Neolube handling advice

[mmagliaro]

Now that the first jars of this stuff are starting to show up at their destinations, I thought it prudent to just
repeat some good advice about general handling and clean-up with Neolube.

1.  The first time you open a jar that has been mailed to you, you will find I have wrapped the jar with
clear packing tape to make sure the lid didn't work itself loose in transit.  You can probably just slit around
the joint between the lid and the jar, and leave the tape on it if you want, or you can find the overlap in
the tape and work it off.  But the first time you open that lid, I would advise you to do it on some paper toweling or
newspaper, far away from anything that could be ruined by stains.  i.e. Don't open it over your living room carpet.
Being in transit, that lid is likely to be drippy on the inside.  So get it open, wipe everything clean with some
paper towels, and then you should be good to go after that.  On my workbench, I just unscrew the lid, give it
a few stirs with a small stick, and it's ready to use.

2. If you do have an "accident", I find that it comes out of skin and other things with rubbing alcohol or
409 spray cleaner.  But have a roll of paper towels handy.  When you start trying to get this stuff out
of your hands (or, I hope not, carpet), when the alcohol or 409 hits it, it will dissolve and bleed so you want
to be able to soak it all up quickly.

In general, treat it like you would any other dye or stain that you don't want to get on your hands or furniture.

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Once you have brushed some on a model:

It is watery thin, so just let it sit, undisturbed, until it dries.  It won't take long - perhaps 15 minutes or so.
Then you can recoat it if you want a darker effect.

Once it is dry, it will stand up to handling pretty well.  You won't pick up an engine and have black mess all over your hands, in other words.

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Maybe some of you will think this message is overkill.  I just wanted to write these notes down because I
have spilled the stuff myself, and it's not pretty.  So maybe this will help avert a disaster for someone else.
 

[ryan_wilkerson]

Much appreciated Max! You've really gone above and beyond with this effort. I guess the "thanks" is the photos of the work that will have been improved by the use of NeoLube.

I seem to recall that siderods would benefit from it, right? Get rid of that chrome look!

[Roger Holmes]

Thanks for the heads up.  Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it 

[mmagliaro]

Yes, siderods and smokeboxes are two of my favorite places to use it.  Not only does it get rid of all the shiny rod
metal, it actually does lubricate all the rods and crankpins because it really is a graphite lubricant.
Unlike messy oil, however, it ends up as a DRY, dark-metal gray.

You should clean any oil off first.   I use a small paint brush and just keep dipping in a little alcohol, wiping down
all the rods, and cleaning the brush on a paper towel until all that oily junk is off the rods.  Then use the Neolube.
There really shouldn't be any oil on the rods but people often get oil all over them in an attempt to make
steam engines run smoother.

Neolube will wear off on surfaces that regularly rub against each other.  But everywhere else, it holds up
pretty well.

[Joetrain59]

Timely advice, as I knocked over the bottle I've had for a few years. Still have it under my fingernails. Simple Green worked on getting it off kitchen table.
 May have to order a bottle from you Max.
 Joe D

[Kisatchie]

Hmm... I bet Kiz's bottle
explodes all over him
like it was carbonated...

[ryan_wilkerson]

More great advice...I'll be trying this on a couple non-working steamers and then work my way up to the big stuff.

Yes, siderods and smokeboxes are two of my favorite places to use it.  Not only does it get rid of all the shiny rod
metal, it actually does lubricate all the rods and crankpins because it really is a graphite lubricant.
Unlike messy oil, however, it ends up as a DRY, dark-metal gray.

You should clean any oil off first.   I use a small paint brush and just keep dipping in a little alcohol, wiping down
all the rods, and cleaning the brush on a paper towel until all that oily junk is off the rods.  Then use the Neolube.
There really shouldn't be any oil on the rods but people often get oil all over them in an attempt to make
steam engines run smoother.

Neolube will wear off on surfaces that regularly rub against each other.  But everywhere else, it holds up
pretty well.

