I think the greases that I've encountered in optical gear is what you
referred to Stan.
The colors have ranged from a translucent amber to almost opaque brown.
The desirable effect that mentioned is important in most applications, sine
loose movements would be problematic. Some damping of movement is very
desirable.
There are some damping products avilable for moving mechanical parts on
electronic gear, such as a slow-opening cassette door instead of one that
flings open harshly.
These typically range in viscosity from thick liquids to thick gels.
Several of these products state that they are synthetic and safe for use on
all plastics.
A good general purpose light grease for small mechanisms is a GP Electronics
product named Luberex
It used to be white, but the in last tube I got, it's a translucent amber.
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