Oils and grease aerosols? Silicon, Lithium??

[stevensfo]

I oil our hinges and locks every few years.

What are these Lithium and Silicon oils meant for?

I just want the stuff to work.

Then there are the grease aerosols.

What the %#!!! is the difference?

Steve

[UncleEbenezer]

Some of them come into their own in "difficult" environments. For example, a bike chain, which has to cope with all the junk it collects from a wet and dirty (and at worst even salted) road. Others have to penetrate inaccessible places.

If you don't need anything special then don't pay for it!

[Gerry557]

I use silicone on locks n hinges and some cycle parts.

Lithium grease on other cycle parts.

[Urbandreamer]

Lithium is a reactive "metal", while silicon is fairly inert.

Hence silicon is unlikely to eat the plastic runners on your car windows.
Lithium acts as a sacrificial anode reducing galvanic corrosion. Hence good for steel hinges and locks exposed to weather.

Note that I haven't mentioned lubricant properties at all. When you say that you want the stuff to "work", it might be an idea to explain what is meant by "work". ALL lubricants have multiple properties.

[bungeejumper]

I'm still working my way through two litre-sized cans of Castrol high-temperature and moly grease that my old dad bought in the 1960s. Back in the days when a man needed to know where his car's nipples were.

I don't really know what spray grease is, but one thing it definitely isn't is WD40. Although WD40 has hundreds of arcane uses (google it....), it won't lubricate very well, and not for very long either. Especially not in door locks, where it'll just sit there collecting dirt. In my view it's better at driving water away from electrical surfaces.

There are silicone lubricants for the seals on car windows and so forth. There are lubes that won't damage brake pipes (or so they tell me). There's copper grease for your car's brakes. My own choice for indoor locks and hinges is good old 3 in 1, or similar. And a squeaky rising butt hinge responds pretty well to the tinest touch of olive oil.

But hey, I'm well out of date. No idea whether the latest offerings are any good. Have fun!

BJ

[jfgw]

I have not heard of silicon grease, it usually has an "e" on the end. Other types of grease are known by their metallic element, however (e.g., sodium, lithium, calcium).

Silicon (pronounced "silly-con") is a chemical element with atomic number 14. It is a crystalline solid, probably best known for its use in electronics (think silicon chip and silicon rectifier).

Silicone (with an "e" on the end) rhymes with "baritone" and "collar bone". The silicones are actually a group of chemicals, also called polysiloxanes. Different silicones have different properties and can be liquid (silicone oils and greases), rubbery (bath sealant, breast implants), or a more rigid solid.

Different types of grease do not always mix well. Silicone probably won't penetrate if there is already a different type of lubricant present so I would avoid squirting this into your locks. While not relevant to this application, no form of silicone should not be used near electrical contacts of any type such as switches, relays or commutators.

The original 3-in-One oil comes in a plastic "can" with a spout and smells nice. You can also get it in a spray can.


Julian F. G. W.

[stewamax]

For locks, use a graphite puffer instead of a liquid lubricant.

[tjh290633]

What about moly?

TJH

[bungeejumper]

What about moly?

Last seen with toady and ratty, I believe?

BJ

[stevensfo]

Lithium is a reactive "metal", while silicon is fairly inert.

Hence silicon is unlikely to eat the plastic runners on your car windows.
Lithium acts as a sacrificial anode reducing galvanic corrosion. Hence good for steel hinges and locks exposed to weather.

Note that I haven't mentioned lubricant properties at all. When you say that you want the stuff to "work", it might be an idea to explain what is meant by "work". ALL lubricants have multiple properties.

I suppose that I mean protect the moving parts, stop squeaking, wearing and rusting.

As a general rule, I use only three. WD40 for almost everything, heavy grease for garden gate hinges and most outdoor things, then a sort of 'unblock' oil for unscrewing things that are stuck.

So maybe I should be using a Lithium oil for outside.

I admit to being a prolific oiler, probably due to a hatred of squeaky doors and stiff locks that break the key.

Steve

[servodude]

Lithium is a reactive "metal", while silicon is fairly inert.

Hence silicon is unlikely to eat the plastic runners on your car windows.
Lithium acts as a sacrificial anode reducing galvanic corrosion. Hence good for steel hinges and locks exposed to weather.

Note that I haven't mentioned lubricant properties at all. When you say that you want the stuff to "work", it might be an idea to explain what is meant by "work". ALL lubricants have multiple properties.

I suppose that I mean protect the moving parts, stop squeaking, wearing and rusting.

As a general rule, I use only three. WD40 for almost everything, heavy grease for garden gate hinges and most outdoor things, then a sort of 'unblock' oil for unscrewing things that are stuck.

So maybe I should be using a Lithium oil for outside.

I admit to being a prolific oiler, probably due to a hatred of squeaky doors and stiff locks that break the key.

Steve

Perhaps if you squirt some 3-in-1 in after the WD40 has dried you'd need to be less prolific? It does a great job at cleaning stuff - but its lubing abilities are a bit lacking

[Urbandreamer]

Perhaps if you squirt some 3-in-1 in after the WD40 has dried you'd need to be less prolific? It does a great job at cleaning stuff - but its lubing abilities are a bit lacking

WD40's packaging has changed and provides poor information about what WD40 is.
Of course today you should look such stuff up on the internet.

WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula. That’s the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who developed the product.

https://www.wd40company.com/our-company/our-history/

The original stuff was not intended as a lubricant. Before electric car locks I used it to prevent the locks freezing in winter.
3 in 1 does what it says on the "tin", which is not what WD40 was intended for.

Oh BTW, they are both produced by the same company.

Sadly since about 2012 they have confused things by making WD40 a BRAND, rather than product. They sell lubricants branded WD40 that are NOT WD40! Naturally this means that we could be talking about different products with different properties when we use the same name.

[jfgw]

You can also get 3-in-One branded products that are not 3-in-One oil. WD40 also owns GT85. There appears to be a lot of overlap in their pruduct ranges.

If 3-in-One is not good enough for you, OB1 do a 6 in One spray. https://www.ob1original.com/ob41-products/ob41-6-in-one-multi-oil-spray/


Julian F. G. W.