Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Model Boating => Topic started by: Martin (Admin) on May 20, 2020, 04:40:46 pm
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:-)
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I cannot vote because it varies from model to model. For example my Raboesch maintenance free uses no lubricant
My Ocean works Jet drives use Marine grease
My tug uses thick Oil
etc etc
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Agreed, the model range is too great to suggest one particular lubricant is 'best of the best' %)
Quite a few Continental modelers suggest Olive Oil [with or without the Garlic?.......not sure? {-) ]
Derek
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OK, Scale Electric... not fast electrics.
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I use extra Virgin olive Oil. :-)) Good for the environment
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Smart! :-))
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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
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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
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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 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoco_Cadiz)
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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
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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I use the same grease as used in the feathering prop made by MAXPROP it has the consistence of toothpaste, stops where it is put ,works for me and a grease cartridge will last me out.
David
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Is the olive oil suggestion serious or a joke? Like most of us, the place where I sail my boats is shared with ducks and geese, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for causing them any harm. Are there any other natural oils that work as a prop shaft lubricant that won't harm any wildlife if traces of it are left in/on the water?
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The olive oil is for real. My boats are rather small less than 50 cm with propshaft ψ2 mm.
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Thank you, I will definitely try it. My boats are slightly larger than yours, but not very much, so I see no reason why it shouldn't work on them too. That'll give me something to do this afternoon now, remove and clean the shafts from my Billing's Samson II and replace with some olive oil.
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No... not a joke {-) .. Dave_S ..if you go to any of the French model marine steam WEB sites, you will find references to the use of Olive Oil for prop shaft lubrication
My cooking skills are not great, but during the making of Mayonnaise <*< ....the Olive Oil when wisked changes to accept an affinity with water or something??
So maybe it can happen with the aeration of the propeller {-) so as not to produce any ill effects to Mother Nature & her Flock
Derek
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Just checked the olive oil bottle in the kitchen - nearly empty, so any attempt to 'borrow' some will be noticed, but the fact that the bottle has been in use for a while and hasn't developed any dried crust around the neck is a good sign.
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I used olive oil back in the day. I've two seized solid shafts on my Smit Nederland now so beware! One day I'll have to take it off the shelf to sort out somehow (it has been sat for a while now). I've stuck to model propshaft grease on everything else since.
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Out of curiosity,
For those using olive oil, do you find the need to perform more frequent maintenance on the prop shaft such as having to withdraw, clean and reapply lubricant any more frequently than a machine oil or grease?
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I'm firmly in the Fit 'n Forget camp these days, always use Raboesch maintenance free shafts, expensive but worth it.
Mike
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No... not a joke {-) .. Dave_S ..if you go to any of the French model marine steam WEB sites, you will find references to the use of Olive Oil for prop shaft lubrication
My cooking skills are not great, but during the making of Mayonnaise <*< ....the Olive Oil when wisked changes to accept an affinity with water or something??
So maybe it can happen with the aeration of the propeller {-) so as not to produce any ill effects to Mother Nature & her Flock
Derek
Don't sail in vinegar.
Usually, the egg yolks get whisked to accept the oil which gets whisked in. Vinegar joins that mix.
If using a natural product that might degrade with prolonged contact with air, regular changing is probably a good idea.
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Most cooking oils will be subject to emulsification when H2O is added and vigorously mixed, creating a salad dressing( add the vinegar for flavor). While it will separate over time when undisturbed, during the running period the oil is severely compromised because of the H2O mixed into it. one would not want H20 in their crankcase oil, same idea.My personal favorite lube for models is Mercury 2-4C grease. It is waterproof, contains telfon, remains stable thry a very wide temperature range, is easy to transfer to a loading devise( syringe) and is inexpensive. One tube, and they are small tubes, has lasted my 20 years and has plenty left.
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I have to be honest I've just used thick steam oil this time. It doesn't seem to cause any drag on the propshaft and its so thick nones leaked out yet. It'll do for me!
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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.
Nothing to do with being synthetic. The viscosity varies whether mineral, semi synthetic or synthetic. My Porsche is current running a synthetic 15W/50 which would have the same viscosity as a 15W/50 mineral.
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When I was previously into model boats 15 - 30 years ago, I always used Vaseline as a prop shaft lube. Clean & effective. Injected into both ends with a small syringe, a decent amount at the prop end and a smaller dollop at the motor end. I always insert the shaft from the prop end.
Bearing in mind (sorry for the pun) that it's only the end bushes that actually need lubing then the tube doesn't have to be filled up. OK you need a dollop at the prop end to act as gland packing but that's it. For most of the length the shaft doesn't touch the tube.
I put the shaft in my lockdown build only yesterday, couldn't find any Vaseline, no need these days, so I just used some light grease that I had in my grease gun. Only put about 2ml at the prop end and 1ml at the other.
I have somewhere a small tub of a grease that we used for lubing the moving parts on handguns, when we were allowed them. I also have the same product as an oil. They are really good, as they are loaded with microscopic silicon spheres. I reckon they would be really good for propshafts.
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Years ago had some PTFE grease when I was racing model cars. Still got the pot. And that will be going in the shafts of the PT when it gets finished.
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That nudged my memory, the stuff I've got contains PTFE spheres not silicon.
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Hi all, can't vote!
I use an equal 3 part mix. Vaseline, WD40, 3 in 1 oil. It is almost frictionless and can be squirted in at each end of the tube, but I do coat the shaft in it first, bit messy but only once. Not my idea, pinched it from Ron Dean and been using it for many years.
Keeps the bearing lubricated and keeps the water out and is excellent for low power motors.
Regards
Roy