[ARC5] More on graphite...

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

I found several references that detail what I have been suggesting. Here they 
are:

"The problem is that graphite is only a lubricant at low speeds. At high 
speeds it becomes an abrasive..."

"Graphite powder, although it is an excellent dry lubricant, has been shown 
to be corrosive to aluminum when there is possibility of moisture being 
present. Consequently, the USAF banned the use of Graphite lubricants on 
any USAF aircraft, several years ago."

"Some guys from NASA once told me that they don't use graphite as a lube 
in space, because in that environment it is an abrasive & not a lubricant. The 
way that they explained it to me was that the graphite needs a little humidity 
to work as a lube. They said that the graphite molecules form sheets & the 
water molecules act like ball bearings between the sheets. In the total 
absence of water molecules (outer space) the sheets of graphite dig into the 
substrates & damage them. "

Etc.

You guys can do what you want with graphite: I have had enough experience 
with it to have decided never to use it on anything but locks and Cub Scout 
Pinewood Derby cars, and even there I am reluctant. There are better lubes: 
molybdenum-disulfide for one.

Kenneth G. Gordon W7EKB

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."--- John   Wayne