White Lithium Grease question

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I’ve been outdoor testing rolling stock and noticedd that the axles are made of some kind of scintered metal that rusts.

Rusts is not necessarily a bad thing, as the prototypes contain rust as well. However, the needle-nose ends of the axles rusts into the plastic and slows the train down somewhat.

I’m thinking a very very tiny dab of white lith to the axle ends might do the trick. Is the lith compatible with the plastic on the truck (I have plastic-sided trucks, unfortunately)?

Thanks.

2

David, I would think taht Lebell’s white grease would be.

3

Not sure if white lithium is plastic compatible with toy train plastic but works well on automotive needs where it meets plastic. One more note about white lithium spray grease, it is used by professional engine rebuilders as start-up lubrication as the oil pump won’t protect dry bearing journals during start-up after an engine overhaul.
Don’t let it get on the track as it is very hard to remove, ONLY problem it is super slick oil
like lubricant, in plain english your train will spin endlessly where the white lithium grease gets on the track. Those should be the pro’s & con’s of white lithium grease!
If unsure of w. l. , test an older peice to be sure.
Lee Fritz

4

Trucks are probably made of Delrin which has no problems with this type of grease. Many bicycle derailers use delrin gears and have no problems with black or white lithium grease.

5

Hi
Some plastic are sensitive to the petroleum derivatives.
So you can use silicon base grase.
Do you remember the old tape player?, they have grease for plastic in all gears.
http://www.rtxs.com/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=16152&cat=&page=&XCARTSESSID=8538cfbc662715cb69a857bd2ae6666b
Andre.

6

so is white lith petroleum based?

7

Dave,

You can get a plastic safe grease. LaBelle (see you MRR hobby shop) sells a teflon based (PTFE) grease capatible with plastics. Since you are working outdoors with your rolling stock. The lithium base grease will not attack your plastic any faster than the weather.

Have fun!
Roy

8

Hi
I recomend silicon, because is lighter that other grease.
Labelle is better for grears, hi traction…
Think about 8 grease wheels per car, time X cars, is too much hevy for a singel engine.
Andre.

9

david,

white lithium grease is petroleum based.
the lithium is a carrier of the petroleum that does the lubricating.
lithium grease is a class of grease most commonly found in automotive applications.
white hobby grease is, i will bet, white lithium grease.
hobby grease is likely to be used on plastic products and i would assume be safe.

while not really sure (not a chemist), i would not hesitate to use it if i wanted to.

your real question is do you want to ?

outdoors, you are going to have dust and dirt blowing around, and it is going to get on this grease, and this grease is going to hold that dirt in suspension, and this newly abrasive mixture is going to grind away on the softer plastic until the hole hogs out and the wheels fall off.

the needle point axles together with the plastic sideframes are a self lubricating combination. i would look for a better method of controlling rust. the rust will be an abrasive and its own problem. silicone?

by the way; those plastic sideframes do wear out eventually with enough use. it is most noticeable on the gondola “chase cars” where the gears seperate and lose contact as the hole widens .

-rrick