Fan bearing lubricant was Re: WD-40 (again)

[drlegendre .]

"I use white lithium grease for that.  It may not be the proper stuff,
but it's worked for years for me."

White lithium isn't by any means ideal, it's too sticky. It's carried by a
solvent so it runs freely and can be sprayed, but once the solvent kicks
off, some of it's almost like paint.

But when the shafts are so tiny, run at low RPMs - hence very low surface
speeds - it more than likely works out ok, just as you have found. As in
most cases, just about any form of lubrication is always better than
running dry. The most important thing is to keep the bearings free of dirt,
swarf and other contaminants.

On Sun, Apr 17, 2016 at 6:08 PM, Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote:

> On 04/17/2016 03:54 PM, Noel Chiappa wrote:
>
> > However.. what lubricant should I use on them before putting them
> > back together for the long term? I assume I should use _something_?
> > But the machine's going to be sitting a fair amount, so I don't want
> > something that will dry out and/or gum up. What do people recommend?
> > Would a 20SAE oil, as used on small electric motors, be OK, or is
> > that in danger of turning into gummy stuff if left sitting for too
> > long? Is there e.g. some silione-based stuff which is long-term
> > capable?
>
> I use white lithium grease for that.  It may not be the proper stuff,
> but it's worked for years for me.
>
> --Chuck
>
>