Prop Tube lubrication & sealing

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

I was chatting to an old chap recently who told me that he used to lubricate & seal his prop tubes by simply drilling a hole in the tube, heating up lard so it went liquid & using a syringe to fill the tube. The lard would then cool & solidify & give a good seal & lubrication. A bit of tape sealed the hole.

There seems a simple logic in that idea, any suggestions?

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

It sounds an excellent way of introducing unwanted friction into the driveline. I'm baffled why someone would want to fill the tube with congealed fat when oil and grease are readily available. I would imagine it would emulsify and go rancid and you would simply end up with an unpleasant slime.

There are many suggestions on this forum for lubricating propeller shafts. We also have an article on the subject of Drivelines by Glynn Guest which is very useful. Well worth a read.

**LINK**

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

No No No No no…the lard would set solid and the motor would burn out when trying to turn it….OR, if it didn’t then your esc would fry!

There is no consensus of opinion on this topic. What you do need, is to use nylon washers at either end of the tube and adjust the nuts so there is no discernible play in the shaft. Not tight, but getting there. This should minimise water coming down the tube.

Personally I would smear the prop-shaft with grease upon insertion, and give the inner bearings a drip of oil now and then. In theory the bottom bearing will be water lubricated effectively, so oil this less.

However, this is a bone of contention so stand by for alternative views if anyone posts with the same thing they have said10 times before!

Ashley

[Charles OatesParticipant @charlesoates31738]

Oh dear lord no, let's not get into prop shaft lubrication again.

Lard? I've checked my calendar, April first is next week.

Stephen, I apologise for sounding so dismissive, sometimes old and experienced modelers have unusual ideas, this is one best avoided. Fit a lubrication tube to the prop tube by all means, many of us do, then use whatever proper lubricant you settle on. I'm not even going to re-open the subject again by mentioning my choice.

Chas

[Dave Cooper 6Participant @davecooper6]

Hi Stephen

I was looking into this just the other day. On my little RAF launch (16&quot I just arranged things so that the motor end of the prop shaft was above the water-line. Then removing the nylon bush, put a little 'vaseline' at the top end and replaced the bush. No problems with any water in the hull so far…and, the shaft spins freely.

For my Pilot Cutter (42&quot, the thrust line may be a little more awkward. So, I'll probably buy a purpose made shaft complete with lubrication kit (syringe, grease etc). I think "Model Boat Bits" do them.

Happy modelling,

Dave C

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

A perennial question that sadly I can no longer argue with Dave M.

This season I was looking forward to in-depth discussions over PTFE grease.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Years ago I bought a small pot of Tri Flow Grease with Teflon. I still have a tiny amount left. It seemed ideal for propshafts.

It does appear to be still available and particularly recommended for push bikes but it is a bit expensive. I was thinking of getting some more for my latest models.

**LINK**

Mine was made in Birmingham but it looks as if it is now sold by model shops under the Pronatur brand.

**LINK**

I shall order from the Leeds model shop I think.

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I bought a tube of waterproof silicone grease for the jet drive shaft on the Stingray, and used a syringe to inject it ubtil it oozed out the end….(bearing in mind the "shaft2 is probably 30mm long)

HOWEVER, the grease is quite thin and may be suitable for propshafts.

Ashley

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

I shan't mention it again if I see him then, he did say it was some years ago, perhaps it was an economy job. I don't think I would put lard in my real narrowboat stern tube, I've got a tin of grease for that!!

Stephen

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Stephen.

People didn’t have the money we have nowadays to buy fancy waterproof dilithium greases and stuff, and used what they had!

No doubt other people probably used lard at some time although none are likely to admit it now.

Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

Where can I get this dilithium grease as the potential for a warp drive model is out of this world.

Beam me up.

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

At the beginning of this thread, the gentleman who used the lard to seal his propeller shaft – I wonder how old this gentleman be? I wonder if he came from the same school as the gent who was my mentor when I first started modelling? If my mentor were alive today he would be roughly 102 yr old. If you didnt have a steam driven model – it wasn't a model. But, he did have a beautiful book of all these weird and wonderful solutions for problems encountered in modelling.

I will always recall one of his many solutions to mix high temperature grease with old car engine sump oil. This was to be poured into the steam lubricators on steam engines (helps them lubricate when running under steam).

His other tip which I remember was he used to use tallow – the grease from the slipway where the bigger ships were launched. He used to use it for tapping grease – also – he used to use the same stuff as prop tube lubricant.

Also, can you remember the powdered milk tins that baby milk used to come in – none of them were ever thrown out. A few of his models were made from tin plate salvaged from these tins. One of the models was HMS Ark Royal – and yes it was steam driven – good old Mr James Berwick with his book of knowledge.

The other thing is who remembers lard/dripping and salt sandwiches – beef dripping off the Sunday dinner – when I think back to what people ate – its a wonder people survived.

Goodness I miss the old so and so Milbourn – I bet he would have come back with some corking answers.

John

Edited By John W E on 28/03/2021 16:37:39

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

My little pot of grease has arrived from Leeds Model Shop (ordered on Sunday!). It appears to be the same stuff as the original.

Colin

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