FWIW "damping grease" for potentiometers

[Dai H.]

Encountered a brand new wah pot (200k Pro Pot) that had a bit of grittiness in one part of its taper, so was Googling about lubricant (not for the track but the axle? shaft and body contact) and ran into some info. Apparently (one?) proper term for the stuff is called "damping grease". The stuff isn't just for potentiometers but anywhere else the same properties are useful (naturally). I asked about this stuff some time ago (on another board) for a slider pot, and was recommended STP motor oil, so that might work good as well. "Nyogel" is what turned up first when searching, but I'm sure must be other manf.s of similar grease also (there was when I googled in Japanese). You might have better results web searching for "industrial lubricants", possibly.

http://www.nyelubricants.com/damping.htm

I could only find an importer (and no retailer) for Nye products (here in Japan that is), but found some stuff by another maker which was bit less than 30 bucks for a 50g tube, FWIW (maybe comparatively useful). And also, Teflon greases seemed to show up for this purpose as well (guess microparticles of Teflon makes sense in enabling a good lubricant). IIRC, the stuff I found was made by Daikin and described as non-harmful to humans, and one app. was for food processing? (big stuff w/motors).

obvious applications would be for:
-rebuilding pots, rotary and slider
-replacing lubricant where it has been say washed away by alcohol, beer, etc.
-wahs for the axle, gears
-switches? (toggle and foot)--some lubricants were described as non-conductive, so obviously that is the characteristic you would want

(posted this on ampage but hopefully someone finds it useful here also)

[BDuguay]

I've repaired a number of wah and volume pedal pots. This product sounds like it would be very useful for that sort of thing.
Thanks.
B.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Another brand woth checking is Kilopoise.
Damping grease is used in microscopes & telescopes as well, so you might find small quantities available thru optical suppliers.

[Eric H]

I asked about this stuff some time ago (on another board) for a slider pot, and was recommended STP motor oil, so that might work good as well.

Not the stuff I remember --too thin and will migrate. Damping grease is very thick, sticky  and won't work it's way down to the conductor. Might work on a slider, but I wouldn't use it on a regular pot.
Paul's suggestion is excellent, and, something from the auto-parts store I would recommend trying is marine wheel bearing grease (the stuff for boat-trailers) --very sticky, and designed to withstand immersion in salt water (sweat? haha). A couple of dollars (U.S.) will get you enough for a lifetime.

*Disclaimer --while I used this grease for years as a golf-car mechanic, I haven't used it for this purpose.

-Eric

[Fret Wire]

The Omega pots used in the Dunlop MXR reissues have dampening grease in them.

[Dai H.]

hi, thx for the additional info and search tips. A bit more on the ampage thread:

http://www.firebottle.com/fireforum/fireBB.cgi?cfg=ga&forum=garm&thread=338093-337821.msg

[Eric H]

hi, thx for the additional info and search tips. A bit more on the ampage thread:

http://www.firebottle.com/fireforum/fireBB.cgi?cfg=ga&forum=garm&thread=338093-337821.msg

" Wonder if really low viscousity stuff would work well for a gtr. nut..."

I have a can of Teflon spray lubicant that leaves a thin, dry Teflon film when the carrier dries.; works great when you don't want to attract dust and grit. I think I got it at an auto-parts store.

-Eric

[Fret Wire]

I have a can of Teflon spray lubicant that leaves a thin, dry Teflon film when the carrier dries.; works great when you don't want to attract dust and grit. I think I got it at an auto-parts store.
-Eric

I use a similar teflon dry film spray for woodworking. You spray it on saw blades, router bits, drill bits, etc., and it helps prevent the pitch and resin from building up on the bits (which builds up heat and lessens the smoothness of the cuts).

I don't know how it would work with pots, however. 

[Eric H]

I have a can of Teflon spray lubicant that leaves a thin, dry Teflon film when the carrier dries.; works great when you don't want to attract dust and grit. I think I got it at an auto-parts store.
-Eric

I use a similar teflon dry film spray for woodworking. You spray it on saw blades, router bits, drill bits, etc., and it helps prevent the pitch and resin from building up on the bits (which builds up heat and lessens the smoothness of the cuts).

I don't know how it would work with pots, however. 

I'd stick with the dampening grease -- You don't want that stuff on the track, and the carrier would probably destroy whatever grease is in there.

[bwanasonic]

If you want to smooth the action of the pot itself, Caig labs makes an excellent product called *Cailube*. There is a specific formulation for conductive plastic tracks as well. Hmm, Looks they've changed the name:

http://store.caig.com/s.nl;jsessionid=ac112b1e1f43cefccc6f39a74b23a6a5b7c80ae5e675.qQvJq2PEmlnva30Q-BbQmkLz-ATzr6Lzn6rzqwTxpQOUc30KaNDNo6XKq6zInRmLa3mS8RbCpR0HoA5Qmh0KbwTNo6XK-kDvrA4Ka3mIqRnvp6iIpAjOp6jynQjM-AbJpgaLaxeTbN0QaN4Q8Oexo6XHngbynknvrkLOlQzNp65In0__?sc=2&category=184

and:

http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.185/.f


Their whole line is excellent.

Kerry M

[Dai H.]

thx. I have a can of Cailube MCL, which I thought was mainly for the *contacts* (wiper and the track), but after looking at the Caig site a bit, I guess there is a Cailube MCL *grease* to lubricate the mechanical parts. A syringe would make sense to apply to pot axles maybe even footswitches too. I once used a can of alcohol on the pots in a Marshall (a spray), and it completely washed away the lubricant and froze them up...

[Fret Wire]

I have a can of Teflon spray lubicant that leaves a thin, dry Teflon film when the carrier dries.; works great when you don't want to attract dust and grit. I think I got it at an auto-parts store.
-Eric

I use a similar teflon dry film spray for woodworking. You spray it on saw blades, router bits, drill bits, etc., and it helps prevent the pitch and resin from building up on the bits (which builds up heat and lessens the smoothness of the cuts).

I don't know how it would work with pots, however. 

I'd stick with the dampening grease -- You don't want that stuff on the track, and the carrier would probably destroy whatever grease is in there.

Personally, I haven't used either grease or teflon spray. All I've ever used is Rat Shack tuner cleaner or Caig Deoxit/Perservit. Both work fine enough.

[Eric H]

Personally, I haven't used either grease or teflon spray. All I've ever used is Rat Shack tuner cleaner or Caig Deoxit/Perservit. Both work fine enough.

Agreed --same experience here, hahaha.