How to lubricate Nitecore D10 PD?

[zenlunatic]

I've been using Nyogel on my Nitecore D10's threads. I've yet to lube the piston drive, but its coming up to required maintenance here, and it's feeling like the PD needs some TLC. What do you guys suggest I use on the PD? Nyogel, silicone grease, whatever... Thanks in advance.

 

[dchao]

Nyogel is just a dielectric grease they use in automotive electric connectors. IMO, it's better to lubricate the PD with Krytox, which is a teflon-based lubricant. You will get a much smoother action. Sandwich Shoppe sells them.

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

I use straight Krytox grease for my D10. It is very smooth.

 

[trickyvic]

I lubed everything with Tuf-Glide the day I got it. A couple of months later it's still very smooth.

 

[hatman]

I ordered some Krytox; how much of this stuff does the PD need?

Thanks,

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

Very little. If it seems like you need more, you probably need less. (at least on the piston)

 

[hatman]

Very little. If it seems like you need more, you probably need less. (at least on the piston)

So a little dab on the sides of the piston and that's it?

I tried that with Deoxit, which was all that 4Sevens had. Didn't seem to work so well on the piston.

So I ordered a tube of Nyogel, which is so popular with CPFers. Being the savvy consumer, I naturally ordered the big tube because, you know, it's a better buy.

But before I got it, I saw this thread, and I ordered some Krytox from Sanwich Shoppe.

So now I have more grease than I can ever use!

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

What I do is remove the o-ring, clean everything up, put a small dab of grease in the o-ring groove, the use the o-ring to spread it around. A little will get squished out. Use a clean finger to spread the excess around the o-ring, and wipe off any extra.

 

[hatman]

What I do is remove the o-ring, clean everything up, put a small dab of grease in the o-ring groove, the use the o-ring to spread it around. A little will get squished out. Use a clean finger to spread the excess around the o-ring, and wipe off any extra.

No grease on the PD?

 

[berry580]

would silicone differential oil for buggy's shock absorbers be good?
I use that as lubrication for all my lights as I couldn't find anything better locally.

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

No grease on the actual piston. It tends to stick to the sidewalls.

 

[hatman]

No grease on the actual piston. It tends to stick to the sidewalls.

Thanks -- that's surprising, considering how much grease the piston came with.

 

[berry580]

i find it surprising too, the whole piston was covered in grease when it came from the dealer, but nothing stops the piston from contacting the side wall if you think about it.........

 

[dchao]

No grease on the actual piston. It tends to stick to the sidewalls.

That's why the Krytox from Sandwich Shoppe is a mixture of grease and oil (ratio 50:50). So there is less grease that will stick to the sidewall.

 

[zenlunatic]

Slightly unrelated.

I'm going to get the Krytox from SS. First timer, anything I should tag along with my order, if anything?

 

[chmsam]

A few types of grease will conduct electricity and some will not. Good idea to know which is which.

DeOxIt is NOT a lube (neither is WD40 by the way).

Do some research before you use different products so you can avoid damage. Some o-rings and seals can be damaged by certain lubes.

Different lubes/greases can attract dust and grit (that is a bad thing to have happen).

Some lubes/greases can harden or become sticky after time (also not good).

Some lubes will change color after use (due to their composition or galling of the metal on the light, or both) and the change of color might mean nothing or it could be a warning sign.

You do not have to lube, grease, or perform other preventive maintenance every day, but (depending on how much you use your lights and how important the usage is) once every few months is a really good idea.

For most lubes/greases, a very little goes a very, very long way. However, if you put lube/grease on a dirty surface (even slightly dirty) it completely defeats the purpose. Learn how to properly clean and maintain your lights.

Knowing what you are doing and using takes a little time but will make sure that the light won't fail when you grab it and your rear end is depending on it. Do some research, look for MSDS's on the product, and do not believe all of the hype you will hear about some products.

And no, you do not need to spend a ton of money to get the right stuff for your needs and it will only take a few minutes to do some PM on your lights over the course of an entire year, and that's if you are doing it the right way.

This stuff applies to the D10 PD and virtually every light but different lights need different care since not all of the parts are made of the same material and not all of the lights use the same design.

 

[divine]

I can't really remember what I've been using on mine. I think there is a lube I got from Radioshack online.

I've tried a few different lubes. Most will feel very difficult at first, but as you keep using it, they will loosen up a lot! The lube will gather around the closed end of the piston, so as you're loosening it up, you'll have to remove the piston a couple times to pull some of the gathered lube off.

 

[hatman]

What I do is remove the o-ring, clean everything up, put a small dab of grease in the o-ring groove, the use the o-ring to spread it around. A little will get squished out. Use a clean finger to spread the excess around the o-ring, and wipe off any extra.

So you only grease the o-ring groove -- not on the rest of the piston?

If that's correct, where exactly are you spreading it around?

A little more detail, please.

 

[zenlunatic]

I got my Krytox from SS (cheers).

Slightly OT, but do you guys think I can use this to lube my Leatherman?

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

it works OK, but for something like that you might just want to use a cheap oil or grease if you use it much.