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Thread: oiling tuner gears

  1. #26
    Mediocre but OK with that Paul Busman's Avatar
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    Default Re: oiling tuner gears

    I agree that MSDS are very useful. That "grain of salt" comment refers to the fact that you need to consider how the product will be used and how likely it is to affect anyone in that context.
    If used improperly, dihydrogen monoxide would seem to be pretty dangerous stuff according to this satirical MSDS, but it's pretty essential stuff:
    http://www.dhmo.org/msdsdhmo.html
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  2. #27

    Default Re: oiling tuner gears

    The biggest problem with lubing an open machine like that is... the wet oil or wd-40 or whatever catches dust and grit and can cause premature wear of the worm and spur. I like to spritz old tuners with canned brake clean. It drys with no residue and flushes the years of gunk out of the tuner. Then I use dry graphite powder like they use for locks. Be sure to take the tuner off the instrument first. It'll 'clean' the finish off the instrument as well if it gets on it.

  3. #28
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: oiling tuner gears

    The biggest problem with using any 'liquid' lubricant,especially if it's watery thin,is that it can get between the tuner plate & the headstock.I lubricated the tuners on my first mandolin (Michael Kelly 'Legacy') with 3-In-One oil & had to remove them from the mandolin to get rid of the oil as it was seeping out from under the plate. I used a minute dab of graphite grease on them afterwards which was far better. Ever since i applied Frank Ford's (Frets.com) wisdom to my tuners,& slackened off the tightness of the screws holding the main gears,the tuners on both my mandolins don't need any lubrication at all. ( pic.courtesy of Frets.com)
    Ivan
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  4. #29
    Café habitué Paul Hostetter's Avatar
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    Default Re: oiling tuner gears

    Back to the archives, please. Brake cleaner contains phosgene, which is bloody toxic, it should never go near an instrument much less near a thinking human. There are many better and safer ways to clean metal surfaces.

    And the point of Tri-Flow and the like is that the liquid carrier evaporates very quickly. It does not go under anything and stay there, like oils do. And the PTFE (formerly known as Teflon) in Tri-Flow type products is way better than graphite.

    The gist of Frank's article is spot on, as usual, but I wish he didn't show such an inappropriate screwdriver allegedly adjusting the screws! But check what he refers to as "that famous elixir, OIL":

    .
    ph

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  5. #30
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: oiling tuner gears

    Paul - a question please. I get the impression that Tri-Flow is a much thinner oil than the 3-In-One oil that i'm used to using on various things. As i mentioned in my first post,i used 3-In-One oil (very sparingly) to oil the tuners of my first mandolin. Even so,it got between the baseplate of the tuners & the headstock. Not knowing if it would have any bad effect on the finish,i had to whip them off & clean the darned stuff off. How do you prevent the same thing from happening when using Tri-Flow ??. That's the reason that i used a tiny dab of Graphite grease - it stays put !. I can only assume that you use Tri-Flow in very tiny drops,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
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  6. #31
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    Default Re: oiling tuner gears

    Ivan, as far as I know, Tri-Flow is not an oil. And after application, you can cook eggs on your tuners and they won't stick.

  7. #32
    Registered User Tavy's Avatar
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    Default Re: oiling tuner gears

    Quote Originally Posted by Dale Ludewig View Post
    Ivan, as far as I know, Tri-Flow is not an oil. And after application, you can cook eggs on your tuners and they won't stick.
    Exactly, once the carrier has evaporated (which it does real fast) all that's left is the PTFE, and that's about as inert a substance as you can get.

  8. #33
    Full Grown and Cussin' brunello97's Avatar
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    Default Re: oiling tuner gears

    Quote Originally Posted by Tavy View Post
    Exactly, once the carrier has evaporated (which it does real fast) all that's left is the PTFE, and that's about as inert a substance as you can get.
    Teflon: How it sticks to the pan

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  9. #34
    Café habitué Paul Hostetter's Avatar
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    Default Re: oiling tuner gears

    Dale's right, it's not an oil. The Tri-Flow carrier leaves behind little microscopic balls, and they stick around a long time after the liquid part has vanished. The balls do the work, and their shape is their main strength, as much if not more than the inertness of the material.

    Modon is right about how petroleum items like oils and WD-40 and petroleum jelly, paraffin wax and 3-In-One all tend to gather dust and eventually congeal into a gunk that really keeps metal surfaces from sliding well.
    .
    ph

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  10. #35

    Default Re: oiling tuner gears

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Hostetter View Post
    Dale's right, it's not an oil. The Tri-Flow carrier leaves behind little microscopic balls, and they stick around a long time after the liquid part has vanished.
    And good thing too. Whatever the carrier is, it smells cheap! I try to inspire every sense (and not excluding smell) with the whole package of an instrument, and happy to say that smell disappears very quickly - leaving the teflon to do its work.

    As an aside - it would appear the virtues of this product would make it great for a number of shop tasks, anywhere you want lubrication but not dust sticking. Thickness calipers came instantly to mind.

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