11 Apr
2013
11 Apr
'13
1:32 p.m.
On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 6:09 PM, Tothwolf <tothwolf at concentric.net> wrote:
Interesting. I wonder if they've changed the formula over the years? I was
taught that it was vegetable based, however the high percentage of Heavy
Naphthenic Oil /does/ help explain why it tends to gum up, since the
lighter hydrocarbons are going to evaporate, leaving the heavier stuff
(paraffin) behind.
I think I'll stick with something like Boeshield T-9 if I need something
with a high paraffin content though.
I guess we should bear in mind that the lithium grease that they used on
the drives originally dries out and/or gets contaminated with dust, etc.
and gets gummy over time anyway. :)
Just so people don't have the wrong impression: I was NOT advocating the
use of WD-40 as a replacement lubricant, but rather an aid in cleaning the
drive. Also as Tony just said, the drives eject mechs will work fine
without it since they will see little wear and most of the greased parts
are just guides rather than bearing surfaces (although they serve that
purpose to a minor degree).