Aerocar Lubricants part# ACT4004, lubricant pack for HO and smaller trains. Comes with bearing lube, conducta lube and a gel lube for gears. This stuff has worked the best for me so far.
mogollon.... You betcha your 50 plus years of experience impresses me :thumbs_up: Your input is valued by this somewhat 'rookie' model railroader sir :tb-smile: It's just that I have heard more PLUSES from guys with years of experience about using clipper oils then MINUSES :tb-wink:. I guess its a matter of preference. Just giving another alternative to the 'usual' replies of 'LaBelles. Much like the ATF suggestion. It's :tb-cool: .
Hey George, Maybe we can get Con-cor to donate 2 or 3 identical locos for us to do some testing with! We can lube one with Con-Cor's own Labelle, one with clipper, and one with ATF, then just let them run and observe the results.
First, guys, great discussion....you are doing it the way it should be, arguing the point instead of going for each other's throats like some other forums do. Just thought I would throw that in. I have heard of Wahl's Clipper Oil for years in this hobby, but to me the Labelle was always more accessible as I frequent hobby shops regularly. I know it is expensive, but I use Labelle Plastic Compatible Lubricant almost exclusively. I have several bottles stationed at different points, because of my very large fleet of locos. I keep a couple of bottles on my workbench, on my shelf where I store my boxed locos, and on my layout utility box for a quick fix. I hate the use of thick grease, white lube, and have seen that stuff gunk up an otherwise quality mechanism. I just lost a decent running Lifelike BL2 with the plastic frame because the factory applied gunk in the worm under the gear finally crysallized and froze up the gear. It is now a non-powered dummy. For the sake of a few dollars and from my loss of a couple of locos, I tend to lean toward the more plastic compatible in this argument. I just oiled a 20 year old Kato Hudson, and the brass gears come into contact with a bunch of plastic components, and since spare parts are so rare, I just won't take a chance. I have over 500 locos active in my fleet, which I take care of regularly, and I have learned how to use it sparingly, so a bottle lasts several months to years. One hint though, older locos with all brass innards tend to lose lubrication more quickly, but they are like kids, when they are hungry, they make enough noise to let you know!!! Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
We have an elderly gentleman at our local HO club who constantly uses his "experience" as a basis for all his arguments. Too bad his "experience" is still coming from 1960's era thinking. I'm not doubting you, but I stick to Labelle's plastice oil, as well. After spending $100 on a loco, then $25 on a decoder, and another $25 in detail parts, I'll go with what is sold as safe.
Mark's Link: http://motionsystemdesign.com/mechanical-pt/lubrication-tips-plastic-gears-0894/# Recommends: "Mineral-oil-based lubricants don’t attack most plastic materials and offer excellent performance for the dollar in general plastics applications." This link: http://www.4mss.com/products/download_files/wahl/wahl_clipper_oil.pdf says that wahl clipper oil is "100% mineral oil." So based on these two quotes the clipper oil, mineral oil, is not likely to cause problems to plastic and is generally a good practical lubricant. This would explain why the "experienced old timers" have had good results from it. Of course, there is the other side of "not likely" ...
