Lubrication Basics (and Why Silicone Lubricant Is Best For Rubber O-Rings)
People tend to use all interchangeably. For this article we consider lube, lubricant and grease the same and oil as different.Here’s the main diffe...
How Safe Silicone Based Lubricants Are For Use Around Your Home, Garage and Job-Site
There are two types of silicone grease: safe and food grade safe.Food grade silicone lubricants are approved for safe use in equipment and parts th...
Why You Should Even Bother to Lubricate Your Pressure Washer Hose and Wand O-Rings?
It will make the o-ring last longer.Here’s how: 1. Acts a surface surface film sealing the o-ring and metal surface as one. 2. Protects the o-ring...
If You Should Use A Spray Can Or Silicone Gel Grease For Application to Rubber Connections?
Avoid the spray can silicone lubricant varieties. The spray can will have petroleum based propellant and solvent to make it a spray. It will only b...
Best Brands of Silicone Lubricant and Where to Buy Online
There are 14,039 results when you search “silicone grease” on Amazon.com. There are 5,559 results for “silicone lubricant”.How are you supposed to...
How Often Should You re-apply to Pressure Washer Rubber O-Rings (and Proper Technique)?
There is no 100% correct answer to this. You will hear different arguments from every person you ask. A safe bet is to apply new silicone grease in...
What is Plumbers Grease?
Plumbers grease is a specialized lubricant that consists of silicone grease and alternative waterproof chemicals.
What is Silicone Grease?
Silicone grease or “dielectric grease” is a waterproof grease that is used as a lubricant. it consists of silicone oil and silica thickener to create a robust consistency that’s ideal for greasing plumbing fixtures.
Comparing Silicone and Plumbers Grease
When it comes to plumbers grease vs dielectric grease, it’s the formulation that differs.
Final Thoughts
These are the differences when comparing plumbers grease vs silicone grease.
How does a grease dispensing system save money?
These systems pump grease through lines and nozzles to the parts that need grease. This method saves money. Some lubricant won’t move through lines under pressure so its pumpability is important.
Why do watchmakers use silicone grease?
When watchmakers or tinkerers are putting together the watch, silicone grease is used on the gaskets to aid reassembly and help prevent them tearing.
What is the difference between oil and grease?
Here’s the main difference. At room temperature: Grease has high viscosity (like peanut butter). Oil has lower viscosity (like vegetable oil). Grease lubricant is used on parts that will operate at low speed and normal temperature. Oil lubricant is used on parts that operate at high speed and temp.
How to classify mineral base oil grease?
The most common way to classify a mineral base oil grease is by its thickener: lithium grease, sodium grease…. But when it comes to synthetic base oil grease it is classified by that: silicone grease etc….
What is lubricant made of?
In the above chart you can see that a lubricant is made of mostly base oil (mineral or synthetic) with a thickener (fatty acid plus a soap alkali) to hold the base oil and additive package (usually graphite/molybdenum to improve temperature stability, performance under extreme pressure etc.) together.
Why is lubricant unstable?
You want a lubricant to maintain its consistency when performing its role of reducing friction and heating between moving parts. If it tends to get harder or softer when working , it is said to be unstable.
How many pages are there in the 7th edition of Mechanical Engineering?
In my university Mechanical Engineering Design textbook, lubrication has its own chapter – taking up 6% of the 958-page Seventh Edition. It comes after rolling-contact bearings and before gears.
What temperature does silicone grease work at?
Silicone greases generally have an operating temperature range of approximately −40 to 200 °C (−40 to 392 °F) with some high-temperature versions extending this range slightly.
What is silicone grease?
Silicone grease. Silicone grease, sometimes called dielectric grease, is a waterproof grease made by combining a silicone oil with a thickener. Most commonly, the silicone oil is polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and the thickener is amorphous fumed silica. Using this formulation, silicone grease is a translucent white viscous paste, ...
