White lithium grease

[emilianoksa]

Please tell me if I have got this right:

 

It does not contain petroleum derivatives

 

Even if it does, it is kind to polymer and rubber

 

It has some rust inhibiting properties 

 

Or have I been confusing it with teflon grease?

 

There are so many products on the market called white lithium that, unless you are a chemist,  it is difficult to know which particular recipe is good for airsoft.

 

Could somebody please recommend a particular brand that they have used without problems over a reasonable period of time?

 

I would prefer it in a tube, rather than a spray, but, if it makes little difference, I could be persuaded to change my mind.

[Druid799]

I always just get a pot of abbey of fleabay .

[Wo1f]

What’s th application? For metal on metal moving parts like a gbbr I use dry Teflon spray

[Iceni]

O-rings are nitrile (Buna-N). As such there mostly inert to petrol/oil and grease.

EPDM (EP) rings on the other hand are not suitable for petrol/oil/grease.

Most if not all of the rings in airsoft are nitrile. As such it doesn't matter so much what the grease is.

For cylinders I use ptfe impregnated silicone grease.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SYNTHETIC-SILICONE-GREASE-TEFLON-50g-TIN-2HT-PLASTIC-SAFE-LOW-FRICTION-/391399159157?hash=item5b21353575

For gears I use a very soft moly grease.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Molybdenum-Disulphide-Grease-Airgun-Servicing-50-GRAM-TIN-FP-mos-1-/391721324225?hash=item5b34690ec1

It doesn't need to be expensive. It just needs to lubricate and not go flying about.

Silicone grease is fine on gears as well it just doesn't last as long as it has a tendency to move rather than stick to the gear teeth and faces. Abbey is as good as the silicone grease I use but you  get more  than double the quantity for the same price with the non branded one.

[emilianoksa]

12 hours ago, Druid799 said:

I always just get a pot of abbey of fleabay .

 

As far as I am aware Abbey only makes two kinds of grease: a silicone grease for O-rings and plastics and a molybdenum grease (LT2) for lubrication of slides, gears and trigger units.

12 hours ago, Wo1f said:

What’s th application? For metal on metal moving parts like a gbbr I use dry Teflon spray

I was thinking about the gearbox.

 

Grease on the teeth of the gears comes into contact with the polymer piston and tappet plate, etc

 

Some say use white lithium, others Teflon, and Abbey says to use their molygrease.

 

I know there is no definitive answer. That's why I asked about the rust inhibiting properties of lithium as opposed to moly which prevents rust but some say is harmful to plastics. 

9 hours ago, Iceni said:

O-rings are nitrile (Buna-N). As such there mostly inert to petrol/oil and grease.

EPDM (EP) rings on the other hand are not suitable for petrol/oil/grease.

Most if not all of the rings in airsoft are nitrile. As such it doesn't matter so much what the grease is.

For cylinders I use ptfe impregnated silicone grease.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SYNTHETIC-SILICONE-GREASE-TEFLON-50g-TIN-2HT-PLASTIC-SAFE-LOW-FRICTION-/391399159157?hash=item5b21353575

For gears I use a very soft moly grease.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Molybdenum-Disulphide-Grease-Airgun-Servicing-50-GRAM-TIN-FP-mos-1-/391721324225?hash=item5b34690ec1

It doesn't need to be expensive. It just needs to lubricate and not go flying about.

Silicone grease is fine on gears as well it just doesn't last as long as it has a tendency to move rather than stick to the gear teeth and faces. Abbey is as good as the silicone grease I use but you  get more  than double the quantity for the same price with the non branded one.

 Abbey recommends silicone for O-rings and plastics, but moly for gears, trigger units and pistol slides.

 

There are polymer parts inside gearboxes and silicone is good for polymers, but supposedly not as metal to metal lubricant for the teeth on the cogs. Moly is good for the gears but supposedly bad for the plastics.

 

I understand that, because of this, some people use lithium or teflon grease, and I just wondered if they were generally thought to be safe with all materials, and yet have some rust inhibiting properties.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I learn a lot every time I come on here. 

[Tiercel]

 

been using this stuff for the best part of a decade now, works good enough for me! If/When that can ever runs out, Ill probably move to a tube/pot rather than a spray though as the spray can be a tad messy if youre hamfisted with the spray button.

[Wo1f]

Inside of a gearbox, id use lithium grease. Be sparing with it or it will be thrown around the box

[Druid799]

I just use the silicone for everything, works fine for me .

[emilianoksa]

Thanks again.

 

Thanks for the reference to 3in1 but I prefer it in a tube.

 

Do you think this will be OK?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00W6Q3B1G?aaxitk=2dR9fZ0KUNrlY21I-3m5Jg&pd_rd_i=B00W6Q3B1G&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_p=5525970907818403459&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=white+lithium+grease&hsa_cr_id=3789960220102

 

Or are there purer products out there without petroleum distilates? Some airsoft retailers sell it so would I be better buying from them?

[Hangtight]

White lithium grease dries up and gums things up after a while. Superlube is very slippery, a little goes a long way and it's safe and suitable for all parts of the gearbox including the piston /cylinder.

[Chris_B]

Iceni & emilianoksa is correct, moly grease is very good at clinging to the gears and is resistant to dispersion under pressure when the gears mesh.

 

Teflon has very low resistance coefficient so is Ideal for sealing.

 

Personally (my two cents) I use abbey gun grease LT2 for the gears (sparingly). I use a modelling brush to apply it into the peaks and troughs of the gears, doing it this way spreads the grease evenly and sparingly, as if you just clump it into the teeth, the first cycle just flings it into the cylinder etc.

 

And I make up my own concoction of cylinder grease using abbey silicone oil mixed with 3M pure silicone grease. Again go sparingly as you don't want residual grease being pumped into your hop & barrel. I use my finger and lightly smear the inside of the cylinder.