- Joined
- Oct 3, 2025
- Messages
- 6
Yeesh;
I feel a little bad - first post and I'm diving in to make a big one.
I've somehow always ended up here through web searches but never took the step to join and post.
Introduction
I have more grease-type lubricants than just about any other type of chemical, with adhesives maybe coming in close.
Off the top of my head I have: Molybdenum grease, Lithium grease, Mobil 1 synthetic grease, General Purpose grease (from the 90s lol), Silicone grease, food safe silicone grease, Waterproof grease, Mercedes high temperature bearing grease, animal tallow, vaseline, dielectric grease, paraffin wax (is a grease?)... there are more but I literally don't even know what they are.
Adding non-machinery (i.e. engine oil) lubricants to that equation: WD40 (yes? no?), graphite, ballistol, silicone spray, kroil, air tool oil, liquid wrench super lube, tap oil, and more that I can't remember.
Each of these I've acquired for particular jobs that I've done that have called for it, but my frustration: I genuinely do not know what to apply how when or where, except for general ideas. I do not know what is compatible with: various metals, various plastics, wood, rubber, etc. Ballistol is great b/c it's compatible with all the above (except brass and zinc!). The frustration manifests when you find yourself buying hyper-specific lubricants, i.e. garage door lube which is just absurd IMO.
History
So I don't mean agonizing over what the romans used, but rather understanding what greases emerged when.
Rendered animal fat was used in conjunction with wooden bearings/bushings (I think Lignum Vitae is used)
It's my understanding sodium was first used, then potassium, and finally lithium became a sort of standard. In between there came synthetic greases... whatever that means. Silicone is relatively new on the scene, and PTFE (teflon)-powder infused greases came in the 90s?
This helps when working on vehicles and deciding what grease should go where. An older car will be fine with dinosaur oil, b/c synthetic oils didn't exist yet. Same principle with greases; even new cars with "old" technologies can obviosuly accept certain greases.
Chemistry
I think grease is just soap mixed with mineral oil (or vegetable oil)?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_(lubricant)?useskin=vector
Where mineral oils are simply long-chain alkanes... I think many things we call greases are not actually greases. This is very common when chemistry translates into the "real world". Silicones are long-chain siloxanes.... what makes them "greases"? What's the difference between silicone lube and silicone adhesive/caulk? Wikipedia says "Typically, a dry-set lubricant is delivered with a solvent carrier to penetrate the mechanism. The solvent then evaporates, leaving a clear film that lubricates", so the "greases" are more like silicone infused greases.
What is "synthetic grease" and how does that differ from regular grease? What's "dielectric grease"... and on that note, what is even a "dielectric"?
What differences are there between "cheap" greases and more expensive products like amsoil or Mercedes High Temperature Bearing Grease that my mechanic swears by.
Can lithium greases act as an antidepressant for machinists down on their luck?
All of this then goes to:
Application:
This is really what I want to know. What greases go where. Why are certain greases used for certain applications. What's in "garage door lube". Why does BMW specify moly-grease for the driveshaft splines on their bikes?
I've heard people claim silicone lube is silicone lube... ??? Is this true? Which greases are edible, or "food grade", and which are not? What is "waterproof grease" that Danco sells, and how is it different from my red mobil 1 synthetic grease?
If you have old japanese electronics that came with some white grease on the plastic gears, what grease is that??
I did some research prior to posting here, and there are actually grease guide posters, with tables dictating what goes where. I saw these in two flavors: 1. indecipherable industry letters, 2. manufacturers' individual products with their applications.
Why don't they use moly greases in wheel bearings? Or silicone greases? Which are interchangeable, and which cocktails are used for which specific applications?
Compatibility:
What greases work with what? I know vaseline will destroy wood (found this out the hardway), but parraffin wax will not.
What greases can/should be applied to rubber, and which should not? What works on plastic? Why or why not? Silicones are horrible to clean up... but why don't we just use silicones everywhere? What greases work with what metals? Are there metal incompatibilities?
These are the questions I'd like to have answers on.... ideally I'd have a big huge poster in my garage where I can reference what goes where.... and I've found a few, but idk. None of them really fulfill my wishes... either indecipherable industry classifications, or a blatant ad. Then again I haven't looked extensively either.
