Comprehensive Grease and Lube Thread

[Yamabushi]

I did a thread search and the only comparisons I came up with were for NyoGel 760G beling lighter viscosity and 779 being heavier. http://www.cpfreviews.com/Flashlight-Care-Nyogel-Lubricants.php agrees with that.

But it is completely at odds with Nye Lubricant's own overview page http://www.nyelubricants.com/products/nyogel.shtml. This says 760G is heavier and 779 is lighter. Lighthound also agrees with this.

Note that if you look at the NyoGel Spec sheets

http://productsearch.nyelubricants.com/pdf/TDS_English_NYOGEL 760G.pdf
http://productsearch.nyelubricants.com/pdf/TDS_English_NYOGEL 779.pdf

they only list the viscosity of the BASE OIL, and the 779 BASE OIL is thinner. But that is not the same as the viscosity of the grease as a whole. The latter would be much, much, MUCH higher than the base oil. The base oil would be an insignificant contributor. The grease is thickened with silica. Think "sand" (exceedingly fine grain).

So, once and for all, how about it? Which is the thicker grease, 760G or 779? Which one makes you work like hell to screw those threads, and which one is easier?

The NLGI Consistency Number (a.k.a. Penetration) indicates the overall "hardness" of the grease. It is the distance a test cone sinks into the grease under controlled conditions. The number is expressed in units of 0.1 mm.

NYOGEL 779G Penetration Unworked 258 Worked 279
NYOGEL 760G Penetration Unworked 286 Worked 286

indicates 779G is slightly harder (258 vs. 286) in the Unworked state but virtually the same 279 vs. 286) as 760G in the Worked state. ("Worked" means the grease is squeezed back and forth through a perforated plunger like a potato masher before the cone test.)

This means threads lubricated with 779G might feel slightly stiffer after sitting unused for a while but will soften after repetitive movement.

 

[kahuna2793]

Anyone use frog lube for flashlight threads and o rings? It comes in 2 forms liquid or paste?

 

[LAMPARITA]

Silicone Grease for Flashlight- Do they expire?

Does anybody knows if (any brand) of Silicone Grease for Flashlight O-ring/threads has Exp. Date?...I'm asking because this little container last forever, the one I have is 2 years old and I was just wondering if it still works the same. I sent an email to Nitecore but no response, they probably don't know either:thinking:

 

[ChrisGarrett]

Does anybody knows if (any brand) of Silicone Grease for Flashlight O-ring/threads has Exp. Date?...I'm asking because this little container last forever, the one I have is 2 years old and I was just wondering if it still works the same. I sent an email to Nitecore but no response, they probably don't know either:thinking:

I use NyoGel 760G (?) and as long as it doesn't get hard, I think that we're good to go. No expiration date on my tube.

Chris

 

[NoNotAgain]

The biggest problem with greases is that most people don't store them in a temperature controlled environment. Storing grease where the temperature shifts from hot to cold causes a separation of the constituents.
Use a clean applicator so as to not transfer mould and bacteria from your skin and it will last for many years.
Anti seize type products, as they age have issues with causing corrosion to form on copper and high strength alloys.

 

[LightWalker]

I've had some over five year's now and it is the same as when I bought it. I keep it in the house.

 

[WindsurfMaui]

Do we have an update on this thread. Where do we stand with lubing the flashlight threads? Are there any new products to use? Can't we just use the NiteCore lube made for flashlights?

 

[espresso]

Lubricating flashlight contacts

I just got my first serious flashlight - TK75. The flashlight is great, no doubt about it, but it's just not usable that much in a city. But I wanted something powerfull, so I still ordered it.

Anyway, after first looking at the circular contact area against which the battery holder contacts slide, I noticed it was mostly clean and smooth. But after a day of playing with this flashlight, I noticed tracks and scratches left by the sliding contacts.

My question is, how much wear is there really on contact areas after years of use?

And my immediate thought after seeng this was: Why not lubricate it?
And being a lube guy, I remembered a perfect thing that would suit flashlight contacts.


http://www.buerklin.com/images/d/KapL/L641000.jpg

Image tags removed from hot linked image - Norm

This lubricant withstands high temperatures (200C/390F) and is thin enough not to affect electrical conductivity. Plus it's recommended especially for maintaining gold plated contacts:

KONTAKT CHEMIE Kontakt Gold 2000 is a long-lasting and temperature-resistant lubricant.
The synthetic oil forms extremely thin layers with minimum influence on the contact
resistance of electrical contacts. The lubricant has proved to be particularly effective for
contacts with surface coatings of soft metals, e.g. gold, silver, tin. The corrosion-inhibiting
effect of noble-metal coatings is improved considerably because they are no longer
scratched by mechanical loads and vibrations.

