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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Cleaning and protecting my Freiberger
From: Courtney Thomas
Date: 2004 Aug 30, 17:33 -0500
From: Courtney Thomas
Date: 2004 Aug 30, 17:33 -0500
Where DO you find Krytox at the best price. I need a bathtub full :-) Thanks. Jared Sherman wrote: > Renee- > * Hydrophobic dry coatings (like sailkote, which contains Krytox) > and I wonder why. Jared Sherman is of the opinion that these > spray-on coatings just don't last very long.> > > I wouldn't recommend SailKote as the first choice. It consists of a pinch > of Krytox, diluted in white paraffin (wax) because undiluted Krytox is > simply damned expensive. Maybe $10 for a tube half the size of your little > finger. > > The idea of diluting in in wax is because white wax is non-staining, cheap, > and inert. A great way to "extend" Krytox when you have to, and will be > putting it someplace where you want to let it wear away and be replaced. But > no, it is not the best choice for "permanent" application. > > Lanacote is organic and will break down/migrate, as most organics will. The > Freiberger I had, had old congealed brown grease presumably from the > factory. And that stuff can and will stain, even stain on enameled parts. > Krytox, pure or diluted, will never stain. I'd splurge and spend the ten > bucks for the tiny tube.> > But for screws that you plan to assemble and want to stay put--like the > handle/frame--use Loctite. The green "removable" kind is sufficient. Just > clean the screws and sockets with a little mineral spirit or alcohol first, > Loctite works best on clean surfaces. > > On the things that need to be lubricated...the advantage of Krytox is that > it never will migrate or stain, and it will work with the same viscosity > from -60F to 600F, which is generally a wider range than most lubricants or > sextants want to be found in. On a winter day in hell, it won't freeze > over. Regular grease often gets real firm on any icy winter day, even down > around 30F. > > I'm sure there are plenty of other good choices, I just ordered a sample of > Krytox when I first heard of it, and decided to stick with it for things I > only want to access and lube once. Comes as grease and oil, your choice, but > you won't find it at the local WalMart. > -- s/v Mutiny Rhodes Bounty II lying Oriental, NC WDB5619