I will be adding a new oval this weekend. I am using old Aristo track. Read the thread about cleaning rail clamps, that answered my question on cleaning. I’ll be using the joiners on the track. Is there a conductive grease I should use. The layout I have now is battery powered. This new oval will be my first using track power. It will not connect to the old layout.

Yes a conductive grease is recommended. It helps keep moisture and debris out of the joints. They sell it at auto parts stores, I believe they call it dialectic grease, but you may want to ask to be sure.

Be aware the grease itself is not conductive, the grease keeps air and dirt out, thus reducing oxidation and keeping good conductivity.

There are indeed conductive greases, but they are expensive, and have drawbacks and some dangers in our application.

You can indeed use any grease you wish, dielectric grease is indeed a great insulator by itself.

http://www.elmassian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20&Itemid=50

Greg

Greg, have you had any experience using automotive synthetic oils (mobile 1 for example). The conductive issue aside, are these oils successful in use for general lubrication for locos AND rolling stock? It seems they are not detrimental to plastics from what I’ve been able to determine. Would be interested in your experience. For what I’m reading here “conductive lubricants” are more problematic than useful.

For rail joiners, almost any quality grease will do. Keeping the air and moisture out is the key.

Believe it or not, I would think that the plumbers “waterproof grease” would be great, harder to wash out of the joiner.

Synthetic grease would of course be ok, and of course would not have any damage if sitting on the plastic ties.

Another thing I have tried is anti-sieze, which works great, but is very messy, and silvery so it looks bad, I do use it on the rail clamp screws.

Recently I have been trying something that is formulated to resist oxidation, No-Alox, used for aluminum wiring, available at home depot, etc, but the forumulation to resist oxidation is the same as in the copper stuff.

This stuff is the consistency of a light grease and it has worked well for the last 4 years.

There is indeed conductive grease, but very expensive, usually silver or copper bearing.

Does that help?

Greg

Thank you all for your help. I’ll try to get photos of my layout this weekend.

I used Aristo rail joiners that were nasty. I just ran a dermal with a wire brush in the them. That was all they needed. I hate using any kind of grease. Dirt and everything else sticks to it and makes a mess.

Shawn Viggiano said:

I used Aristo rail joiners that were nasty. I just ran a dermal with a wire brush in the them. That was all they needed. I hate using any kind of grease. Dirt and everything else sticks to it and makes a mess.

My thoughts, exactly.

If you want the joiners really cleaned, soak them in Coca Cola, overnight, then rinse with dihydrogen monoxide.

Dihydrogen monoxide?

Whaaat?

Greg, any experience with synthetic oils for lubrication?

Rich, sorry, the thread was on the rail joiners, so I replied to that.

There’s plenty of other threads we should add to on the subject of just synthetic oil for general lubrication. I’ve used synthetics, safe for plastic oils are all synthetic I believe. Good stuff, although I’m usually more concerned with having several grades, light for valve gear, medium for general stuff, heavy gear oil for journals, jell type grease for gears is pretty much my usage.

I don’t like lightweight oils for journals outdoors, it just does not seem to “cling” and stay in the journal, probably because of the sloppy fit of axles in journals.

Hope that helps,

Greg

p.s. I had a Mobil 1 “Sample kit” of small squeeze tubes of grease, there were about 5 types, all worked well, but I find that grease tends to get thrown off gears, so I went to the “gel” stuff.

Rich Niemeyer said:
Dihydrogen monoxide?

Dihydrogen=2 atoms of hydrogen

Monoxide=1 atom of oxygen

Chemically, H2O

Thanks Greg. Sounds like I’ll try the synthetics on axils and I’ll look for the gels for gears, etc. Yeh, my question did sort of derail the thread. Sorry about that.
STEVE,! water right! Good one.