# Open Gear Lube



## derf (Oct 9, 2015)

Anybody know of a source for open gear lube? At one time I had a spray can of some good sticky lube, but I tossed the can and can't even remember who the manufacturer was. All I remember is that it worked good to quiet down all those outside gear trains.

Fred


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## JimDawson (Oct 9, 2015)

I have the same problem, I can't find my can either, but I think it was a CRC product.  Check with your local industrial or tractor supply.  I'll bet they have something.  Maybe even a NAPA auto parts.


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## Uglydog (Oct 9, 2015)

Ok...
What is "Open Gear Lube"?
Quick search found this link: http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/1862/open-gear-lubricants
Still unclear what "Open" means. Perhaps opposite of closed, like a differential.
Wondering if the gear box on my 10" Powermatic is an "Open" as I open each time I use her and oil manually by drip or brush. 

Thanks you,
Daryl
MN


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## bob308 (Oct 9, 2015)

back when I had my old craftsman -atlas where you had to change the gear for speeds and feeds. I would us a drop or two of stp oil treatment.


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## Tony Wells (Oct 9, 2015)

I like Lubriplate products in general, and have used lots of this stuff on gears:

https://www.lubriplate.com/Products/Spray-Lubricants/Gear-Shield-Extra-Heavy.aspx


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## jpfabricator (Oct 9, 2015)

Seems any thick spray would work. Ask for gear and cable lube.

Sent from somewhere in East Texas Jake Parker


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## scsmith42 (Oct 9, 2015)

McMaster Carr sells it:  

http://www.mcmaster.com/#1073K74

You might find it at an "old school" auto parts house or industrial supply house.  Typically it's sold as lube for open gears and wire rope.


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## Tony Wells (Oct 9, 2015)

Lot of bearing suppliers like Motion Industries carry an assortment that should include open gear/cable lube. Popular stuff here in the oil patch.


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## Ulma Doctor (Oct 9, 2015)

CRC makes some top shelf wire rope/ open gear lube too.


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## Ulma Doctor (Oct 9, 2015)

Uglydog said:


> Ok...
> What is "Open Gear Lube"?
> Quick search found this link: http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/1862/open-gear-lubricants
> Still unclear what "Open" means. Perhaps opposite of closed, like a differential.
> ...



 You guessed it Daryl,
it's for gears that are not running inside a box.
the grease is generally thick in consistency and very sticky, 
it adheres to anything it gets sprayed on, and it pretty much stays put.
it isn't easily slung off of gears or wire ropes for that matter.


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## DoogieB (Oct 9, 2015)

For awhile I just used oil from the oil can like South Bend recommended, but it would kick-off the gears pretty quickly and the gears would start hummin'.  Next I tried 90WT gear oil, which worked pretty well, was easily to apply straight from the applicator on the bottle and stuck-on for awhile.

Right now I'm using CRC Extreme Duty Open Gear & Chain Lube which works awesome and seems to last forever.  The only problem with CRC is that they don't give you an application straw and since this lube is incredible messy the straw is a nice feature.

The Lubriplate mentioned above is what we used at work by the box-load.  It's great stuff and you also get an application straw.


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## schor (Oct 9, 2015)

I use chain lube.


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## brino (Oct 9, 2015)

schor scooped me......motorcycle chain lube.....
-brino


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## dave2176 (Oct 9, 2015)

Napa has an open gear lube that I have come to like. It's about $7.00. Dave


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## derf (Oct 10, 2015)

The stuff I had came in a spray can, went on fairly wet and took about 2 minutes to set. Once it set, it was like black tar. I know if you got some on your hands it was @#$%^ to get off.


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## uncle harry (Oct 10, 2015)

derf said:


> The stuff I had came in a spray can, went on fairly wet and took about 2 minutes to set. Once it set, it was like black tar. I know if you got some on your hands it was @#$%^ to get off.



Yup, the most evil goo I can remember. We used it for cables on winches.


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## Treetop (Oct 10, 2015)

I wonder if regular old, relatively cheap, _bar and chain oil_ would work?  It's crazy sticky, designed to cling to the bar and chain of chainsaws...


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## dlane (Oct 10, 2015)

X3 , motorcycle chain lube


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## schor (Oct 10, 2015)

As I mentioned above, just use motorcycle chain lube, works great and its cheap.


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## scsmith42 (Oct 10, 2015)

Most high quality open gear and chain lubes contain an EP additive, which improves the lubricants performance under extreme pressure situations. Whatever you end up using, it would be wise to check the ingredients for the EP additive.


