Mess Deck: General Section > Model Boating
Prop shaft lubrication
Martin (Admin):
Smart! :-))
roycv:
I use the Ron Dean mix, which is equal parts WD40 + vaseline + 3 in 1 oil. Mix up and it is like very thin vaseline with virtually no drag.
I either suck it up or inject it into the tube. Then insert the shaft with a firm finger over the end of the tube and the lubricant gets displaced and dispersed inside the tube.
This is where my vote goes been using it for 30 odd years if not longer.
Roy
DBS88:
Great topic looking forward to the results, for my twin prop tug I used synthetic engine oil, no ingress of water, but there is minor seepage of oil so if there’s a better way I am up for learning
derekwarner:
Synthetic engine oil [especially viscosity grades 5-W50] will provide adequate lubricity, however after a relatively short period of running could produce a droplet of oil back to your running water.....if it is still, the tell-tale rainbow plume on the surface will give you away
If running in a Club environment, the Director :police: could give you a.....BLACK+RED flag
Not quite the Amoco Cadiz oil spill, but intentional oil pollution of our waterways is not really acceptable
Derek
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoco_Cadiz
Tug Fanatic:
--- Quote from: DBS88 on May 24, 2020, 09:29:04 am ---Great topic looking forward to the results, for my twin prop tug I used synthetic engine oil, no ingress of water, but there is minor seepage of oil so if there’s a better way I am up for learning
--- End quote ---
Synthetic car engine oil is normally very thin when cold - which is how you are using it in propshafts. It is designed to be easy for your car engine to force around the system when it has a cold start & hence protect the engine more quickly as well as cause less drag & use less fuel. It then doesn't get much thinner as it warms up unlike older types of engine oils.
I use traditional engine oil (not synthetic) which tends to be thicker when cold. Think custard rather than water. I don't leave any visible oil on the water even if the model has been stationery for some time.
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