Lubrication of Cameras & Projectors

[Bryan Darling]

Hi,

 

I've been getting asked to do work on projectors, reel-to-reels, cameras, etc. I wanted to find some good products for oil & grease. It was recommended to me to use silicon based products. Does anyone have recommendations into actual product names, etc? I need stuff for gears, rollers, and other moving parts- both plastic & metal. I currently have cleaners for electrical contacts and such.

 

Thanks,

Bryan

[Canney]

Any general house oil would be good for lubrication.

[Tim Carroll]

I have been told to never use a silicon based lubricant on a motion picture camera. It will leach and migrate, possibly getting on the film.

 

-Tim

[Bryan Darling]

I have been told to never use a silicon based lubricant on a motion picture camera. It will leach and migrate, possibly getting on the film.

 

-Tim

 

I should be more specific. I was told to use the silicon based on projetors.

[Tim Carroll]

I should be more specific. I was told to use the silicon based on projetors.

 

Bryan,

 

Just found my notes, "Avoid using any lubricants with silicone as the silicone leaches and spreads and can really screw up the glass elements."

 

I was wrong, it is not that the silicone will attack the film, it will get on the glass elements and really screw them up.

 

-Tim

[Chris Keth]

Bryan,

 

Just found my notes, "Avoid using any lubricants with silicone as the silicone leaches and spreads and can really screw up the glass elements."

 

I was wrong, it is not that the silicone will attack the film, it will get on the glass elements and really screw them up.

 

-Tim

 

Silicon stuff is pretty bad to use, generally since it doesn't come off. The only place I've ever used silicon around cameras is on the pad near a panavision film gate. The pulldown claws touch this pad and self lubricate very, very slightly.

[Hal Smith]

Sewing machine oil is consistently top quality oil. Another good oil is turbine oil. But best of all is to try and get the manufacturer's recommended lubricants whenever possible. The engineers who design mechanical equipment often design it with specific viscosity and surficant properties in mind. For instance: the engineers who designed the Simplex projectors rely on the oil slowly seeping along axle shafts to lubricate certain bearings - their recommended oil has very well controlled viscosity and temperature characteristics.

[Bryan Darling]

Sewing machine oil is consistently top quality oil. Another good oil is turbine oil. But best of all is to try and get the manufacturer's recommended lubricants whenever possible. The engineers who design mechanical equipment often design it with specific viscosity and surficant properties in mind. For instance: the engineers who designed the Simplex projectors rely on the oil slowly seeping along axle shafts to lubricate certain bearings - their recommended oil has very well controlled viscosity and temperature characteristics.

 

Thanks Hal, that makes a lot of sense. I'll try and find out what Bolex cameras & projectors, Eiki projectors, Elmo projectors & the Kodak Pageant were designed for. I only worry that I'll end up with 20 products for all these specific devices.