Where's the PTFE? McLube Sailkote versus WD-40 Dry PTFE

Yngmar

Yngmar

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This came up in a discussion about sliding hatch lubricants. I've previously used McLube Sailkote with great success, but the stuff costs an outrageous price. Since storm Katie left my nicely sailkoted hatch tracks full of grinding salt crystals, I thought I'd pick up a can of WD-40 Specialist Dry PTFE Lubricant and try it out for a comparison. Being a stingy bastard, I'm very interested in replacing fancy yottie lubricants with civilian alternatives for a fraction of the money.

The results were disappointing. It neither left the expected white stains (of PTFE), nor did it lubricate the tracks very much at all. That was after I'd wiped off salt and previous lubricants with warm soapy water. The Sailkote had done near magical things, actually making the hatch slide too easily - it was sliding around when the boat moved.

So I got a little curious and sprayed them both on a piece of brown cardboard. I sprayed for 3 seconds from approx. 7 cm distance into the center of the marked area. Then waited for the solvents to evaporate. As you can see in the photo below, the Sailkote left clear white powdery residue, which must be the PTFE. The WD-40 left none, at least none that I could see (no microscope on the boat, sorry). So where is the PTFE? Is it too small to see, or simply absent, or is there (I suspect) just so much less of it?

Other things worth noting: The Sailkote solvent evaporated slightly faster, and ran much less far then the WD-40. It also seems to have left less of a dark stain on the cardboard.

So where's the PTFE? Is finely powdered PTFE so expensive they have to be stingy with it? It sure doesn't cost much when bought as tape. If there is PTFE and it's just invisible for whatever reason (too fine?), why doesn't the WD-40 work as lubricant?

ptfe.jpg
 
It is possible to use solid PTFE as a skin on the runners. Alternatively, use solid PTFE. It isn't cheap and it will wear although glass loaded will last longer.

On my own boat, I'm thinking of plugging the counterbores the fixing screws live in with protruding PTFE plugs. They will be replaceable.
 
I bought some Holts PTFE at £4.99 per can rather than McLube at £24 !


The Holts worked well on running up the sails last week, but trying it on the *********** hatch tracks, was a disappointment. No PTFE residue visible; no reduction in shriek.


Then I discovered there's a can of McLube in a secret compartment on board :)


I wonder about the WD40 stuff. PTFE dispersed in light oil ? Used on e.g. tufnol, that would cause the material to swell.

Would it be worth using PTFE pipe sealant ??

https://www.rocol.com/products/ptfe-liquid-pipe-sealant
 
I believe that 'pure' PTFE, along with many elastomers and plastics, is colourless. The white colour of tape, sheet, washers, etc is due to the glass filling that gives it some mechanical strength. Maybe the WD40 contains the pure stuff?
 
I'm not sure what's in Mclube, but it really works well. Have tried other dry lubes but nothing nearly as good, or as non-staining.
 
I'm a great fan of Wurth Ultra 2040 lubricant spray which contains ptfe. It cured my sticky wind transducer and a sticking car door lock (just spray down the side of the button) and several other items and also smells rather nice. I have no connections with the Company.
 
vyv_cox said:
I believe that 'pure' PTFE, along with many elastomers and plastics, is colourless. The white colour of tape, sheet, washers, etc is due to the glass filling that gives it some mechanical strength. Maybe the WD40 contains the pure stuff?
Click to expand...

Hmm, you may be onto something there. But then what is the white stuff in Sailkote and why does it work so much better than the (clear or absent) stuff in the WD-40 Dry PTFE?
 
I've tried "3 In one" PTFE spray, sadly 3 in one is now just a WD40 brand name, it is near useless and leaves no white deposit.
If you go to France, the U-Ship one sold in many chandleries is very good, it does leave a white film, and it's a fraction of the price of McLube. About £4 a can I think from memory, similar to WD40/3 in one price anyway.

