Copper Grease or Not?

TernVI

Well-known member
Joined
8 Jul 2020
Messages
5,070
Visit site
.

I agree and for this reason it isn't a good idea to mix copper filled greases with stainless that is in a stressed location. I think ordinary grease would be fine. Try and minimalist the variety of materials in contact.
If it's stressed, it may be better to use a high tensile BZP bolt and change it when it gets tatty.
 

Poey50

Well-known member
Joined
26 Apr 2016
Messages
2,309
Location
Chichester
Visit site
That was my guess also.

It's fun to make these assumptions but it would be surprising to me if a well-established business such as Windpilot, which has gone through much development over several decades in a competitive market, hadn't twigged that they were using an unnecessarily expensive product. So I'm keeping an open mind and will continue with my hard smelly tub.
 

stuartwineberg

Well-known member
Joined
24 Oct 2007
Messages
1,751
Location
Romsey, Hants
Visit site
Haven't tried this yet, is it as messy as Duralac?
No. Its a white gel like substance not dissimilar to vaseline and comes in a syringe with a little brush attached. You can syringe it in or dip the brush into the main body of the gel in the syringe barrel. Very expensive (American import) but goes on forever. AFAIK doesn't go off like duralac
 

Stemar

Well-known member
Joined
12 Sep 2001
Messages
22,535
Location
Home - Southampton, Boat - Gosport
Visit site
Thanks everyone. A4 bolts and anhydrous lanolin it is. I have a couple of tubes of Duralac on board, but they're waiting for me to dig them out and bin them. I dislike that stuff intensely - while it's still good, it gets everywhere then, when you need it, it's gone solid and you have to buy another lifetime's supply
 

Bilgediver

Well-known member
Joined
6 Jun 2001
Messages
8,076
Location
Scotland
Visit site
It's fun to make these assumptions but it would be surprising to me if a well-established business such as Windpilot, which has gone through much development over several decades in a competitive market, hadn't twigged that they were using an unnecessarily expensive product. So I'm keeping an open mind and will continue with my hard smelly tub.


I hope you rub some on your prop before lifting in! Gives you hands that are soft.......... Plus the barnacles find it difficult to stick.
 

vyv_cox

Well-known member
Joined
16 May 2001
Messages
25,351
Location
France, sailing Aegean Sea.
coxeng.co.uk
Copper and Stainless are not a good mix. Some grades suffer badly from inter-granular penetration by the copper in the grease which affects the structural integrity of the bolts after time, some less so but when I worked on Reactor systems in the 70's We weren't allowed to use our own tools in case we'd had them in contact with copper, brass or bronze.
I only know intergranular penetration of one metal by another at elevated temperatures. Well, maybe mercury might be an exception. Are you saying it happens at ambient temperatures?
 

Topcat47

Well-known member
Joined
2 Jun 2005
Messages
5,032
Location
Solent, UK
Visit site
Hi Vyv,

I'm not a metallurgist, but we were all paranoid about contamination of SS by Copper in reactor systems, not just HT and HP systems and it spread to all aspects of SS work. I left that field in '73 and didn't get involved with it again until '98 and then is was in management.
 

RichardS

N/A
Joined
5 Nov 2009
Messages
29,240
Location
Home UK Midlands / Boat Croatia
Visit site
Hi Vyv,

I'm not a metallurgist, but we were all paranoid about contamination of SS by Copper in reactor systems, not just HT and HP systems and it spread to all aspects of SS work. I left that field in '73 and didn't get involved with it again until '98 and then is was in management.
Whatever you do, don't use stainless steel nuts and bolts without copper grease or similar. If you do, eventually you will experience galling and, as I have found out, that can certainly be an extremely galling experience. :(

Richard
 
Top