Hi everyone, I need some help on engine maintenance. In particular lubricating engines or doing what might be considered a basic service grease and oil. This might include what oils/brands. The only thing i can say with a degree ofncertainty is dont use 3 in 1/WD40. Not because I have used them. There is a lot of info/misinfo on the net. Would some of the more experienced hands like to consider putting something together. Gormo do you have something hiding in your video vault? Chris, Gary, Paul, Ian, Toto? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated Cameron
G`day Cameron, Have a look at this video....it may be of some assistance. I use their product for lubricating gears. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQkU18WmuWw http://www.clickGormo
The chap that runs the EFD Simply Glues trade stand at exhibitions recommends using KY Gel as a lubricant. This is water based, doesn't leave a oily residue and can be applied with a cocktail stick (tooth pick). A small amount around the gears, and the axle boxes/chassis should do the trick. Have a close look around the gear towers and axle boxes for any possibly hair or other fine threads/dust/crud that gets picked up in there. For cleaning wheels and electrical contacts, I use Isopropyl Alcohol on the end of cotton tips. Does a great job. Just be mindful of any traction tyres too. The IPA may dry the tyres out, so I recommend only cleaning the metal wheels. Traction tyres should still be available for your model, but you may need to shop around. Gormo had put me onto this product which is available at all good hobby shops, well most of them... http://www.con-cor.com/Labelle.html Cheers, Gary.
I can only agree with the others Cameron although i used to use sewing machine oil (3 & 1) on the old Triang locos and it was fine i would think its a bit heavy for the modern stock. Ian
Peco do a product called "Lectro" or "Electro" Lube, designed for modelling, never tried it so I can,t say whether it,s any good or not, but it is made for locos. Pete.
I've recently started using Labelle 102. It is a plastic-safe lubricant with PTFE (Teflon) in it which seems to work well.
I generally use Isopropyl Alcohol to clean away the muck and oil, with cotton tips or just a bit of tissue (depending on how dirty they are and how accessible the areas being cleaned are). I'll remove the armature assembly for cleaning if it's particularly grubby, but I clean the wheels in situ, which sometimes means using a toothpick to remove oily fluff. While I have everything apart, I might change the brushes if they are a bit worn out. When I'm finished, I lubricate everything that needs to be lubricated with Labelle 102. Rolling stock gets the same treatment. Most of my locomotives and stock are three rail Hornby Dublo, with some Trix Twin (rewheeled to Dublo standards where necessary) and a few three railed Tri-ang Hornby.