[ARC5] More on graphite...

[D C _Mac_ Macdonald]

Back in the 1950s, use of graphite was prohibited 
"official" Soap Box Derby race cars! 
 
It was considered as cheating! 
 
Of course, half or more Soap Box Derby cars never 
made more than one run down the track and it would 
not have been considered a "high-speed" usage! 
 
* * * * * * * * * * * 
* 73 - Mac, K2GKK/5 * 
* (Since 30 Nov 53) * 
* k2gkk at hotmail.com * 
* Oklahoma City, OK * 
* USAF & FAA (Ret.) * 
* * * * * * * * * * * 
 
 
 


> From: kgordon2006 at frontier.com
> To: arc5 at mailman.qth.net
> Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2013 15:46:35 -0800
> Subject: [ARC5] More on graphite...
> 
> 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