new machine, lots of squeaking.
just a bit of wd40? good, bad or indifferent?
come to think of that… there was a small lube packet in the kit with the ither hardware…
cleanup if i already used it?
recommend dry graphite like used for door hinges?
Lithium based grease is what I use.
Also do not slather it on.
To clean the system use fresh grease then wipe it off. (NOTE: You will have to disassemble to system to do this.)
A drill works great to help remove the old grease and new application well.
You must clean the rod completely Use a clean dry rag and remove as much as you can. The drill will rotate the ball screw so you can use a rag to clean it. Do not use Paper towels! Home depot sells rags for painting and you can also use any old cotton clean t-shirt. To clean the derlin nut you can wrap the towel on a clean pipe cleaner and do the same twisting to get the old dirty grease out. Once clean put a think amount on a patch of cloth rub it in good so you get it all over lightly rub this over the rod and derlin nut. you want a very think layer of this grease. if its too think it will trap dust and wood dust in the groves. The bearing on the Z axis will wear out as it gets a lot of service. if its contaminated it will cause issues. You can tell if its bad when you see a thin film of black around it. Never use 3 and 1 oil or WD40.
Graphite lube is the best and there is a liquid based version that will allow the graphite to get in there and the liquid evaporates. I would not suggest using this liquid base version as it has a solvent type of stuff and you would have to wait till its fully dry. the dry stuff can be applied using a finger or cloth. Again no paper towels of any kind. No Qtips.
anything that has fibers that flake off is not to be used.
used a pencil?! poor mans graphite? like with a cheese grater (or a shop file) to get small particles?
wow. quite the novel @StephenCook… great tips
I just used some specialist dry lube. Took care of the squeak at one spot the bottom of my z
Yes. I had to tear apart my system and I am not as active with it as some here.
I replaced the bearing and cleaned the screw. It was dirty and then after I put some light lub on it. (I used graphite lube I have as I wanted as little as possible.)
The dry PTFE spay lube works great
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let us know if someone in a eod suit delivers it.
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