Edit - sorry bit more than that, €9.60 http://www.uship.fr/lubrifiant-ptfe-art_fr_822.html
 
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Why do people think Sailkote contains PTFE?
On the McLube website it says
Sailkote is typically five times as effective, and lasts much longer than, wax, oil or Teflon® based lubricants.
Click to expand...
As Teflon is the trade name for PTFE the implication, surely, is that Sailkote is not PTFE based.
 
The trouble with MSDS data is that manufacturers are allowed to omit anything in the composition which is considered non-harmful, so often the very component that is of interest is not mentioned in the MSDS or simply shown under a category such as "oil". It could be that by the implied non-use of Teflon (tradename) they are concealing the fact that the active ingredient is PTFE, just not sourced as Teflon. It can be very difficult to choose suitable products when the manufacturer will not say what it really is! The whole issue of selecting suitable engine oils can be similarly confusing without the guidance available from this forum, especially for an engine whose manual just says use OUR oil.

Rob.
 
Out of sheer curiosity I've picked up a can of Tectane PTFE Spray on my last trip to Toolstation. The same unscientific spray-on-cardboard test shows that a) all the solvent evaporates, so there's no other grease in it and b) white residue (which must be the PTFE or a carrier for it).

The somewhat more practical test on the sliding hatch tracks (which are used a lot) demonstrates the stuff is pretty good. Not quite as amazing as Sailkote, but definitely a huge improvement. Will make this my go-to product, as £3.18 for 400 ml of slightly inferior product is far better price/value than £24.40 for 470 ml of jesus jizz.
 
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Looking for something to use on sheaves, reluctant to spend £20 on a can of McLube Sailkote, I find aerosol cans sometimes loose pressure over a long time. Switched to using solid shaving soap for that reason.

It's does seem to be 'best in class' though drying cleanly and leaving behind plenty of white residue, presumably the PTFE, unlike other brands, as in OP.

Wondering if anyone has tried using PTFE powder for such purposes? Application might be harder and I'm not sure how it would stick to surfaces, but might be willing to try something cheaper for a little bit more faff. Would have to be used indoors of course.

Something like this? Description suggests uses for motor racing, bikes and 3d printers, pianos.
 
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ianj99 said:
I've bought some from Amazon but not used any yet. 143 5star reviews.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01186U64Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response. That's in a grease form though, which seems to have a negative in that it stays wet and attracts dust and dirt. Hence the 'dry' sprays where the propellant evaporates, leaving behind a residue. I was considering just using a very small amount of PTFE grease on the inside of the sheave disk, hopefully keeping and dust attraction to a minimum.
 
adamlang said:
Looking for something to use on sheaves, reluctant to spend £20 on a can of McLube Sailkote, I find aerosol cans sometimes loose pressure over a long time. Switched to using solid shaving soap for that reason.

It's does seem to be 'best in class' though drying cleanly and leaving behind plenty of white residue, presumably the PTFE, unlike other brands, as in OP.

Wondering if anyone has tried using PTFE powder for such purposes? Application might be harder and I'm not sure how it would stick to surfaces, but might be willing to try something cheaper for a little bit more faff. Would have to be used indoors of course.

Something like this? Description suggests uses for motor racing, bikes and 3d printers, pianos.
Click to expand...
I used Holts Pro-lube many years ago when I was having to drag the mainsail down bit by bit. I sprayed some Pro-lube on as I was hoisting the main and thought that was probably a waste of money as it just vaporised with no discernible residue. I just released the halyard at the end of the sail and reached up to pull the sail down. I got my hand to about shoulder height before being covered in mainsail.:D:D I always keep some on my boat and it last for ages. I think the last can was about £6-7 and imagine it might be a little more expensive now.

I use the Toolstation spray Yngmar mentioned above and it works quite well but isn't as good as the Holts spray. It leaves a white residue and penetrates quite well. I made the mistake of using it on a squeaky door after my wife moaned about it and I decided to do every door in the house. Big mistake. It has been a year or more and my wife still complains that every door closes slowly and silently if left open. She is forever picking up a load of things and discovering the door has closed yet again. We still have three doors wedged permanently open.

I see that was only available on clearance at a few branches recently (PTFE Spray 400ml £3.18). Toolstation seem to make a habit of dropping items that turn out to be good value.
 
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