Lubrication for Slide Valve

[Binary Blue]

I have one of these slide valves.



I notice that they get noticeable harder to pull when left alone for even a short period of time (a few hours). What would be safe to use to lubricate them?

I was thinking mineral oil.

[jsefcik]

You could probally use any oil , there is no rubber inside correct?

[Gippeto]

Will suggest you try a silicone based grease....ie...divers grease, some plumbing greases, etc.

Failing that, there are some nice full synthetic greases also available in small quantities. Permatex "Ultra Slick" is nice stuff.

[evilvet]

White Lithium Grease
http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online ... 5464#Cross

Works like a treat, doesn't attract grit and lasts for ever.

[mattyzip77]

vaseline is a mans and spuguns best friend!!!!!!

[dewey-1]

You could probally use any oil , there is no rubber inside correct?

Here is a typical inside view of slide valve. Note the o-rings!

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

You could probally use any oil , there is no rubber inside correct?

[PVC Arsenal 17]

I use Gunk silicone grease on my slide valves. I find that grease, as opposed to oil, works best for this application. And you can always count on silicone not to ruin any o-rings.

[jsefcik]

You could probally use any oil , there is no rubber inside correct?

Thats what I meant wasnt sure about the insides

[mattyzip77]

You could probally use any oil , there is no rubber inside correct?

FaCePaLm.......... :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[jsefcik]

You could probally use any oil , there is no rubber inside correct?

FaCePaLm.......... :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Wasnt sure about what the insides consisted of, as I said in the beginning , there is no rubber inside correct someone could have said there is rubber inside therefore I was wrong

[Brian the brain]

Without rubbers it wouldn't be safe...

I suggest using Lithium grease aswell.
Another option would be Teflon spray.
Don't soak the O-rings as some will suck it up and expand making the valve harder to open.

Silicone spray will be gone in no time..doesn't last.

[PVC Arsenal 17]

Without rubbers it wouldn't be safe...

+1

[MrCrowley]

Wasnt sure about what the insides consisted of, as I said in the beginning , there is no rubber inside correct someone could have said there is rubber inside therefore I was wrong

There are o-rings which can deteriorate if you use the wrong oils. We're not making fun of you because you didn't know the internals of a slide valve, it's because you failed to think critically about the design. You know that 99% of valves and stuff here require some sort of rubber for a temporary seal (sealing face, diaphragm, o-rings, etc), yet you couldn't infer that a slide valve would also have some form of rubber that allows it to seal.

This brings me to two points I've brought up with you in the past:
1) Try to think logically. If a slide valve doesn't have rubber as a part of it to help sealing, how does it seal? Just asking that simple question allows you to deduce that it most likely uses o-rings because: (a) most other valves do in similar applications, and (b) it would be the cheapest and easiest method for obtaining a seal.

2) Don't answer questions if you don't know the answer to them. I have a friend who is a bit like this. He will genuinely ask me if some random fact or bit of trivia (that he's probably come up with on the spot) is true or not, not knowing the answer himself, and I usually wont have a clue and say that I don't know. He'll then immediately repeat that bit of fact or trivia to someone else in the room (who has heard our conversation) as if I had told him it were true.

No one expects you to know the answer to everything so, if you don't know, it might be best to stay quiet instead of muddying the waters and potentially leading someone to destroy their valve's seals. This is different to if you don't know the answer to something but know some additional information that might help them nonetheless, i.e. I don't know if a slide valve has rubber seals, but you should probably use an oil that wont disintegrate or damage rubber.

jsefcik, I know that you might think I'm just being mean again and you'll feel forced to edit or remove your previous posts from this topic (don't do this by the way, it will be detrimental to your SF account's health), but I'm trying to help prevent you from getting in these situations again. I'm not making fun of you, I'm just stating the truth (which may be harder to deal with than other members making fun of you). If you feel like this keeps happening to you, maybe you should heed my advice and not answer questions unless you know what you're talking about. If I had said what you said (I'm sure I've said just as embarrassing stuff about things to do with chemistry or physics), I would accept that my post was deserving of ridicule and then try to think how I can stop myself from making the same mistake again