing in our shooter head. Plays nicely with polycarbonate.

http://www2.dupont.com/Consumer_Lubr...ubricants.html

We use this as well. Works great for all our applications.

I was introduced to it by RC, owner of West Coast Products. He also suggests this as the lubricant of choice for WCP products. The McMaster part number is also listed.

http://wcproducts.net/how-to-gears/

[ratdude747]

My dad and I both are avid bicycle mechanics... and we use:

WD-40: My dad uses it for chains. I use it for chains once in a while. Also used for reviving dried seals in Presta valves and pike pumps.

ATF - I buy whatever happens to be cheapest (currently dextron-mercron mix). I use it for chains via an oil can. I also use it in 3 speed hubs, in freewheel mechanisms, and as a general de-gunker for cleaning old gunked up bearings and the like. I even have a plastic crystal light tube of it that I soak really crusty parts in. Once in a while it gets used as a cutting oil.

White Lithium grease- Used for packing loose/caged bearings, press-fit things (headset cups, square taper cranks, etc), sliding clamps (stems and seatposts), and heavy threads (bottom bracket cups, freewheels, track cogs/lockrings, crank threads). Also used to pack coaster brake hubs and to coat new brake/shift cables.

Not quite a lubricant, but PB-Blast often gets used for dealing with rusty things...

Back in my days as an FRC student, 3-in-1 was used by both former teams to cut stuff. Both teams used whatever grease happened to be donated for transmissions and the like; 1747 used white "food grade" grease; 2783 used black "ford/lincoln" grease. We had no issues either way...

[Dick Linn]

WD-40 is not a very good lube. It is primarily Stoddard Solvent/paint thinner, which evaporates. What's left does gunk up. It does make a good grease cutter.

For light lubrication, air tool oil isn't bad. It should have rust-preventative additives.

My recent favorite is Fluid Film. While primarily intended as a rust preventative, it does a decent job of penetrating and lubricating, doesn't dry out and is somewhat waxy. It contains Lanolin. Some use it on bike chains. I spritz it on battery terminals to prevent corrosion.