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

[Barry]

I'm a fan of Mobil 1 as well and just where it's needed.

Regarding the cleaning, before disassembly, I tried Naptha, a "Parts Cleaner" spray (that smelled like it contained Naptha), hot soapy water (Dawn), IPA, and nothing had removed the gunk that remained where I really couldn't see it.  I used Acetone and paper towels to get that stuff off.  It was quite stubborn.  I am glad, though, that I removed that front plate and the gears it exposes.  Those are quite a bit cleaner now.

Unfortunately, the large, brass split gears are riveted together so getting the mating surfaces really clean is a bit more of a challenge but at least it moves freely now.

I'd like to remove the other split gears but I think those are okay now.  At least they slide freely enough and spring back good enough.

Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ

> 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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