Scott


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## rick9345 (Oct 12, 2015)

http://www.chemsearch.com/

Black,sticky,stays put,quiet


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## jahjah (Oct 12, 2015)

Superlube Multi-purpose Aerosol.  Very sticky, like STP in a spray can.  Clear reduces the mess and allows you to determine contamination over time.


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## uncle harry (Oct 12, 2015)

jahjah said:


> Superlube Multi-purpose Aerosol.  Very sticky, like STP in a spray can.  Clear reduces the mess and allows you to determine contamination over time.



I like a more specifically directed application on things like gears. I especially like the 2 position WD40 with the tube mode that lets me be specific about where it lands up. (but not for gears)


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## Terrywerm (Oct 12, 2015)

I have always liked chain lube on lathes that have a quick change gear box, but on lathes that still use change gears I prefer a light spindle oil as it is easy to wipe off the excess when the gears are taken off to change out to a different ratio.


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## redgrouse (Oct 13, 2015)

I use Shell Toner R oil made for lubricating drill heads I'm told, the stuff I have is years old and very viscous I believe the modern equivalent is less so but a pal uses chain oil (chainsaw) to good effect.


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## pineyfolks (Oct 13, 2015)

I use motorcycle chain lube but I was out and all I had was a can of blaster garage door lube. It seemed to work pretty good.


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## AaronD (Oct 13, 2015)

dave2176 said:


> Napa has an open gear lube that I have come to like. It's about $7.00. Dave


I also use this from Napa. Works well and is designed for gears.  I, personally would not use motorcycle cable lube.  I do not believe it contains the necessary tackifiers.

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...C-Open-Gear-Lube-11-oz/_/R-MCR1366_0410678722


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## PGB1 (Oct 13, 2015)

I once experimented (a lot) for my South Bend 34BQ, that has open back gears & non-bath quick change gears. The gears are the end of the headstock are also non-bath.
I had trouble with general chain and rope lubes and with motorcycle chain lubes. They seemed to fly off (on my apron or glasses, of course). Maybe I used cheap stuff? 
Some others had objectionable odors for my shop-in-the-home. 

One lubricant that I found which didn't fly off & has no big smell was Hy-Per Lube High Performance Oil Supplement Stock Number HPL-201 (hyperlube.com). It's really for putting in your engine (I don't).  I got it at a local auto parts chain for about $7.00 a quart to use on an open gear & roller chain project. It worked well there, so i tried it on the South Bend. The manufacturer's propaganda says it has a high film strength and clings well and has no thermal breakdown. 

The good side is that it does cling very well. As a matter of fact, it clings so well you can see 'silly strings' of it stretching between the moving gears. Another plus is that, for some reason I can not explain, it does not seem to gather dust quickly. I have a small chip brush that I use to apply it which lives uncovered in the lube tray next to the lathe. The brush does not get dusty quickly.  

Another surprise bonus I found was that it quieted the gears tremendously. That's kind of important in my home shop. And, it does not smoke.

The not-so-good side is that if you get on your clothes, it is difficult to remove. From the machine, naphtha takes it off, as does denatured alcohol, but I use medical adhesive remover wipes for wiping it off. (No naphtha odor with those wipes) The lube is 100% petroleum based, so any petroleum based solvent should work to remove it.

It must, after time, let dust cling, but I don't see it. However,  my change gears are under the cover of the (open bottom) QC box. The back gears have a guard, but the sides are open. The headstock end gearing is well covered. To be honest, I'm really fussy about my South Bend, so I periodically remove the QC box and clean the gears completely of all lubricants and I wipe down all the other gearing, ways, etc to start over. I suppose if I ignored the lube for a while, dust might be trouble.

I would imagine this is not the ideal lubricant for the job, but it seems to work well for my lathe (and a few other open gear items). Just thought I'd present it for your consideration.
Enjoy Today!
Paul


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## oldscouser (Oct 13, 2015)

derf said:


> Anybody know of a source for open gear lube? At one time I had a spray can of some good sticky lube, but I tossed the can and can't even remember who the manufacturer was. All I remember is that it worked good to quiet down all those outside gear trains.
> 
> Fred


I use chainsaw chain lube oil.  It clings very well to the gears and isn't flung off.


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## phillijs (Oct 13, 2015)

You might take a look at a product made by Walter, called Hang-on adhesive lubricant.  I use it on my South Bend gears, and works great.  It is also used for conveyors etc.  It is CFIA approved for use in food plants.  However it is a little expensive - John


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## Guv (Oct 20, 2015)

I use chain bar oil made to lubricate chainsaw guide bar. Nice and sticky .


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