Comprehensive Grease and Lube Thread

[this_is_nascar]

You need to get onto the unicorn oil, I swear by it.

Are we still talking flashlight lube or did you move on to something else?

 

[dc38]

It’s fine.
VMQ 60A has a volume swell reference of < 2% when using silicone grease which is totally fine.

Pretty much all lubricants make all o-rings swell to a certain extent but some combinations are unacceptable.
Petroleum jelly for example will have excessive swelling on any o-ring you’ll likely find on most torches.

Overall NASCAR is right, there’s a lot of over thinking in these threads.

I’ve used silicone grease on silicone rings plenty. No excessive swelling or premature failure.

The internet is funny like that.
Your quote above was the first thing my browser AI picked out also.
Here’s an example of another quote my browser AI suggested which is completely at odds:

Silicone-based greases are recommended for silicone O-rings because they are chemically inert and compatible with most rubber and plastic compounds.

That's good to know. I had used a tiny dab of nyo760g on a Peak, and the Oring seems to be disintegrating slowly, like it's dissolving away, lol. I'm gonna put some plumber orings I've got instead and see how they fare...I think I still have some spray lube from my airsoft days, might give that a shot instead

 

[F89]

That's good to know. I had used a tiny dab of nyo760g on a Peak, and the Oring seems to be disintegrating slowly, like it's dissolving away, lol. I'm gonna put some plumber orings I've got instead and see how they fare...I think I still have some spray lube from my airsoft days, might give that a shot instead

No idea what Peak uses but nyogel 760g probably isn’t the best general o-ring (and thread) lube. The PAO could mess with some materials. Best leave it for what it’s supposed to be used for as a dielectric grease.

FKM you can pretty much put what you like on it. It’s like a more chemical resistant EPDM alternative with similar toughness and wear properties, higher temp resistance but lower weathering and UV capabilities.

I’m just about lubed and ringed out (what’s a taint? I dunno, sounds bad) but for the most part if you just use EPDM for any seal whether it be static or exposed (like on the outside of the lens) or dynamic at the threads lubed up on a torch (flashlight sounds too similar to fle… yeah, nah) and just use standard silicone grease then you’ll be good.

 

[F89]

That post definitely didn’t deserve a thumbs up

 

[dc38]

That post definitely didn’t deserve a thumbs up

oh yes it did

 

[jon_slider]

I had used a tiny dab of nyo760g on a Peak, and the Oring seems to be disintegrating

is the O ring Silicone? (what color is it)

 

[dc38]

is the O ring Silicone? (what color is it)

It's definitely not the silicone I'm accustomed to...it's hard, almost like a rubberized plastic, and feels very similar to the plumber Orings I have, except it seems to be reacting to the Nyogel and slowly disintegrating. When dry, it felt harder than fkm or nitrile, with noticeably less give, and took longer to return to shape when stretched.

Picture for reference, yellow post-it for contrast, but it could be hard to tell. At first, I was wiping the dark stuff off and assumed it was Al oxide, but it was a few shade darker (i.e. less gray and more similar to dark mold color) and I noticed that the Oring was developing very faint striations in the direction of the action. It could also be the abrasion against the inner tube (which has slightly rough machining). I haven't taken the time to swap out the Orings to do a long term soak test, but when I get the proper size and material for replacement orings, I'm gonna go for it.