[Catt]

My bottle arrived today.I think I will get a pack of Micro brushes from the LHS before I do anything with it. I also plan to wear some latex gloves while using it.

Just a thought but I was thinking how about we do a thread showing what we are using it for.

[mmagliaro]

Timely advice, as I knocked over the bottle I've had for a few years. Still have it under my fingernails. Simple Green worked on getting it off kitchen table.
 May have to order a bottle from you Max.
 Joe D

If it was a Micro-Mark bottle... been there.   That bottle is tall and slim, and it's plastic, so it is easy to knock over.
PBL uses a short, squat plastic jar, which I like better for that very reason.   I shipped mine in jars of the same low, squat type of jar, except mine are glass.

[Chris333]

I just handled mine, came in the mail. Thanks Max!

I also like that you used the short wide bottles like PBL did.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Short, wide bottles, and this thread, are endorsed by the NeoLube Spill & Stained Survivors Association (NSSSA) 

[Joetrain59]

And we don't need no stinking big applicator brush.
 Yes it was from Micro-Mark.
 Joe D

[mmagliaro]

And we don't need no stinking big applicator brush.
 Yes it was from Micro-Mark.
 Joe D

Ugh.... I HATE that brush.  That was just something I had to wipe off on the edges of the jar every time
I opened it so it wouldn't drip all over the place.  Now that I think about it, I don't know why I
didn't just cut that thing off the first time I opened the jar (but I won't be opening
one of their jars anytime in my lifetime now.)

[Denver Road Doug]

Thought I would bring this topic back to the top since a lot of us have the Neolube in hand now.  (quite literally, see below)

I was chomping at the bit to use the Neolube and came up with the perfect use for it.  In modeling any number of welding/fabricating shops I wanted to have some bulk steel racks outside. (my dad owned a steel supply company when I was growing up so it's something I'm familiar with.)   So among other things, there is plate steel, pipe, angle iron, diamond plate, and sheets of expanded metal.  It is this last thing I was trying to model, and I had cut sheets out of brass mesh some time ago, with the idea of painting or otherwise making it look realistic.  Cue Neolube!   

I was overly freaked out after reading about it's "stain-like" properties.   I generally do painting type work inside a cardboard tray like you would find holding bottled water or sodas.  In this case I also had another piece of cardboard lining the bottom...just in case.   So the operation went smooth.  First try actually went well, but there was still a little of the brass color showing through this morning after drying overnight, so I decided to add another coat.  Well, since then I've seemed to continue to royally screw it up but now I finally think I got it like I want it.  I also decided to coat the underframe of a boxcar I'm decalling just to see how it looks.   It's about what I had expected...looks like the thing is brand new steel.  So, not sure if there's a way to seal the Neolube somehow and then add weathering but regardless, no harm no foul really.

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So I was finally finished and had maybe one or two little touchup spots to hit, and I shook the bottle, opened it, dabbed some on, and then began to put the lid back on.  Apparently some little blob had flown off the lid and onto the side of the jar when I opened it, and as I closed the lid it smudged onto my hand.  Well, the stuff just basically spreads like wildfire.  Before I knew it I had black all over both hands and one arm....all from a small little dot of the stuff on the side of the jar!      So, just a heads-up....HEED THE WARNINGS....lol.   Stuff makes poison ivy look under control.   

EDIT: I added a couple of photos, just for grins.  The pics don't show the "sheen" that is evident.  The expanded metal really looks good, minus needing a little rust. (and nevermind the ragged edges...my test subjects were rejects of about 20-25 that I cut out from the brass mesh sheet.)

[mmagliaro]

I know.  Once it's on your hand, it's like "The Blob" 
Your best bet is to just use paper towels to get the wet stuff off your hands if you get it on them.
Then some rubbing alcohol on a paper towel, and more paper towels, and you can get your skin clean.

As for sealing it, you ought to be able to spray over it with Dullcote.  I never really had to do that, but I don't see why
that wouldn't work.  And then you could go at it with weathering powders or whatever you like.