27 Aug
2006
27 Aug
'06
2:14 a.m.
From: "Tony Duell" <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
> > Clock oil (obtained from a
watch/clockmaker's supplier) on most parts.
>
> Any ideas about sewing machine oil? I've got a supply of that, but I
don't
> think I've got anything thinner on hand until
I'm up at the museum
next...
It's probably OK. But you can get clock oil (in many different
thicknesses) from companies like H S Walsh. It's not _that_ expensive
either (or wasn't last time I bought some), you only use it a drop at a
time so a small bottle lasts a long time.
-tony
The other advantage of clock oil is its long life - it is designed not to go
"tacky" for at least 20 years! (it is also designed to stay in pivots - it
has a high surface tension).
You do need to strip the mechanism and remove the old lubricant - if you
just wash the mechanism, all you do is drive dirt into the pivots, and
accelerate wear. This is the ideal project to use your digital camera on,
lots of pictures help reassembly!
I use clock oil a lot in vintage electronics, for switch spindle (NOT
contact) lubrication, and for lubricating the dial cord pulleys in old
radios. As Tony says, HMP grease is also useful for sliding parts.
As regards small gears, anything running against a fibre gear normally runs
dry, as do gears of dissimilar metals (e.g., steel and brass in clocks,
though these will often benefit from one or two drops of oil), gears of the
same metal do need lubrication.
Jim.