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Telling it like it is - Silicone Grease

Bigchris on Mon November 10, 2003 2:14 PM User is offline

I needed some silicone grease to condition some waveguide o-rings and had a hard time finding it. Seems it now goes by the name "Dielectric Tune-up Grease". The word "silicone" is completely missing from the packaging, but the MSDS indicates that it's still silicone grease! Anybody know when or why silicone became a dirty word?

Edited: Mon November 10, 2003 at 2:15 PM by Bigchris

FrankD. on Mon November 10, 2003 5:23 PM User is offline

Hi Bigchris how much silicone do you need ? I have a zip lock bag full of silicone packets, about the size of ketchup packs. Don't know what a wave guide is but this stuff will sure slime it's o-rings.
3M still has silicone on some labels, like 3M Silicone Lubricant Spray (#08897). This stuff does what Armor-All is supposed to do, without the long term side effects.

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FrankD.

Edited: Mon November 10, 2003 at 5:55 PM by FrankD.

Bigchris on Mon November 10, 2003 7:30 PM User is offline

Thanks Frank, I've got what I need for now but I'll keep you in mind. That's handy stuff for keeping moisture out of where you don't want it. It's used to seal the backs of water resistant digital watches. It's used to seal the hose and regulator connections on scuba gear. A tad on each boot will keep water out of your spark plugs. It's not intended to resist pressure like nylog but it does temporarily soften and condition rubber as in tired, used o-rings that are not under pressure, and fills the voids in a flattened old o-ring so a moisture seal can be maintained.

k5guy on Mon November 10, 2003 10:33 PM User is offline

Chris, it is a marketing thing. Since they came out with silicon glue, silicon chips and silicon implants, I think the word lost it's style. Radio Shack calls it Heat Sink Grease, which is cool by me. Radio Shack The product literature also calls it silicon grease, but none of the marketing material does.


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NickD on Mon November 10, 2003 10:40 PM User is offline

For stationary equipment, as an FAA guideline, they are replaced at least once every seven years or sooner in more harsh climates, silicone grease helps extend the life of a new ring, but it's effectiveness in repairing an old O ring is highly questionable. The price to pay for not replacing the O rings is moisture penetration into the flange joint that results in severe corrosion where parts of or the entire waveguide must be replaced.

Here is a link for a silicone especially formulated for O rings, if you want links for O rings, you can do a google search, you won't find exactly what you want for these applications at your friendly True Value store.

http://www.concordeaerosales.com/suits/siliconegrease.html

Bigchris on Tue November 11, 2003 7:27 PM User is offline

Thanks Nick. I probably should have explained that re-using the old o-rings is not my first choice, but a backup plan in case the new waveguide section arrives minus o-rings. It's not supposed to happen but I've been burned before. I won't know what the o-rings look like until the new part arrives and then it will be too late to obtain replacements before the new section has to go into service.

NickD on Tue November 11, 2003 8:09 PM User is offline

I very slow Chris, but it seems that someone ordered that waveguide and perhaps from the manufacturer of the equipment, couldn't the correct O rings have been ordered at the same time?

On FAA approved equipment, the manufacturer is required to provide a service manual with a vendors list with an appropriate part description so that part can be ordered directly from the vendor. I do a lot of that as the OEM tends to jack up the price a tad. GTE is the worse one ever marking up some parts by an over one hundred factor, $150 for a tiny little transistor that sells for less than 50 cents in unit quantity?

Bigchris on Tue November 11, 2003 11:10 PM User is offline

Quote
Originally posted by: NickD
I very slow Chris, but it seems that someone ordered that waveguide and perhaps from the manufacturer of the equipment, couldn't the correct O rings have been ordered at the same time?
You're not slow Nick and that's what was done, this time and last. Last time I received a waveguide section with one o-ring damaged and one missing. The manufacturer was very apologetic but I was caught unprepared for the obvious disconnect between their engineering and shipping departments. Since the fortunes of the manufacturer have not noticeably improved since that last order, I am preparing for the worst. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

This is not FAA gear but an obsolescent commercial steerable antenna, due to be decommissioned, scrapped and melted down into beer cans and Jeep evaporators within the next year or two so the emphasis is on keeping it alive now rather than longevity.

NickD on Thu November 13, 2003 8:46 AM User is offline

LOL, you are supposed to get on the horn, bitch, and demand they ship out those rings FedEx overnight at their expense. I have been phasing out some 50 year vacuum tube stuff, not sure why, when we get a power surge or a bit of lightning, that old stuff doesn't even know that happened where are this new solid state stuff has every other chip fried. I have been listening to bitching for years to get it back on line ASAP, I simply respond that you need a back up system, when they hear the cost, they shut up and say, try the best you can.

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