Author Topic: Neolube #2 Questions  (Read 4098 times)

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peteski

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #15 on: September 03, 2019, 03:26:02 AM »
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Has anyone tried this stuff on an older Kato loco...the ones that were before the advent of pointy axles and contact strips with axle cups? These locos just have the axle itself (well, its part of the inside of the wheel) turning within a bearing opening in the (metal) truck tower that can get squeaky at times. Using oil (maybe only certain types) seems to wreak havoc on the electrical pickup as this is the only point where power is transmitted from the wheels to the loco. Conductive oil seems like it might be an issue if it migrates across the insulated portion if the axle to the other side.


It would be worth trying. By the same token, one could try some dry powdered graphite lubricant (like the stuff Micro Trains sells for lubricating coupler boxes).
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Bill H

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #16 on: September 03, 2019, 08:03:01 AM »
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It is definitely graphite suspended in alcohol, but I am "pretty" sure that there is also some sort of binder in it.  The alcohol evaporates after you brush it on, but the graphite doesn't just rub off after that (although it will wear off of metal parts that wear against each other, like driver treads on rail). As for shelf life, the first bottle I ever bought was the 2 oz from Micro-Mark, and I had it for something like 10 years before I used it all up.  There was no difference in its behavior or appearance that I could ever see.
Hi Max:
A while back you helped a lot of us get a good deal on Neolube, have a black bottle of it sitting on my shelf unlabeled. Quick question, is it Neolube #1 or #2?
Kind regards,
Bill

mmagliaro

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #17 on: September 03, 2019, 11:14:43 AM »
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The type I sold was all #2.  I bought it direct from the manufacturer in gallon jugs and then parcelled it out in 2 oz glass jars (same amount that Micro-Mark sells).

The stuff is an industrial lubricant used in nuclear power plants.   It isn't just for threads, but for lubricating sliding and other parts.  What makes it special is that it is supposed to be resistant to radiation (which would be important for use inside a nuclear reactor).

tehachapifan

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #18 on: September 03, 2019, 12:10:44 PM »
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It would be worth trying. By the same token, one could try some dry powdered graphite lubricant (like the stuff Micro Trains sells for lubricating coupler boxes).

That's what I do now but the dry graphite isn't the easiest to apply so precisely, at least not the stuff I have, and I'm not sure how long it stays put where it's needed. Will the Neolube stay put better than dry graphite or is it basically just like dry graphite once the carrier(?) dries?

muktown128

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #19 on: September 03, 2019, 01:47:19 PM »
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According to the info in the links previously posted by Max, Neolube contains a thermoplastic resin, which should help keep in in place.  I would expect Neolube to stay in place much better and be applied more precisely than the dry graphite powder from Micro Trains.

Scott

mmagliaro

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #20 on: September 03, 2019, 06:46:18 PM »
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I can tell you that it is much easier to apply that powdered graphite.  You can dip a small brush in it and wipe it right into any tiny area (like an axle point or pickup cup), and when it dries, it leaves a perfect, smooth, even coat of graphite.

But that doesn't mean it will stand up to the constant rubbing of an axle point in a pickup cup.  I seriously doubt that it would, and I would also expect dirt to collect in there more readily because the remaining coating is not just graphite.  It's got that resin in it and it does attract dirt more readily.  Honestly, in an axle cup, I wouldn't want anything but ... well, nothing.  Just clean, dry metal.

peteski

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #21 on: September 03, 2019, 07:12:07 PM »
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I can tell you that it is much easier to apply that powdered graphite.  You can dip a small brush in it and wipe it right into any tiny area (like an axle point or pickup cup), and when it dries, it leaves a perfect, smooth, even coat of graphite.

But that doesn't mean it will stand up to the constant rubbing of an axle point in a pickup cup.  I seriously doubt that it would, and I would also expect dirt to collect in there more readily because the remaining coating is not just graphite.  It's got that resin in it and it does attract dirt more readily.  Honestly, in an axle cup, I wouldn't want anything but ... well, nothing.  Just clean, dry metal.