Why is silicone grease used in plumbing?
It is used for heat-transfer abilities, rather than friction reduction. Pure silicone grease is widely used by the plumbing industry in faucets and seals, as well as in dental equipment. This is due to it not being an ingestion hazard.
What is silicone lubricant used for?
It can be used to lubricate fountain pen filling mechanisms and threads.
Is silicone grease good for rubber?
Silicone grease is commonly used for lubricating and preserving many types of rubber parts, such as O-rings, without swelling or softening the rubber, but is contraindicated for silicone rubber due to these factors. It functions well as a corrosion inhibitor and lubricant on non-metal-metal contact areas.
Can silicone grease cause contacts to fail?
Silicone grease can decompose to form an insulating layer at or next to switch contacts that experience arcing, and contamination can cause the contacts to prematurely fail.
Is silicone grease soluble in water?
Silicone grease is soluble in organic solvents such as toluene, xylene, mineral spirits, and chlorinated hydrocarbons. It is insoluble in methanol, ethanol, and water.
What is Plumbers Putty Made of?
Plumber’s putty is a recognizable malleable clay-like substance most commonly used in the installation of plumbing fixtures. Those usually include the installation of faucets, sink drains, and pop-up drain fittings of tubs.
How to Use Plumbers Putty?
The plumber’s putty is applied on the undersides of the fittings and should not remain visible. This means it’s not supposed to be exposed to air, as this will dry the putty out and lead to cracks.
How long does it take for silicone to dry?
Silicone sealants can take from 24 to 72 hours to dry, whereas plumber’s putty doesn’t require drying time.
What is silicone sealant made of?
Unlike plumber’s putty, silicone sealant is made from a rubbery substance and is known for its superelasticity. Since it contains 100% silicone, its main advantage is its adaptability to changing temperatures.
How to make a snake shape with putty?
Take a ball of putty and rub it gently in-between your hands creating a snake-like shape.
What materials can be stained with petroleum based stain?
Because it is petroleum-based, it can stain some porous materials. Some of them include granite, quartz, and sandstone.
Is silicone putty safe?
Keep in mind that it’s always good to be aware of the toxicity and odor of these products. Some silicone sealants may contain toxic elements , whereas putty is made out of organic elements and is therefore safe to use.
What is Silicone Grease?
Silicone grease is a waterproof grease that is prepared by combining silicone oils with a thi ckener. Usually, the silicone oil is polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and the thickener used is usually amorphous fumed silica. With this formulation, the silicone grease comes out as a white viscous paste with exact properties that are dependent on the proportion and type of the components.
What are the two main types of grease?
Greases come in different types depending on the manufacturing and preparation processes. The two main ones that most people confuse are the dielectric grease and silicone grease with some interchanging each for the other. In light of this, you can read through and get the notable differences between them.
Why is dielectric grease grey?
Also, the dielectric grease blocks moisture, preventing corrosion in the process. Since the grease is translucent, some light passes through it causing distortion. It is usually grey in appearance.
What is silicone lubricant used for?
Such uses include in applications that the users believe other lubricants that include petroleum jelly may damage some products such as gaskets and latex rubber. The grease may also be useful in lubricating pen filling threads and mechanisms especially the fountain models.
What is grease used for?
The grease may also be useful in lubricating pen filling threads and mechanisms especially the fountain models. Also, it can be used for sealing and the preservation of O-rings in, for example, plumbing, flashlights, air rifles, and waterproof watches.
What is lubricant used for?
In industries, it is used to lubricate and preserve rubber parts that include O-rings. Since it does neither swells nor softens rubber, it is used in place of greases that are hydrocarbon-based. It also functions better as a lubricant and corrosion-inhibitor for such purposes that need a bit of a thicker lubricant.
Why do you use a waterproof flashlight?
The reason why it is used for waterproofing is that of its thick body and the fact that it can’t dissolve in water unlike other liquids and most spirits.
