I used Chrisco to grease bearings with good results.

[Tempest1]

Whale oil. It's still used on the hubble space telescope due to its great freezing performance.

???? I'm pretty sure any kind of organic liquid would boil off in no time. Krytox is far more likely...

 

[97prizm]

Crisco

Funny story. My neighbor of 32 years, her mom worked at the factory that made Crisco. Apparently they could take home all they could use.

 

[Carlostrece]

Whale oil. It's still used on the hubble space telescope due to its great freezing performance.

If that's true, don't tell Greenpeace! If Hubble used whale oil, wouldn't environmentalists be protesting? Seems like it'd be in the news if whales were lubricating Hubble. It would be a PR nightmare for Hubble.

 

[Pablo]

I doubt it. Unlikely.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=whale+oil+"outgassing"&norw=1&t=ffab&ia=web

 

[74DartSport]

Used Crisco today. Smeared all over my hands, made it easy to flatten the cookie dough in the pan for jan hagels.

 

[Carlostrece]

The headtube bearings (in my mobility scooter that had Crisco) have been replaced with new bearings and automotive wheel bearing grease. The headtube lasted 3 years with Crisco for lube.

I have a 2nd mobility scooter that has 3 yr old headtube bearings with automotive wheel bearing grease. It's bearings are still working like new at 3 years.

Automotive grease is much better than Crisco for lubricating light duty headtube bearings. However, Crisco was effective as a short term desperation solution when proper grease was unavailable.

The Crisco was originally intended to get-er-done for just a few weeks until we could redo it with proper grease, but the Crisco was working so well that I got curious to find out how long it would work. It worked adequately for almost 3 years!

I think with proper automotive grease, a new set of headtube bearings will last 6-12 years.

 

[factorytuned2012]

That’s a pretty wild story now let’s see if it holds up in wheel bearing application or a boat trailer .

I am surprised it hasn’t attracted ants we had a seasoned cast iron skillet that attracted these little tiny grease (thief) ants we were infested.

 

[Carlostrece]

That’s a pretty wild story now let’s see if it holds up in wheel bearing application or a boat trailer .

I am surprised it hasn’t attracted ants we had a seasoned cast iron skillet that attracted these little tiny grease (thief) ants we were infested.

Crisco is vegetable fats/grease plus some preservatives/antioxidants. It contains no animal fats. So probably not attractive to ants. Plus I live on 2nd floor in a condo building. So my scooter is parked far above the ground where ants might be.

Earlier in this thread, someone told a story about some moron he knew who packed a Toyota compact car new wheel bearing with Crisco. He said the car was only able to drive 100 miles until the bearing failed. Only? I think it's impressive that it went 100 miles!

If a compact car wheel bearing went 100 miles on Crisco, that's a disaster, but it's also impressive. Compared to that, 3 years in a light duty mobility scooter's headtube bearings is far easier.

I'm not recommending anyone use Crisco for bearings in a car or mobility scooter. I told the story because I find it fun and interesting how MacGuyvery solutions sometimes work better and longer than expected.

===

Chinese manufacturers don't put any grease in the headtube bearings. The unsealed headtube bearings only have a dab of oil on them. The viscosity looks and feels like motor oil or a very light grade diff oil, and there's not much of it.

Stock mobility scooter headtube bearings usually begin to fail at 2 years and completely fail at 3-4 years.

This is why most mobility scooters get replaced around 3-4 years. Most people don't know how to fix them. Also, the stock batteries typically last 1-2 years. When headtube bearings are severely failing at around 3 years, and the batteries also need replacement (for 2nd or 3rd time), most seniors give up and buy a new scooter, or by that time the person is dying of old age and doesn't need a scooter anymore.

The unsealed, under-lubricated headtube bearings and modest quality stock batteries are the areas of planned obsolesance, IMO. I have upgraded aftermarket batteries that last 3-5 years. So no battery worries for me.

For comparison:
1) The stock unsealed bearings have no petroleum grease, only a little oil, and began to fail at 2 years. Totally failed at 3 years.
2) Same type of unsealed bearings packed with Crisco began to fail at 3 years.
3) Same type unsealed bearings packed with wheel bearing grease I expect to last 6-12 years.

Even with proper grease, contamination will eventually kill the unsealed headtube bearings because some sidwalks and streets are dusty. The headtube is about 10-12 inches above the ground, and about 2-3 inches above the front tire.

I can only guess how long the unsealed bearings will last when packed with wheel bearing grease because so far I've never had any wear out when packed with proper grease. I expect them to last at least 6 years. Hopefully longer.