Max, the truck he wants to use Neolube is the older Kato truck with internal bearings (not cups).

As for leaving the cups (in the other type of truck) are left dry, you'll likely end up with


I recommend light oil as lubricant.  The pressure per square inch at the miniscule contact area between the axle point and the cup is so high that it will have no problem displacing lubricant and crud most of the time.
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mmagliaro

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #22 on: September 04, 2019, 12:21:14 AM »
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Yikes.   Who runs their engines enough to wear holes through the cups?  (Well, Peteski, for one!  :D )
That is something, I confess, I have never experienced because I don't run my trains for hours and hours.

Chris333

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #23 on: September 04, 2019, 12:27:02 AM »
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For Max "hours and hours" is about 10 feet.  ;)

peteski

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #24 on: September 04, 2019, 01:55:58 AM »
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Yikes.   Who runs their engines enough to wear holes through the cups?  (Well, Peteski, for one!  :D )
That is something, I confess, I have never experienced because I don't run my trains for hours and hours.

No, those worn through cups weren't mine.  One of my friends in the NTRAK club was complaining that his locos weren't running reliably, so I took them home for a tune-up, and that's what I found. The motor was also full of carbon dust from the brushes.

My friend has multiple loops of track on his NTRAK modules and he runs trains on them non-stop during shows.  He also didn't do any maintenance on them at all since they were new.  SO they probably have many hundreds of hours of running time.  They ran much better after I serviced them (yes, those bearing plates were replaced).  :D
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CRL

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #25 on: September 04, 2019, 10:35:01 AM »
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Isn’t the needle point on the axle supposed to stay in the center dimple?

ChristianJDavis1

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #26 on: September 04, 2019, 11:00:01 AM »
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Isn’t the needle point on the axle supposed to stay in the center dimple?

In theory it should, but in actuality the weight of the locomotive itself rests on the top of the cone where it meets the axle. The force necessary to keep the axle ends in the center of the dimple would probably make it run worse, I would imagine (trying to support the weight of the locomotive by squeezing the axle rather than letting it "fall" into place in the cup).
- Christian J. Davis

peteski

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #27 on: September 04, 2019, 06:17:00 PM »
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In theory it should, but in actuality the weight of the locomotive itself rests on the top of the cone where it meets the axle. The force necessary to keep the axle ends in the center of the dimple would probably make it run worse, I would imagine (trying to support the weight of the locomotive by squeezing the axle rather than letting it "fall" into place in the cup).

Correct. The length of the axle is slightly shorter than the distance between the outermost inside distance between the dimples, so the axle has some sideways play.  That is by design, as Christian mentioned.  When stopped, the axle rests on the top part of the dimple. If the loco is running it will contact either in front, or behind the center.  Thus the worn out areas I showed earlier are off center. 
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johnb

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #28 on: May 19, 2020, 12:24:25 PM »
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The type I sold was all #2.  I bought it direct from the manufacturer in gallon jugs and then parcelled it out in 2 oz glass jars (same amount that Micro-Mark sells).

The stuff is an industrial lubricant used in nuclear power plants.   It isn't just for threads, but for lubricating sliding and other parts.  What makes it special is that it is supposed to be resistant to radiation (which would be important for use inside a nuclear reactor).
do you have any left? I can really use some for my new/old 2-8-0

mmagliaro

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Re: Neolube #2 Questions
« Reply #29 on: May 19, 2020, 07:18:43 PM »
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do you have any left? I can really use some for my new/old 2-8-0
Yes, I do actually.  Not a lot.  I think I have about 10 jars.    I still sell it for $12/jar, no shipping cost (within the US only), to anybody who wants it, until it's all gone.  It took years to sell off the 2 gallons I bought, but I'm finally getting there.  PM me if interested.