What lubrication for linear bearings and leadscrews?

Hello,

Looking around the forums, I find people use all kinds of lubricants, from white lithium grease, gun oil, light machine oil, and 3-in-1, to Super Lube, graphite, and even WD-40, for some reason. Is there a single best lubricant that one could use to ensure that the moving parts last as long as possible?

According to the RepRap wiki, Super Lube oil with PTFE looks to be the best, so I'm inclined to use that. Should I use the aerosol version or just the regular bottled one?

I'd love to see your feedbacks. Thanks!

I am using Lithium grease (aspect is a white paste), works great and does not react with plastics of printed parts or rubber of belts.

I use white lithium spray on the rods and it glides REAL nice.

You don't want to use WD40, but pretty much anything else will be acceptable.

If you want the "correct" lubricant you can venture into the datasheets of the parts in question (if available). They will normally recommend a very specific lubricant under which the component lifetimes were tested. I generally go with Mobil Vactra 2 which is designed for machine slideways and includes tackifiers to keep it in place even on vertical sections.

Are all kinds of white lithium grease compatible with plastic? I'm worried mine could damage the injection molding parts that are going to come with my kit (bought from here: [www.ebay.com]). The label says it is composed of lithium soap, zinc oxide, and mineral oils.