What is gear grease called? I'm talking about the common grease that's used to lubricate gears. It's usually a glob stuck someplace on the gears. I guess over time it works its way into the gears. In any case, it's thick grease. Anybody know specifically or keywords that I can look for?
Thanks.
What speed? What temperature range? What size of gears? What material are the gears (cast iron, steel, aluminum, bronze, brass, plastic)? (Hope that it is *not* aluminum working on aluminum!) What kind of load is applied to the gears (really high loads requires a high pressure lubricant)? Fully enclosed? Straight tooth, bevel or herringbone tooth, worm, or a hypoid gear like between the driveshaft and differential ring gear in an automotive differential?
The reason you can't find much with just a search on "gear grease" is that there are too many specialized versions for different applications. A grease which would work fairly well on the thread changing gears on a lathe would be deadly in a differential (which, like an automotive transmission, requires a specialized *oil*, not a grease.
For that matter -- there are specialized greases which are *not* for lubrication at all, such as high vacuum grease.
Give us a bit more information, and likely someone here will be able to answer you properly.
Good Luck, DoN.
The thickest common grease available. The kind found in ordinary household gearing like in a lawnmower, a grass trimmer, a chainsaw, ect.
If I were talking about an industrial application, I would be asking somebody else.
The term "common" excludes really high pressure and high load.
If it were fully enclosed, I wouldn't know that it was "a glob stuck someplace on the gears".
I'm talking about "a thick grease". You could have simply asked me to be more specific. Instead of going into orbit about stuff that is obviously not what I'm talking about
It also wouldn't be "common" to most of us.
Anything that's specialized obviously isn't "common". And oil is not "a thick grease".
Did you read my post?
Anything that's specialized obviously isn't "common".
If I wanted grease for a specialized or industrial application, I would probably be asking someplace else, like a fellow employee or another company. Did it sound like that's what I was doing?
I'm talking about most gears in household items like in the workshop or a tool shed. "Common thick grease, usually a glob stuck someplace on the gears".
On 9/23/2013 1:04 PM, John Doe wrote: ...
Well, again, there were probably a variety that were used by the various OEMs depending on whether they were nylon/plastic, metal, and just what in particular the application was.
But for just general application, go to the local autoparts and by a grease gun and cartridge of general-purpose grease for it and you'll likely be just fine. Or, a pound can of wheel-bearing grease if just want a "dip-the-finger-in" solution.
I just went and looked. The can I have is labeled "cup grease". The name comes from the old time "grease cups" that were a common lubrication device in their day.
Most of your examples don't strike me as things which use gears.
And is a chainsaw a "household" item?
A chainsaw is normally lubricated from an oil reservoir which you have to fill fairly often. (At least the chain drive sprocket and such). So it is not too helpful. And it normally has the motor shaft connected by a centrifugal clutch to the sprocket, so there are no gears elsewhere anyway.
A lawnmower -- electric or gasoline powered? Or push-type reel lawnmower? And where in the lawnmower? Gasoline powered, even self propelled ones don't use much in the way of exposed gears. The reel type do, where the inside of the wheel has gear teeth to spin the blade reel. Proably some of the wheel bearing grease below would work there, depending on the weather.
A *riding* lawnmower likely has enclosed gears in the transmission, and is lubricated by oil, not grease.
By grass trimmer, I think of a weed whipper, and I don't know of any gears in that, either. Just a flexible shaft from the motor's shaft down to the spinning cartridge which pays out the nylon string.
The thickest non-special-purpose grease I've dealt with (the thickest special purpose was a high-vacuum grease) was some I bought back in the early 1960s -- a hub bearing grease for automotive front hubs. But that is a bit thick for a lot of applications.
For general purpose (not nearly that thick), I would consider LubriPlate. That would be good for the reel type lawnmower.
Everything is industrial to someone who doesn't know how to do it. And you would be surprised at how many special skillsets you can find here.
Good Luck, DoN.
I use cup grease on my 1948 Wood lathe. Un-screw the cup - fill it full and screw it on. When back pressure occurs, the unit is greased and there is more to add once running.
Normally a 'skin' develops on grease that is open tot he air.
Mart> >
They do if they are electric. Gas powered grass trimmer attachments use gears.
Well, 65 years ago can well be referred to as "old time" :-)
I've been happy with "Mobil 1" grease for most GP applications. We used to order "#2 cup grease" which is really cheap but you get what you pay for. Get the best grease you can afford for the application.
ed to lubricate gears. It's usually a glob stuck someplace on the gears. I guess over time it works its way into the gears. In any case, it's thick gr ease. Anybody know specifically or keywords that I can look for? Thanks.
There's white lithium that's used on small-motor gear trains that use metal gears that aren't high speed or loaded heavily. There's moly grease that' s used on metal gears that are loaded heavier. There's hypoid lube that's used in heavily loaded enclosed gear trains, full of zinc and sulfur compou nds that stink. Then there's synthetic gels with PTFE added for nylon and plastic gear trains found in a lot of other appliances. There's any number of chassis greases of various sorts for low-speed, high-pressure applicati on in vehicle suspensions. All of this stuff is in common use and can be fo und at auto parts or hardware stores. What's your application?
Stan
I was looking into this some time ago when it came to the plastic gears in my mini mill. The vendor recommended grease (white lithium, NLGI #2) which is not available locally.
The question is, how much latitude is there in substituting or, to put it the other way, how much damage can you cause by using a different grease. In my case I had a NLGI #2 black moly grease, apparently high quality, which I use for everything else.
What could go wrong apart from the color change?
Michael Koblic, Campbell River, BC
If you add a new type of grease without cleaning off every speck of the old grease there is a chance the bases of the two greases might be incompatible. They can react and form a very ungrease-like gunk. Here is a chart of compatibility:
The other issue is the components of the grease should be compatible with the plastic. This article indicates that moly is usually NOT good on plastic.
Does it contain plastic-eating solvents or additives? Oops!
You can find spray white lithium grease at AutoZone in the USA, dunno 'bout Princess Auto up in the Great White Nort.
LOL! Just as well I did not do it then.
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.