Lubricant for brass/aluminum

[kaiyu]

I need suggestions for lubricating contact points between aluminum and brass, I have a brass ball socket which rides inside aluminum housing and is used for a leverage point... there isnt a lot of force applied to the contact points but it is subject to vibration.. it isnt a high wear situation but I would think putting something between the contact points where the brass meets aluminum would be better than just being dry. any suggestions?

 

[MikeHalloran]

Gorilla snot.

... er, EP Roller Grease #2.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[Tmoose]

I think anything is way better than nothing.

Is the motion strictly ball and socket rotation? Or, a ball rotating and sliding in a cylinder?

I'd be looking at stuff capable of forming a (dry) film. Moly disulfide maybe. One of the many Dow Corning Molykote products probably.

 

[kaiyu]

rotating and sliding in a cylinder... Ill look into their products, thanks.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Molykote is great for something that has to move easily after sitting idle and static for years. In the presence of vibration, my limited experience has been that it acts as an abrasive.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[Tmoose]

Hi Mike,

Got any details of the environment where you experienced abrasive action?

My guess is that well used joints assembled dry could show major signs of fretting corrosion.

FWIW Molykote offers at least one product described as "antifretting" and according to the brochure may be moly-free. There is also mention of lower friction than products with moly, which is important for sliding calipers.

http://www.dowcorning.com/applications/search/default.aspx?R=1072EN

Curiously, some moly products boast of good fretting protection, and basically I'd have lumped micromotions in a clamped joint and "vibration" in the same lump.

http://www.firstpowergroupllc.com/DCC_Product_Sheets/Molykote_G-n_Paste.pdf

regards,

Dan T

 

[MikeHalloran]

A Ford distributor's vacuum advance mechanism was chewed up pretty quickly when lubricated by a Molykote paste.
I'll grant you that the cycle rate is fairly high, the angular rotation is generally low, and ozone is present in that service, but I was still disappointed.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA