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What grease for linear bearings?

Posted by tmorris9 
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tmorris9
What grease for linear bearings?
November 02, 2012 10:20PM
Wondering what the best grease is to use on linear bearings?
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PomeroyB
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 03, 2012 05:37AM
Slippery ones!

In all seriousness, any old grease should do. I know a guy who uses WD-40 to grease his, and another that uses some sort of machining wax. I personally use tapping lubricant.
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chris33
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 03, 2012 07:06AM
Wd40 isnt a grease its a oil, and will dry out, a good pfte grease will do.. I make bearings for a living and wouldnt dare to use wd4O
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jamesdanielv
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 03, 2012 08:07AM
wd40 from what i have read has fine particles in it that cause wear.
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691175002
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 03, 2012 08:15AM
WD40 (water displacement) is not actually intended to be a lubricant. It is notorious for drying into a horrific black gooey mess that ruins everything.

My first choice would be Mobil Vactra 2. Beyond that, a generic white lithium grease will also do a good job and is available in tubes and spray cans pretty much anywhere. Pretty much anything designed for lubrication will be fine, this isn't a demanding application.

Nothing is worse than an oil that attracts dirt and dust.
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brnrd
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 03, 2012 10:04AM
I use 3-in-1 general purpose oil for my Prusa2 linear bearings and z threaded rods. I keep it away from printed plastic parts since it probably will degrade the plastic since it's carbon-based. This doesn't seem to be too hard to do. On my Mendel, I was more carefull and I uses sicone oil, but they're not as easy to find.
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NelsonRap
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 03, 2012 03:46PM
I had some wheel bearing grease left over from fixing my car and used that, my Mendel was running 9 hours a day for about a year and even now there are no signs of any problems

__________________________________________________________________________
Experimenting in 3D in New Zealand
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rogerw
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 04, 2012 09:24PM
9 hours a day ! are u printing money or something? (we have plastic notes in Australia)
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pokey9000
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 04, 2012 10:52PM
Super-Lube silicone / PTFE grease is supposed to be compatible with all plastics, and is even authorized in the US for use in food service equipment. I found some at Harbor Freight, but I've seen it in auto supply shops as well and on Amazon.
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DGC PartWorks
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 05, 2012 11:41AM
Many good suggestions above for the actual lubricant, but to ensure long term survival and performance of the bearings and ways don't forget the importance of keeping dust and debris out. Frequent cleanings and possibly wipers or seals of some kind will help to keep your machine from grinding itself to death.
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Staseek
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 05, 2012 02:42PM
i have found what Ballistol is amazing lubricant ever!
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3eality
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 08, 2012 11:19PM
I would also suggest to periodically check if there is any lateral shake. I found some balls lying on the desk. These may wear out ur smooth sliding rods
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Twitchy
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 09, 2012 10:56AM
No idea if it's good for the long term health of the printer, but I've used petroleum jelly in a pinch. It's inexpensive, readily available, seems to lubricate well enough, and since it's quite thick, it lasts a long time. Some people think it may break down plastic over time, but I haven't found any conclusive evidence of this yet.
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redreprap
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
November 09, 2012 05:52PM
9 hours a day ... MAN !!!!

you not trying to overtake LEGO in making bricks r u?
lol jus joking grinning smiley


NelsonRap Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I had some wheel bearing grease left over from
> fixing my car and used that, my Mendel was running
> 9 hours a day for about a year and even now there
> are no signs of any problems
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deaconfrost
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
September 05, 2016 04:11PM
I used wheel bearing grease on the i3 aswell, and I print 18hours plus a day for 3 months solid grinning smiley

I do sell my prints though smiling smiley
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DjDemonD
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
September 05, 2016 04:51PM
I use lithium grease but the can I use seems to have excessive pressure (might have to vent some of the propellant) whenever I spray it grease goes everywhere including my print bed.

Simon Khoury

Co-founder of [www.precisionpiezo.co.uk] Accurate, repeatable, versatile Z-Probes
Published:Inventions
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nebbian
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
September 05, 2016 10:25PM
Quote
DjDemonD
I use lithium grease but the can I use seems to have excessive pressure (might have to vent some of the propellant) whenever I spray it grease goes everywhere including my print bed.

Lithium grease is amazing stuff smiling smiley

Spray it on a paper towel and use that to wipe the rods.
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HairLikeFrodo
Re: What grease for linear bearings?
September 13, 2016 02:08PM
I usually use 3 in 1 oil for both the linear bearings and the lead screws. I have not run into any issues with wear on and of the smooth rods or bearings.
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