I use lithium grease for my HR-X. Works wonderfully well.
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- 66 posts total
Snake Oil can be obtained at home by taking an interconnect cable, holding it vertically, and with your free hand, squeeze it from top to bottom over an open container. The more expensive the cable, the better the results. K-Y Jelly is also well-known to solve hi-friction spindle problems... On a lighter note, VPI has bounced around between an amber colored oil that I'd guestimate at 15W. They currently use a white grease. I use bicycle lube; Pedro's Syn-Lube. Thinking about it, it might be interesting to try my auto lube: AmsOil 30W. Further thinking suggests that liquids (oils) are *not good on inverted bearings, since gravity will want to take the oil away from the bearing. TT's don't have oil pumps and pressurized circulation systems. (Political aside: Synthetic motor oil usage is a tiny step taken to wean off the petrochemical teat of crude oil suppliers.) |
NO ATF or MOTOR OIL! They are designed for pressurized systems, and WILL RESULT IN BEARING WEAR. Lithium grease is a good alternative. The Gear oil worked for 20 years before my bearing seized, and there are other Rega owners in this thread who exclaimed "you have re-lube it?" so I know gear oil (80W90) works. |
If it is simply a matter of lubrication, there's no contest. I've already posted a link to what is the most slippery substance known to man. Since the whole idea of lubricating a bearing is to reduce drag on the motor and increase the longevity of the bearing itself, using the product that reduces friction to the lowest possible levels and has the highest lubrication factor should obviously work best. The fact that this is a thicker substance would also allow it to cling to the bearing rather than just run off of it. If you want to see what i'm talking about, take a look at this comparison of various lubricants and oil additives. Look at how long Tufoil lasted compared to the 22 other lubricants. While the average failure time for these 22 other formulas was appr 7 minutes, Tufoil lasted 16 DAYS under the same test conditions !!! While the average failure temperature for these 22 other formulas was appr 79 degrees, Tufoil failed at 60 degrees. That is an appr reduction in operating temperature of 25%. Since friction and heat are what cause bearing failure and metal fatigue, it should be common sense that reducing the friction and lowering the operating temperature would produce the longest lifespan for all the materials involved. Sean > |
- 66 posts total