# Will vaseline work to lube screw threads??



## Tessaiga (Jun 3, 2007)

Per title.. can we use vaseline instead of some specialised lube??


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## carbine15 (Jun 3, 2007)

Tessaiga said:


> Per title.. can we use vaseline instead of some specialised lube??


Yes, and no. Some cheaper O-rings can disintegrate when exposed to harsh chemicals like Vaseline (like that's harsh). Some fall apart if you look at them funny or taunt them. [email protected] actually recommends petroleum jelly while most hard core nuts here use silicone gels "just in case".


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## BSCOTT1504 (Jun 3, 2007)

Vaseline is petroleum jelly. Not good for O'rings. Get a silicone based lube.


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## nyyankeefen (Jun 3, 2007)

carbine15 said:


> [email protected] actually recommends petroleum jelly



So does inova


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## Bob K (Jun 3, 2007)

BSCOTT1504 said:


> Vaseline is petroleum jelly. Not good for O'rings. Get a silicone based lube.


 
Surefire says not to use petroleum based lubricants on o-rings. They recommend silicon based.


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## frogs3 (Jun 3, 2007)

Silicone or Lithium grease (the latter preferred by Inova). Both are inexpensive, and $3 worth of lithium grease buys enough for several lifetimes, in an auto supply store.

Isopropyl alcohol cleans both off, which should be done before adding new lube. Tissue paper, Kleenex or lint-free towel all work. A toothbrush is useful.

How often? Depends on how rough your usage is. Inova suggests every 6 months on average. YMMV.

-HAK


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## Illum (Jun 3, 2007)

nyyankeefen said:


> So does inova



Inova recommended white lithium grease....but when I responded with "how about nyogel 760G, will that work?" they never responded me

I use Nyogel on all my lights, never was there a problem. White lithium grease gets gummy after awhile

Vaseline will work as a basic lubing medium but generally not recommended unless specifically told to do so by the manufacturer.


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## Tessaiga (Jun 3, 2007)

Thanks guys.. so it looks like I should keep my vaseline to my hands.... 

now.. where's that nyogel for sale thread that I read....


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## zk188 (Jun 3, 2007)

For some reason the thought of someone lubing a maglite with vaseline makes me laugh.


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## nyyankeefen (Jun 4, 2007)




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## Learjet (Jun 4, 2007)

I use petroleum jelly on all my lights. Haven't stuffed any yet.


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## chiphead (Jun 4, 2007)

Chiphead say's no to vaseline as it will liqufiy in this Texas heat. Yes; I've been there!


chiphead


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## carbine15 (Jun 4, 2007)

I've used chap stick from time to time.


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## TORCH_BOY (Jun 4, 2007)

I have used vaseline on just about all my lights and its been fine


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## Steve L (Jun 4, 2007)

Tessaiga said:


> Thanks guys.. so it looks like I should keep my vaseline to my hands....
> 
> now.. where's that nyogel for sale thread that I read....


Nyogel can be purchased from Matt at Battery Junction. Here's a link - http://www.batteryjunction.com/nyogel-760g.html


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## BSCOTT1504 (Jun 4, 2007)

You can also get Nyogel at Lighthound!

http://www.lighthound.com/


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## Daekar (Jun 4, 2007)

chiphead said:


> Chiphead say's no to vaseline as it will liqufiy in this Texas heat. Yes; I've been there!
> 
> 
> chiphead



Ditto on that. Never leave an almost-full container of that stuff in your car in Virginia in the summer time... it's no fun to clean up, even if you have those blue or red disposable shop towels to work with. 

Regarding what lube to use, IMHO it depends, like everything, on how you expect to use the light. If you're going to rely on it through thick and thin, hot and cold, wet and dry... just fork out a few bucks for lithium grease or silicone stuff from Nyogel. If you've got a spare [email protected] you've hotrodded that protects a bezel-sized part of the bookshelf it's sitting on from the dust layer and you just want to make it twist better and protect your tailcap or other threads from crossthreading, I think the ol' petroleum jelly will do just fine. I think the point is get SOMETHING on there to protect the threads, and if you're not sure your o-rings can take petroleum jelly, get something else... 

