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Author Topic: Graphite Lubricant?  (Read 5831 times)

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Offline reaxas

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Graphite Lubricant?
« on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 08:55:15 »
I've recently picked up some lube for my ErgoClears and I was wondering what everyone thinks about using Graphite Lube on switches? On paper it seems like a pretty good alternative to the regular ones.
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Offline jamster

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 09:05:02 »
Graphite is electrically conductive. I cannot see this property making for a good lubricant in an electrical switch.
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Offline chyros

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 10:51:10 »
It's also messy as ****. Everytime I lube my bicycle lock with it I can practically write off my jeans and t-shirt.
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Offline reaxas

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 11:16:58 »
Quote from: jamster on Mon, 11 May 2015, 09:05:02
Graphite is electrically conductive. I cannot see this property making for a good lubricant in an electrical switch.


Quote from: chyros on Mon, 11 May 2015, 10:51:10
It's also messy as ****. Everytime I lube my bicycle lock with it I can practically write off my jeans and t-shirt.

Oh damn! I guess I won't be using that then! I was wondering if there were any easy to find alternatives? I've looked around almost everywhere is Mississauga, Ontario, and I can't seem find Teflon Silicon Lubricant. :( Ideally it'd be local, but if there's a fast delivery time online, that'd work too!
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 11:49:58 »
Be patient and order the Krytox.

A spoonful of it will last for months/years and do a dozen keyboards.
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Offline wlhlm

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 11:54:10 »
nubbinator has a lube comparison coming up.
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Offline nubbinator

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #6 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 12:42:52 »
Quote from: wlhlm on Mon, 11 May 2015, 11:54:10
nubbinator has a lube comparison coming up.

Still waiting on the stuff to actually ship to me.  I should be getting the Molybdenum disulfide soon.  I went with that as a dry lube for the testing since it's supposed to have good lubrication properties, likes plastic and doesn't necessarily need to be in suspension, and it's non-conductive (or at least not enough to cause any problems).

I should also be getting some Teflon dry lube from CPTBadAss.
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Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #7 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 12:45:36 »
Quote from: nubbinator on Mon, 11 May 2015, 12:42:52
I should also be getting some Teflon dry lube from CPTBadAss.

It's in the mail already :)
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Offline jamster

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 14:39:21 »
Quote from: reaxas on Mon, 11 May 2015, 11:16:58
Oh damn! I guess I won't be using that then! I was wondering if there were any easy to find alternatives? I've looked around almost everywhere is Mississauga, Ontario, and I can't seem find Teflon Silicon Lubricant. :( Ideally it'd be local, but if there's a fast delivery time online, that'd work too!

Last time I checked, Zeal had Krytox in stock. EK also has Mechlube2.
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Offline Melvang

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #9 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 20:58:58 »
Yeah graphite lubes would be bad in this situation for the reasons provided.  In the olden days of CPU overclocking, certain chips would need traces drawn on the chip with a pencil.  It can conduct that well.

Quote from: nubbinator on Mon, 11 May 2015, 12:42:52
Quote from: wlhlm on Mon, 11 May 2015, 11:54:10
nubbinator has a lube comparison coming up.

Still waiting on the stuff to actually ship to me.  I should be getting the Molybdenum disulfide soon.  I went with that as a dry lube for the testing since it's supposed to have good lubrication properties, likes plastic and doesn't necessarily need to be in suspension, and it's non-conductive (or at least not enough to cause any problems).

I should also be getting some Teflon dry lube from CPTBadAss.

Fair warning, that molybdenum is a 50 state carcinogen, not just in California.  Just wear latex gloves and wash them after and you will be fine.  I am not sure what level of exposure increases risk by a statisticaly significant amount, but our supervisors in the Navy were anal about that.  We had a couple parts that were coated with it as a permanent coating and had to be cleaned and greased every flight.
« Last Edit: Mon, 11 May 2015, 21:01:44 by Melvang »
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Offline nubbinator

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 22:32:31 »
Molybdenum Disulfide is pretty harmless.  It's not rated as a carcinogen and there haven't been any damning studies of it.  The National Library of Medicine at the National Institute of Health lists it as practically non-toxic. And that's a quote:

Quote
Molybdenite (MoS2), by inhalative or oral routes, was found ... to be practically nontoxic
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Offline Melvang

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Re: Graphite Lubricant?
« Reply #11 on: Mon, 11 May 2015, 23:24:21 »
Quote from: nubbinator on Mon, 11 May 2015, 22:32:31
Molybdenum Disulfide is pretty harmless.  It's not rated as a carcinogen and there haven't been any damning studies of it.  The National Library of Medicine at the National Institute of Health lists it as practically non-toxic. And that's a quote:

Quote
Molybdenite (MoS2), by inhalative or oral routes, was found ... to be practically nontoxic

You are right.   That was a total brain fart on my part.  The grease we used was molybdenum based.  The parts were copper berilium coated.
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