So, lubricating mechanically strained, internal flashlight contacts seems like a very sane decision. But it also seems that it's heavily underestimated by flashlight users.

What do you guys think?

 

[ForrestChump]

Re: Lubricating flashlight contacts

Any way we can get Froglube as a Good VERY GOOD lube on the front page?

First off this is more an oil than a grease but thicker than most, almost like a hybrid sauce. It is much thinner than say NyoGel, but appears to stay where you want it quite well. I just purchased some as I needed a lube for both lights and knives. 1/4 drop did both ends of my E1DL. First I completely cleaned everything applied it to the o-rings, installed o-rings and with what was left I took a quick swipe at the threads. Surefire recommends not lubricating threads but almost an undetectable amount of this stuff made a HUGE difference in sound and feel. Everything is butter smooth and seals excellent. Its also claimed to be food safe "USDA CERTIFIED 98%" smells like mint.

I also just dropped some in my Spyderco Gayle Bradley that already had a high quality lube in it. NIGHT AND DAY. I can wrist flick it without even touching anything but the handle.

I have no long term experience with this product yet, but this is the best knife / light / non toxic lube I have encountered, and I only used about 2 drops for everything above out of a 4oz bottle, so Im pretty much set for life. All for $13.00 on Amazon!

 

[riffraff]

Re: Lubricating flashlight contacts

I would add to that list, "Seal 1." My commercial gunsmith prefers it over Froglube and all the others, FWIW.

 

[srvctec]

This may not apply directly to lights but this is one of the best all around unbiased lube tests I've ever seen. Found it when doing a search for the best gun lube/protectant.

http://www.shootersforum.com/gun-cleaning/91566-results-gun-care-product-evaluation.html

 

[ForrestChump]

Interesting on the last 2 posts. Thanks for the info.

I only use lights and knives though, Im content with the FrogLube for now.

 

[ForrestChump]

Being that OP is no longer around, does the front page just stay stagnant?

Shouldn't be.

 

[Norm]

Being that OP is no longer around, does the front page just stay stagnant?

Shouldn't be.

What do you mean "the OP is no longer around"?

Tekno_Cowboy
Join Date 04-02-2008
Last Activity 11-10-2014 09:11 AM

Norm

 

[ForrestChump]

Didn't see that. Just read the join date and saw no recent activity.

 

[ForrestChump]

So how do we get this refreshed, contact op?

I think we should make an effort to keep it current, collect some new feedback on newer products?

 

[Norm]

So how do we get this refreshed, contact op?

PM the OP, to avoid cluttering up the thread - Norm

 

[robert.t]

Conductivity Problems - Nano-Oil?

I had a problem with my Fenix E05 SS, which decided that it would remain turned on whenever the head was attached, even if it wasn't fully screwed down. I've cleaned it out with alcohol and that seems to have sorted it, which suggests some conductive contamination got in there. I'd like to figure out how that happened, so I can prevent it happening again.

As far as I can tell, the E05 doesn't rely on anodising on the threads to break contact. Rather, it uses a pair of contacts at the outside edge of the circuit board, which touch the top of the body when screwed down fully. The entire body, head and threads are fully conductive (I just checked this with a DMM). A rubber gasket keeps the contacts away from the head itself, so it doesn't close the circuit immediately on contact, as it was doing.

Therefore I think what must have happened is, rather than contamination getting into the threads, the contaminant has got into the head, making a bridge between one of these contacts and the side of the head. I couldn't see anything in there, but that seems to be the only explanation. That in turn suggests a thin coating of conductive liquid was responsible. Perhaps a lubricant that got in the wrong place.

Has anyone had a similar problem with Nano-Oil? It's not supposed to be conductive (afaik), but it's the only conduit I can think of that might have caused this. My suspicion is that some other contaminant has got in there, mixed with the oil and created a conductive sludge. It's not like I dip my lights in fine iron filings though, so I'm at a loss to think what the mystery contaminant could be.

Maybe Nano-Oil actually is conductive. It's hard to find a definitive statement one way or another about this: the StClaire website doesn't say. Resellers don't say. I don't really want to waste a load of it to test with a DMM, but I'll give it a go if necessary.

 

[Illum]

nano oil shouldn't be conductive unless you saturated it with aluminum shavings, but even then its only slightly capacitive

 

[Jaegerbomb]

I use Nano-Oil on all my lights without issue... find it to be great value for money and easy to work with.