17-4 Galling, Water Soluble Lube and actuation Mystery

[Buckshott00]

Hello All,

I was wondering if you could help me figure out something. I have an assembly I am testing. It was using rivets before and now I am trying it with grooved pins. Everything except the pins are 17-4 H900.

I assemble my piece. It actuates smoothly but slowly. Through various stages of actuating it, it would sometime have a catch, or be smoother than glass, and then go back to slow.

I worked it enough times to see where pieces were rubbing when it catches. Everything in the assembly is supposed to be in line, but it was swinging slightly off center during travel and rubbing another face of the piece. So I dipped it in weck's lube and actuated a couple times. At first it was the same, then it went to being super smooth.

I WASHED the weck's off!!! First in water, then later in Isopropyl Alcohol, and dried it. Still smooth as glass. I suspect somehow the lube worked into the pins. However, I can't think of a way to check.

Thoughts and Suggestions are appreciated.

 

[EdStainless]

I don't know what the matting materials are, but my hunch is that the lube let you burnish the surfaces without gauling.
Now the burnished surfaces mate better and are smoother.

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Plymouth Tube