Weldtite TF2 as helicoid grease: valid?

[JPiettro]

There are a few options to use when greasing a lens helicoid.
As a safe option you can get specialized helical grease products and never worry (hopefully) about negative effects such as migration of the grease to the optical elements and aperture blades.

Some people report that they successfully applied for that purpose non-specialized greases such as Weldtite TF2:
http://index.weldtite.co.uk/products/detail/lithium-grease-100g

Any experience with that particular grease for lens helicoids?
Can you predict its evaporation qualities based on the shown ingredients?

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

Helicoid grease is now made of synthetic material, like silicone, that won't gas off.
Don't know what is in the TF2, but if it is petroleum based, it would be old school, which is nowdays a no-no.
The new stuff is cheap, why mess with an unknown?

 

[Ko.Fe.]

The only helicoid where I could see the grease evaporated on the lens is TLR, folder lens. For the rest, the lens block is separate part from the helicoid part. And it gets oil on glass from aperture part where oil is applied, not grease. But you really have to try it hard by now. First, try and hard to find the oil which will evaporate under nothing special temperatures and then apply it more than just generously. Here is the hint. It must be something like hemp oil 🙂

I'm getting my hands dirty with grease and oils for various reasons. This is why I use grease and oil available in mortar and bricks, nothing special stores.

http://www.super-lube.com/files/pdfs/Technical_Data_Sheet_Multi_Purpose_Grease.pdf

 

[JPiettro]

... And it gets oil on glass from aperture part where oil is applied, not grease.
...

Please clarify that part: it makes me nervous (seriously).
Oiling aperture blades? At their base? I didn't know that! What camera makers did it?
All I know from the common recommendations on lens CLA is: de-grease (de-oil) the aperture blades completely and never apply any oil or grease to the aperture.
Am I missing anything?

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

I'm not a camera repair man in business, so I don't worry if I give out false or bad information. I went to Youtube university. This works for me.

I use Ronsonol lighter fluid (naptha) to clean off old grease or oil. I use silicone grease (telescope lube) on the helicoid, I wipe the aperture blades with the same grease, and then wipe it off with Ronsonol. I wipe down leaf shutter blades with Ronsonol. I wipe lens surfaces with Ronsonol, then alcohol. I use Tri-flo to wick a light oil into a bearing surface.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Aperture part, not aperture blades. You could find oil on the aperture blades of RF lenses made by Canon, Leitz and FSU.

http://www.pentax-manuals.com/manuals/service/leica_m2_service.pdf
called as "inner ring".

FSU lenses have oil on aperture part, I don't know how to call it exactly and it seems to be mostly in use to make aperture switching smooth due to large gaps.
Jupiter-12 from eighties and younger is famous for amount of oil on aperture blades. But nothing bad happened so far even with those.

 

[Dan Daniel]

There are a few options to use when greasing a lens helicoid.

Some people report that they successfully applied for that purpose non-specialized greases such as Weldtite TF2:
http://index.weldtite.co.uk/products/detail/lithium-grease-100g

Any experience with that particular grease for lens helicoids?
Can you predict its evaporation qualities based on the shown ingredients?

That's a wheel bearing grease. Too heavy. You want an 'NLGI 1' viscosity grease, like this-
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HELIMAX-XP...582374&hash=item3f2476ed4d:g:9e0AAOSwq~tZWoqg

Most cases of oil on aperture blades are from the grease breaking down and the oil element migrating. Put the grease on a piece of paper and wait half an hour- a good grease will have a very small bleed-out into the surrounding paper. A ppor grease for this purpose will have significant bleed-out of the oil and the 'grease' that remains in the center will be dried out and somewhat hard.

 

[ptpdprinter]

I wipe aperture blades with the same grease, and then wipe it off with Ronsonol.

Why do you apply grease and then wipe it off? Doesn't the Ronsonol remove the grease you just applied?

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

This is all from the forward side of the blades, with a piece of tissue covering the middle group.
In the case of a lens where the blades are rusty or dirty, I don't know what it is, probably fine rust, I would start with a lightly soaked q-tip with Ronsonol and go round and round with the grain and see if it removes the rust. Then with a q-tip with a very little grease, do the same, sort of working it to the outer diameter where the pivots are. Then with a q-tip very lightly wet with Ronsonol remove all the visible grease.
I know some grease will remain in the pivots, and probably worked thru to the other side of the blades. Then do the same with a dry q-tip.
I saved a Summitar that would open but not close, and a 2.8 Elmar with light rust this way.

Why do you apply grease and then wipe it off? Doesn't the Ronsonol remove the grease you just applied?

 

[JPiettro]

Thank you for a good tip! I think it's not worth it messing with the unknown. Besides there are 2 no-no's:
1. From you: it's too heavy, we need NLG1 viscosity; luckily there is Helimax and it won't break the bank.
2. From davidnewtonguitars: Since Weldtite is petroleum based according to it specs there is a good chance it will evaporate and migrate to optics and possibly to the aperture/shutter blades.

It's all clear now, thanks a lot!

That's a wheel bearing grease. Too heavy. You want an 'NLGI 1' viscosity grease, like this-
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HELIMAX-XP...582374&hash=item3f2476ed4d:g:9e0AAOSwq~tZWoqg
...

 

[bluesun267]

I have used Super Lube, synthetic grease with Syncolon (PTFE) on several lenses:

http://a.co/7fmsxDN


It seems a little less thick than might be desired when going on helicoids, but it has held up perfectly. Particularly on my Nikkor SC 50/1.4 that has been going for five years focusing perfectly smooth in temps ranging from 0F to 100F.

I happened on this stuff because it was readily available in hardware stores in California. Don't know about the rest of the country/world.

 

[JPiettro]

I also see it on eBay from a Korean seller. The tube though looks differently from the one sold by the US vendors:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Lube-Synthetic-Multi-Purpose-Grease-100gr-Tube-type/262335221483

Is it authentic?

I have used Super Lube, synthetic grease with Syncolon (PTFE) on several lenses:

http://a.co/7fmsxDN


It seems a little less thick than might be desired when going on helicoids, but it has held up perfectly. Particularly on my Nikkor SC 50/1.4 that has been going for five years focusing perfectly smooth in temps ranging from 0F to 100F.

I happened on this stuff because it was readily available in hardware stores in California. Don't know about the rest of the country/world.