Lubricating Twistie Tailcaps

I'd like to make the "twist on and off" action a little easier in my tailcap twist switches (LX 3.0, Trio, etc.). Is good old WD40 OK for this?

You want to use dielectric (non-conductive) grease AKA Silicone Grease.

You can get it at your local hardware store (silicone grease) or automotive section (dielectric tune-up grease).

Hope this helps.

It is usually recommended to use silicone GREASE (Lowes/Home Depot) to lube the threads. I emphasized the grease because a buddy used silicone SEALER on a couple of his. Didn't work too well.

Even more important is to first clean the snot out of the male/female threads. Use paper towels, toothpicks, etc. to remove the crud that is usually present on new lights (and accumulates later).

I have used teflon tape on some wiggly switch threads to smooth them, and take up a little slack.

Thanks, Shifty and John. I'm on my way to HD for some silicone grease.

Don't quite understand how you use the teflon tape---could you explain?

Thanks again.

I have a few lights that don't have close tolerances. The tailcap is a bit "loose", and doesn't fit smoothly.

The teflon tape (plumbers section at Lowes/Home Depot) takes up the "slack", and also makes the movement slick as can be. Just use a strip maybe 1/2-3/4 as long as the thread length. Covering up all the threads may interrupt the circuit. Then you can use the leftover to tighten those hose connections that always leak. A couple of wraps will do it.

Nice stuff, with a lot of uses. A standard in my home idiot plumbers kit.

Radio Shack sells some silicone grease as well if that is more convenient for you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

isn't non-conductive grease something i would not want on the threadings of the tailcap? after all it has to conduct electricity.

AFAustin:

I stopped using WD40 for anything several years ago after I noticed a sort of varnishy crud on stuff after awhile. WD40 lubricates only for a fairly brief spell until it starts to dry out. Almost any other lube is better than WD40.

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BBL said:
isn't non-conductive grease something i would not want on the threadings of the tailcap? after all it has to conduct electricity.

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Sometimes you don't want certain parts to conduct electricity. Also, the thread is so large, that only a part of it exposed will conduct electricity good enough.
If you pay attention to most flashlights (ie Mag) the lightbulb won't light untill you screw the bottom part all the way down, thats because the top part of the tube, not the thread, conduct the power.
And silicone grease does no damage to plastic parts, WD40 will corrode plastics.

I've used the grease on all of my flashlights and they work perfectly fine. I guess if you overdo it, and lube every concievable part, then it may interrrupt the electrical path.

Is Militec-1 grease non-conductive?

Does anyone happen know exactly what lub INOVA uses on their tailcaps? It seems to be slightly thinner/slicker/smoother than the others. I would use it on all of my lights if I knew what it was.

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Sub_Umbra said:
Does anyone happen know exactly what lub INOVA uses on their tailcaps?

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I don't know, but you could e-mail Inova. The only person to ever respond to me is Laurie Sabella, who happens to be the Customer Service person. She might know the answer.

[email protected]

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WallaceD said:
Is Militec-1 grease non-conductive?

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I believe it is conductive. I don't think there is a real problem in using conductive grease if done properly. My only concern is shorting something out. The least harmful of which would be simply effectively by-passing the switch, so the light will always be on regardless of the switch position.
It is important to use thicker grease rather than the thinner grease or lubricants. Don't forget that the primary purpose of the grease is to waterproof the flashlight, smooth screwing (lol...) is secondary.

Thanks for the reply.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif

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JohnK said:
I emphasized the grease because a buddy used silicone SEALER on a couple of his. Didn't work too well.


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LOL...for real? I'm sorry to hear that...but what happened afterwards? Hopefully he did manage to 'unseal' his flashlights/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif(boiling water trick?)

Also, does anyone have any idea how good is the non-conductive Surefire lub that Surefire is using? Is it just as good as any other lub?

WallaceD,

Thanks for the addy. I wrote this morning asking about the grease.

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AuroraLite said:
Also, does anyone have any idea how good is the non-conductive Surefire lub that Surefire is using? Is it just as good as any other lub?

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I'm pretty sure it is just normal silicone grase labeled under the surefire brand and overpriced. You could get a bigger tube at your local hardware store for under $5.
Actually I find that automotive "Dielectric Tune-Up Grease" is a little thicker, which does a better job of waterproofing. It's used to seal spark plugs in cars.

So i went to Lowes...and couldnt find the silicone grease. I asked for help, and first got silicone sealant. then i was shown wd40. They had a type of silicone lube, and a teflon lube, but nohting labeled silicone grease. i was gonna check hd later, but is there a brand or different name for it? thanks

If you are in the Philippines, the most cost effective source of silicon oil would be in "Rogunz" - it's a small family owned company assembling, selling and repairing airguns in Paranaque. They normally use it to keep their o-rings "conditioned". I also use it in my airsoft hobby when opening guns / mags.

A 20ml bottle would only cost 80 php. 1 dollar 40 cents to be exact.

Well, Home Depot only has silicone lubricant spray (not grease), and Radio Shack has a buch of lubricants, but they don't list what they're made of! So, silicone grease is proving harder to find than I'd expected!