General flashlight maintenance for a newbie

I hear some of you guys talking about greasing threads and applying conductive grease to contacts, but after a diligent search I don't see all that info in one place. How about helping a brother out and post what you do, and what products you use to do it, and where to get them?

Thanks!

Okay, I'll say it.

Lube
Nyogel is one of the most popular brands here, especially since Surefire uses it. Currently I use Nyogel 759G on conductive threads and Nyogel 779ZC on o-rings and non-conductive threads. This is the suggested mfr. purpose for them, I believe. These two were originally sold on Lighthound.com and since I bought so much of it I have plenty left. You don't have to do this often, but it is recommended to relube your lights twice a year.

I usually take off the o-rings and rub them with silicone grease (Nyogel and other brands) with my fingers. The plastic toothpick from a Swiss Army Knife tends to work well for slipping off the o-rings. Feel free to wipe off the old lube with a rag and put on just a little bit of lube. You'll soon get the hang of it and figure out exactly how much to use. Smear on only a little dab at first, you just want an extremely thin coating on the threads. I usually work the tailcap back and forth a few times to make sure the lube is evenly distributed.

Cleaning contacts
You should do this before relubing, actually. Wipe down the threads thoroughly, take off all the o-rings that you can get to. Spray or rub De-Oxit/ProGold (available at Radio Shack in pen or spray form... I use both) on all the metal contacts (sometimes includes the threads) and follow the directions. Be very careful not any inside the flashlight bezel or on the inside of the lens. Don't touch the shiny part of a reflector, either. Don't use the spray on the bezel, it is too easy to get inside the lens.

That's it! You can use isopropyl alcohol to clean the exterior of the lens but make sure to use the 70% solution because some lenses do not like the alcohol at all.

Flashlights are mostly very low maintenance -- the Deoxit/Progold is for better contacts/performance which is marginal but it does work wonders on flashlights that mysteriously stop working... like my Minimag which used to flicker all the time. After taking it completely apart and using the Deoxit stuff on all the contacts it worked perfectly. Lubing is a bit of a hassle but it ensures your threads feel nice and smooth (important on twisty lights) and helps to keep your watertight light... watertight.

do you think i can get away with using shinetsu grease for the threads and o-ring? it's a silicone grease for prolonging rubber seals on cars.

Should be fine. Might be too thick?

just wanted to update

i feel like it wasn't lubricating well. it's similar to the silicone grease that came with my underwater case for my digicam for the seals. i'm sure it works for the seals but doesnt lubricated the threads. my l0d seemed stiffer to twist.
i ended up using white lithium grease on the threads and everything is smooth.:twothumbs

I use Nyogel 760G on all my lights. Threads and O-rings. Clean contacts with De-oxit.

For the less expensive lights, I just use plain old Vasoline to lube the threads. Works well, inexpensive, and you can easily find it at any drugstore.

BSCOTT1504 said:

I use Nyogel 760G on all my lights. Threads and O-rings.

Click to expand...

+1. NyoGel is probably the best, and you can get a big tube (enough for a century probably ) on CPF marketplace as low as $10/tube shipped.