[R-390] To lube or not to lube gears?

[Tom Frobase]

After cleaning and soaking the brass bearings, just Mobile 1 here ... tom,
N3LLL

On Mon, Sep 9, 2024 at 1:40 PM Jim Whartenby via R-390 <
r-390 at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

> I'm pretty sure that I am in the minority here but lubricating gears
> causes more problems then it solves, IMHO. Lubricating pivot points is
> another matter entirely.  In my experience, clean gears and lubricated
> pivots offer the least resistance in turning the KC and MC knobs.  Don't
> forget to recenter the two bushings that support the MC and KC shafts.
> When those two shafts bind, it makes turning them quite labor intensive.
> I base this observation on the many "clock collector" blogs I have visited
> over the years.  I figured that they would know much more about gearworks
> then this old radio collector.
> As for the cleaning process, a degreasing agent (I chose WD-40, long ago)
> a detergent (your favorite) a water rinse follower by an alcohol rinse to
> release the water, then repeat.  I use repurposed spray bottles filled with
> the four liquids so the process goes quickly.  An acid brush with a dowel
> extension will reach far into the gearworks to scrub the gears.  Turn the
> MC and KC knobs each time to bring new surfaces into reach.
> The only lube I use is a small bottle of Tufoil that is so old, it has the
> original slogan, "The Transistor of Lubrication" printed on the 8 oz
> bottle.  It is still in the Guinness World Book of Records, as the most
> efficient lubricant, so that is good enough for me.  Less then a drop on a
> wire probe is all that is needed at each pivot point.  My bottle is decades
> old and is still more then half full.YMMV,JimLogic: Method used to arrive
> at the wrong conclusion, with confidence.  Murphy
>
>     On Monday, September 9, 2024 at 11:16:59 AM CDT, Barry <
> n4buq at knology.net> wrote:
>
>  I don't think I need this - at least for the moment.
>
> After much cleaning, I was still feeling places in the rotation where
> something felt like it was "catching" and I could not see anything that was
> causing that so I decided to remove the first plate (#45 in the exploded
> diagram) which is relatively easy to do.  I couldn't believe the gunk that
> was still on the inside and gears where I just couldn't see before.
>
> This morning, I happened to notice an odd washer that I remembered seeing
> but just wasn't sure where it went.  It has a small counterbore in one side
> and I finally determined it goes behind one of the split gears (#56) and
> the washer is #57.  It prevents the split gear from separating too far so
> "mystery" solved.
>
> While things are a bit messier to reassemble, the instructions are
> complete so it shouldn't be too difficult to get things back together (and
> hopefully no more "catching" points).
>
> Thanks,
> Barry - N4BUQ
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