Please recommend a lubricant for aluminum

The real Leigh · Sep 25, 2016

This is for use in camera lenses.

The key is that it must stay put forever in a wide range of climates, pretty much anything from Antarctica to the Sahara Desert.

It cannot separate or migrate to the optical surfaces.

This is a low-speed application, being mostly manual rotation.

Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

TIA.

- Leigh

DavidScott · Sep 25, 2016

Is the aluminum raw or does it have some sort of coating? What alloy and hardness?

PeteM · Sep 25, 2016

Leigh -- Might want to talk to Nye Lubricants. Among other things they make a series of lubricants for various microscope parts; many of which are aluminum to aluminum contact. They'll also have greases especially meant for low speed, stay in place applications.

Larry Dickman · Sep 25, 2016

Maybe look at Tungsten DiSulphide

Sea Farmer · Sep 25, 2016

Second Pete's suggestion to contact Nye: Lubricants by Product Category

Lenses often use "damping grease."

Nye was a Cape Cod boy who made good, the company story is great history: 170 Years of Nye Lubricants

I still have an old bottle of original Nye Oil around, came from my grandfather's shop and is probably whale oil.

The real Leigh · Sep 25, 2016

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies.

I do use Nye Astro Oil for some camera repairs, but at $90 for 10ml I don't use very much.

I'll check into "damping grease". I'm not familiar with it.

DavidScott said:
Is the aluminum raw or does it have some sort of coating? What alloy and hardness?

Hi David,
These are from various manufacturers, so no way to tell.

Larry Dickman said:
Maybe look at Tungsten DiSulphide

Hi Larry,
Never heard of Tungsten DiSulphide. I'll look into it.
Molybdenum DiSulphide is a popular lubricant, often called "MollyD".

- Leigh

Larry Dickman · Sep 25, 2016

The real Leigh said:
Hi Larry,
Never heard of Tungsten DiSulphide. I'll look into it.
Molybdenum DiSulphide is a popular lubricant, often called "MollyD".

- Leigh

Tungsten Disulphide was developed in the 60's for use in outer space. Check out "Applied Tungstenite's" webpage.

jim rozen · Sep 25, 2016

I've been using Krytox vacuum pump fluid for microscopes lately. Seems to work well, low vapor pressure.

Krytox - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The real Leigh · Sep 25, 2016

jim rozen said:
I've been using Krytox vacuum pump fluid for microscopes lately.

thanks. I'll check it out.

- Leigh

Mark Rand · Sep 25, 2016

Rocol sell the stuff under the 'kilopoise' brand name.

CalG · Sep 25, 2016

Sea Farmer said:
Second Pete's suggestion to contact Nye: Lubricants by Product Category

Lenses often use "damping grease."

Nye was a Cape Cod boy who made good, the company story is great history: 170 Years of Nye Lubricants

I still have an old bottle of original Nye Oil around, came from my grandfather's shop and is probably whale oil.

The vial of "Nye oil" I have (somewhere, if I could find it) Is labled "Whale oil", but the fine print reads "from the cheeks of dolphin" . Regardless, it's not the stuff for optics, 'just an aside.

triumph406 · Sep 25, 2016

What do the likes of Pentax Canon etc use? Or isn't that adequate?

gkoenig · Sep 25, 2016

Like the 15th person to say: Call Nye.

Canon, Nikon and Leica use Nye lubricants internally, as does Panasonic on their TV lenses. They are sort of the industry standard for moving parts in optics.

specfab · Sep 25, 2016

Another vote for Nye. In my previous life building optics metrology gear, we used several of their damping greases in various products.

The real Leigh · Sep 25, 2016

Thanks, specfab.

It sounds like "damping grease" is what I want.

- Leigh

SAG 180 · Sep 25, 2016

I was going to mention a lot of scientific instruments going to Antarctica used whale oil, my old boss from New Zealand learnt his trade on such instruments.

Sea Farmer said:
Second Pete's suggestion to contact Nye: Lubricants by Product Category

Lenses often use "damping grease."

Nye was a Cape Cod boy who made good, the company story is great history: 170 Years of Nye Lubricants

I still have an old bottle of original Nye Oil around, came from my grandfather's shop and is probably whale oil.

John Garner · Sep 26, 2016

The US military specifcation for 1-arcsecond directional theodolites (I've forgotten the number) required lubrication with GIA . . . Grease, Aircraft and Instrument, MIL-G-23827. Aeroshell Grease 7 and Texaco Low-Temp EP were both on the Qualified Products List, and fairly easy to get.

crossthread · Sep 26, 2016

I think Jim has the right idea but since it is a slow speed manual affair I would use vacuum pump grease and only a tiny amount. It never seems to go away, harden or out gas. It would also afford a very nice smooth "feel" to the adjustment being extremely thick.

DMF_TomB · Sep 26, 2016

dampening grease kit with small containers of various grades is best. if too thick it can be too hard to turn a camera lens and if too thin when you point a lens down it can move go out of focus by self from gravity. by having a kit of various thickness grades you can use use what ever grade works best for your application

EPAIII · Sep 27, 2016

There may be some modern greases that are longer lasting, but my experience with professional optics has been that after 10 or 20 years they need to be disassembled, cleaned, and re-lubricated. There is no such thing as forever.

The first thing you want in a lubrication for the internals of a lens is low volatility. This is as much for keeping the grease or oil off the optical surfaces as it is for permanence of the lubrication. So, do talk to the lubrication companies about one for this application. Or just buy some from an optical supply house.

Please recommend a lubricant for aluminum

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