O-Ring Lubrication

I am unsure of what type of grease I should use on flashlight o-rings. i heard that o-rings are made of different materials and the best lubricant varies by type of o-ring. It sounds too complicated. Is there such a thing as a good all-around grease that works well?

A simple silicone grease, available in a hardware store, will suffice. Silicone will NOT damage any type of 'O' ring material. Yes there are more specialized lubes, but silicone will get the job done, cheaply and safely.

What section of the hardware store is silicone grease found in? I looked the other day and all I could find wass lithium grease.

Thanks,
Matt

silicone grease is usually in the plumbing section. Lowes has it in a gray small tub about the size of a 50 cent piece.

I bought some Tanaka Ceramic Grease (used in RC car gear boxes and such.) I used this on my 2C Mag and Longbow Micra, is it safe for the longterm? (It sure is silky smooth now.)

The best place to get good stuff is your local dive shop I've found. It's not nearly as thick and yucky as plumbers grease or whatever.

Thanks guys. I'll have to look at Lowe's and maybe try to find a dive shop.

FWIW, I use di-electric silicone grease from an auto parts store. It comes in a coup;e of tube sizes (about $1.00 & $4.00), works great!

Broker, you just reminded me! I have some di-electric solicone grease! My grandfather always taught me to apply some to turn signal bulbs before installing them.

Would using Militec Grease work for o-rings? I have some of that but no silicon grease.

Manifest, I have used Militec grease without a problems. Militec does have lithium soap base to it. Not that it means too much but it's mainly meant for a metal to metal contact. But what I use most is standard Vasalene. Just a light coating around the outside. A petroleum based grease will not harm standard Nitrile/Buna o-rings. Which is what most light maufactures use because it's the least expensive o-rings to use.

Take care,
Tom

Has anyone tried mil-comm TW25B??

This is really great stuff!
Its a synthetic grease for heavy loads. Only thin coat required. Temperature range -90 to +450F and harmless to wood, plastic, rubber and composite parts.
This is used much on fireams - trigger mechanisms and on stainless slide rails to prevent galling.

You can get it in a syringe or tube Here.
I started using it on my SF e1 'O' ring and so far it seems extra smooth...

Radio Shack lube gel in a simple white tube is what I use for all my o-rings.

I've been using a tube of "TrueValue Faucet & Valve Grease". It cost me a whopping $1.39. I figure that faucets are full of rubber bits, so this stuff shouldn't eat any of it.

As an added bonus, the tube claims it "resists high temperature" and is "waterproof". Sounds good to me.

That does sound like good stuff Ty. I just bought some more silicone di-electric grease this evening.

I use the radio shack di-electric non-migrating and non-conductive all purpose lubrication. I also heard that petroleum products will damage your o-rings over time. I'm not sure though.

For what it's worth, there have been multiple threads on this topic before with more detail, so doing a search will get you more information.

Be careful of lube/grease with petroleum ingredients since that may damage some O-rings. Some products list ingredients on the label but to be sure you should look for an MSDS (material safety data sheet, iirc). For example, the MSDS for the Radio Shack Lube Gel does have some petroleum products in it.

So, if it matters enough to you, you should find out from the manufacturer what type of O-ring you have, find the acceptable type of lube, and then check to see what's really in the lube/grease. Will the O-rings fail instantly? Nah, but they can degrade over a few months or even weeks, and can get into a pretty nasty condition. Much more important to worry about O-rings where your life is at stake (diving, medical, etc. equipment) or where it can cost serious money (engine parts, machinary, etc.), but it is always nice to avoid a headache before you get one.

Dive shops. I got my silicone grease from a dive place, they use it for their O-rings and regulators where they are depending on it to work. Personally, I have no idea about diving, but the silicone stuff hasn't let me down or messed up my O-rings in a year of use. In fact I use the silicone for lots of other things too.

If I want something conductive, I have Nyogel. There's also non-conductive Nyogel if you want the absolute best. www.lighthound.com

silicone, recomended by a few manufacturers

I called Surefire and they said that the Radio Shack Lube was sufficient.