I feel a little bad - first post and I'm diving in to make a big one.
I've somehow always ended up here through web searches but never took the step to join and post.
Introduction
I have more grease-type lubricants than just about any other type of chemical, with adhesives maybe coming in close.
Off the top of my head I have: Molybdenum grease, Lithium grease, Mobil 1 synthetic grease, General Purpose grease (from the 90s lol), Silicone grease, food safe silicone grease, Waterproof grease, Mercedes high temperature bearing grease, animal tallow, vaseline, dielectric grease, paraffin wax (is a grease?)... there are more but I literally don't even know what they are.
Adding non-machinery (i.e. engine oil) lubricants to that equation: WD40 (yes? no?), graphite, ballistol, silicone spray, kroil, air tool oil, liquid wrench super lube, tap oil, and more that I can't remember.
Each of these I've acquired for particular jobs that I've done that have called for it, but my frustration: I genuinely do not know what to apply how when or where, except for general ideas. I do not know what is compatible with: various metals, various plastics, wood, rubber, etc. Ballistol is great b/c it's compatible with all the above (except brass and zinc!). The frustration manifests when you find yourself buying hyper-specific lubricants, i.e. garage door lube which is just absurd IMO.
History
So I don't mean agonizing over what the romans used, but rather understanding what greases emerged when.
Rendered animal fat was used in conjunction with wooden bearings/bushings (I think Lignum Vitae is used)
It's my understanding sodium was first used, then potassium, and finally lithium became a sort of standard. In between there came synthetic greases... whatever that means. Silicone is relatively new on the scene, and PTFE (teflon)-powder infused greases came in the 90s?
This helps when working on vehicles and deciding what grease should go where. An older car will be fine with dinosaur oil, b/c synthetic oils didn't exist yet. Same principle with greases; even new cars with "old" technologies can obviosuly accept certain greases.
Chemistry
I think grease is just soap mixed with mineral oil (or vegetable oil)?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_(lubricant)?useskin=vector
Where mineral oils are simply long-chain alkanes... I think many things we call greases are not actually greases. This is very common when chemistry translates into the "real world". Silicones are long-chain siloxanes.... what makes them "greases"? What's the difference between silicone lube and silicone adhesive/caulk? Wikipedia says "Typically, a dry-set lubricant is delivered with a solvent carrier to penetrate the mechanism. The solvent then evaporates, leaving a clear film that lubricates", so the "greases" are more like silicone infused greases.
What is "synthetic grease" and how does that differ from regular grease? What's "dielectric grease"... and on that note, what is even a "dielectric"?
What differences are there between "cheap" greases and more expensive products like amsoil or Mercedes High Temperature Bearing Grease that my mechanic swears by.
Can lithium greases act as an antidepressant for machinists down on their luck?
All of this then goes to:
Application:
This is really what I want to know. What greases go where. Why are certain greases used for certain applications. What's in "garage door lube". Why does BMW specify moly-grease for the driveshaft splines on their bikes?
I've heard people claim silicone lube is silicone lube... ??? Is this true? Which greases are edible, or "food grade", and which are not? What is "waterproof grease" that Danco sells, and how is it different from my red mobil 1 synthetic grease?
If you have old japanese electronics that came with some white grease on the plastic gears, what grease is that??
I did some research prior to posting here, and there are actually grease guide posters, with tables dictating what goes where. I saw these in two flavors: 1. indecipherable industry letters, 2. manufacturers' individual products with their applications.
Why don't they use moly greases in wheel bearings? Or silicone greases? Which are interchangeable, and which cocktails are used for which specific applications?
Compatibility:
What greases work with what? I know vaseline will destroy wood (found this out the hardway), but parraffin wax will not.
What greases can/should be applied to rubber, and which should not? What works on plastic? Why or why not? Silicones are horrible to clean up... but why don't we just use silicones everywhere? What greases work with what metals? Are there metal incompatibilities?
These are the questions I'd like to have answers on.... ideally I'd have a big huge poster in my garage where I can reference what goes where.... and I've found a few, but idk. None of them really fulfill my wishes... either indecipherable industry classifications, or a blatant ad. Then again I haven't looked extensively either.