FWIW, I've got Nyogel on all my lights they've never had problems. They work as smooth as a Henry Rifle action too, with little to no sound.


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## TITAN1833 (Jun 4, 2007)

Dont use vaseline! it melts if you breath on it.i use SGT-2 silicon grease from www.wetsbest.co.uk :wave:


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## nyyankeefen (Jun 4, 2007)

Steve L said:


> Nyogel can be purchased from Matt at Battery Junction. Here's a link - http://www.batteryjunction.com/nyogel-760g.html



Do you guys know of any retail stores such as target, walmart or some electronic stores that might sell these types of lubricants?


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## GoingGear.com (Jun 4, 2007)

nyyankeefen said:


> Do you guys know of any retail stores such as target, walmart or some electronic stores that might sell these types of lubricants?


 
Nyogel is pretty hard to find, even online (ignore my sig for the moment, please ). If you don't like to order online, use whatever is recommended by the manufacturer, be it petroleum, lithium, or silicone. They will probably not last as long or turn as smooth as Nyogel, but they will definitely get the job done. Some sort of lubricant is better than nothing, and will help your threads and flashlight last longer.


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## Toohotruk (Jun 4, 2007)

Superlube synthetic grease is great stuff...I bought a 3 oz. tube for about $3 at Harbor Freight. That's what Quickbeam uses to lube his lights and you can't get a much better recommendation that that! :twothumbs


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## Mr. Zenon (Jun 6, 2007)

Crazy Glue!


Seriously.. Only Nyogel 760G for all my torches.


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## Reid (Jun 6, 2007)

Here's something worth looking at: a fine, -tenacious- synthetic general purpose automotive grease:

http://www.greengrease.net/

I got a 14oz tube from the local auto parts store a year ago.
It's amazingly persistent (just try to wash it off your hands).
It's temperature-stable "-20 to 500F". 

I've used lots of kinds of greases in my (non-flashlight) hobbies. 
This one is a stand-out. It's green, it's *super-greasy*, 
it has EP (anti-gall) additives, anti-corrosion additives;
it will be time-stable, nearly to the same degree as a silicone grease. 

Silicone grease: wow, now that's permanent stuff! 
I _cumshawed_ an then-old, partial jar of Dow Corning Silicone Compound from the USN,
more than thirty-five years ago. It hasn't aged a bit.

Yet, synthetic greases offer lubrication properties not found in pure silicones. 

Bottom line: use what you like. If the O-rings are properly compounded, no grease or silicone or petroleum jelly (that's primitive!) should harm the o-ring. 
It's aromatic hydrocarbons that most generally decay synthetics. None of those in any grease I know about.

Yeah, I like to read about lubrication engineering! Hobby, not "expert" or engineer level. So, use what you like. I like this green stuff lately.
About $8usd for enough to service five thousand(?) flashlights. 

Someone-though--check it out, and if you think it's a risk of any sort---I meant no harm or bother.
_________
their webpage seems to be "off" at the moment.
I'll copy the blurbs from the plastic (grease gun cartridge) tube:

"Waterproof Multi-purpose Synthetic Polymer Grease, Industry Proven for Over 25 Years

-Outlasts regular greases up to 8x
-Seals and protects
-Ideal for wet environments
-Works in extreme heat
-Compatible with other greases

---Key words: waterproof. Synthetics can be nearly insoluble in soapy water, etc. High film strength.
Anti-gall (al-to-al galls if dry. Anti-gall agents protect threads from micro tears and welds). Ramble follows:

I can wax on about greases and lubes all night because--its a hobby-study here of many years standing.

Trivia: Vaseline was one of the very first petroleum byproducts. It was a nuisance to the early drillers. They called it "rod wax". It is an amorphous wax, and not a true grease.

True, traditional greases are made from metallic soaps compounded (cooked) to bear petroleum oil.
The soap is a thickener and vehicle to stabilize the oil from creeping. Plain old greases, if insufficiently doped with anti-oxidants, turn gummy in time, even into varnish.

Synthetics and silicones generally have the greatest resistance to oxidation and aging.

end ramble!


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