The Steel Guitar Forum

i am getting excessive squeaking and creaking from A and B, what is the recommended lube for moving parts?

tri-lube (bicycle shop or WalMart)

Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com

Tri-Flow

oops you are right

Here's how I did mine with Tri-Flow:

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Lubricate/Lubricate.html


Greg

If you get the Tri-Flow, be sure you get the "Superior Lubricant" not the "Dry" (bicycle) one with wax in it.

right, sounds like tri-flow gets the unanimous vote. thanks guys.

The only thing I use is Tri-Flow. I got it at Wal-Mart,
but they don't carry it anymore, so I need a new source.
Carl

I also have used Tri-flow or other Teflon lubricants for years.

And ONLY the dry type. The mineral oil version gums up the works like most any oil, as it attracts and hold dirt. The paraffin used is not the stuff you would think of (like candle wax) - it's a harder material used as a binder for the Teflon. When working on changers and other moving parts I (especially on older guitars) flush everything clean with naphtha (lighter fluid) and then treat with dry Teflon lube. It never gums up, doesn't break down and takes a very long time before additional treatment is needed.

My primary steel is a 59-ish, heavily modified 8-pedal, 2-knee Fender 400 with cables, pedal rod levers one large and numerous small pulleys and a changer that has a scissor-like mechanism for each string with sliding plates. It (and every other one I've worked on) was sluggish and gummy until cleaning and dry Teflon treatment. Plays like butter now. Other Fender players are usually shocked by the light pedal action.

Singer sewing machine oil or 30w non-detergent motor oil works very well also. Jack

You may also want to check if the pedal bar is still fixed tightly to the legs.

Hmmm. Astroglide... On a serious note, sewing machine oil works great as well as triflow. Cheers.

If you need to order it, Bill Rudolph sells teflon lubricant in small applicator bottles: http://williamsguitarcompany.com/store_accessories.html

went through the entire instrument with tri-flow, HUGE difference in noise and feel of the mechanics. spring noise was the worst culprit, all gone. now i can actually hear how bad my playing is with no interference whatsoever. thanks guys.

Just been looking for Tri-Flow here in the UK with a bit of difficulty and found a product called Finish Line Dry Teflon Lube. It's available from bicycle shops.

Apparently it's:

The industry’s original "dry" lubricant. Finish Line DRY Lube goes on wet, but then sets up in a dry, ‘paste-like’ film so it will not attract or absorb grit and grime. Teflon® fluoropolymer and specialized synthetic oils run silky smooth and provide excellent durability.


So looks like it ticks all same boxes as Tri-Flow, but easier to get hold of.


Add to a refillable Needle Point Oiler (from Maplin) and I should be good to go.

went through the entire instrument with tri-flow, HUGE difference in noise and feel of the mechanics. spring noise was the worst culprit, all gone. now i can actually hear how bad my playing is with no interference whatsoever. thanks guys.

There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding “TriFlow” Teflon lubricant.

There are two major versions of Tri-Flow:
1. “Tri-Flow Superior Lubricant”. This is the most common version, found in most hardware stores. It goes on wet and the liquid solvent evaporates, leaving a slippery film of Teflon.
“Tri-Flow Superior Lubricant provides twice the lubricating power of most competitive brands. Its light viscosity allows for deep penetration into hard to reach moving parts.”
http://www.triflowlubricants.com/Superi ... drip.html

Many Forumites have reported good results with this “regular” version of Tri-Flow, and several steel guitar builders and mechanics recommend it.

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2. “Tri-Flow Superior Dry Lubricant”. This version is typically found in bike shops.
“Tri-Flow Superior Dry Lubricant was specifically designed to lubricate like an oil and stay clean like a wax. Its exclusive formula includes paraffin wax and high grade petroleum oil which penetrates as it quickly sets up and dries, leaving a thin, visible, coating that repels water as it lubricates.”
http://www.triflowlubricants.com/Dry_Lu ... /dry.html

The wax was apparently added to the “dry” version sold in bike shops to prevent rain and mud from removing the Teflon coating on your bike chain and other exposed parts. Since most people do not play their steel guitar in the rain or drag it through the mud, I don’t understand why anyone would knowingly put paraffin into the precision parts of a steel guitar.
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Not knowing that it contained paraffin, I had a disastrous experience with this “dry” version of Tri-Flow—a very small amount gummed up the roller nuts and caused it to be out of tune. I would use the “dry” version on my bicycle, but never, ever again on my steel guitar. Any “dry” version of Teflon, such as the Finish Line brand will have the same disastrous effect--the label may not indicate it, but it does contain paraffin.

There are a couple of Forumites who keep touting this “dry” version of Tri-Flow with paraffin; this is the worst advice I have ever received from the SGF. I have never heard any steel guitar builder or mechanic recommend the “dry” version.

Since steel guitars are not normally played in the rain or in muddy puddles like your bike chain might go through, using the version with wax in it doesn't make any sense to me. I do not understand why anyone would want to get wax into their steel guitar’s precision mechanism.
On the other hand, using “standard” Triflow (without the added wax) on a steel guitar makes a lot of sense.

I am not telling anyone what to do, or giving advice-- I am simply reporting a dreadful experience I had with Teflon “dry” lubricant that left a waxy buildup that jammed up the roller nuts and the changer, causing my guitar to play out of tune, until I figured out what had happened, and spent a couple of hours cleaning every bit of the "dry" version of the teflon lube out of the mechanism.

- Dave

I am currently having great results with two products: The "wet" triflow and also what Mickey Adams uses and recommends - Mobil Jet Turbine Engine oil. Can be bought at any major airport for about $18 a quart. This oil is light and slippery.
For example - two drops down between two changer fingers is enough to keep it running smoothly without squeaks for ages.
I lubed my steel a year ago. The steel sits in my dusty, dirty shop environment and everything moves freely with no sign of binding up.

You might try "REM-OIL" with teflon made by Remington firearms. I like it better than anything else I've got or used and I used just about everything that's out there. You can usually get it at WalMart too.
BB

I second the REM-OIL.
It is for sporting equipment so there is a plentiful supply at Wal-Mart.

My preferred oil is Tri-Flow, but Rem-Oil also works just fine. I get both at my local gun-shop.

May I just add word of warning if you decide to use jet turbine oil? Contact with the skin may result in "de-fatting" of the affected area, and some people can become sensitised and develop dermatitis. It is a very, very good oil, but handle it with care. It isn't your everyday "3-in-1" variety!

An annual flushing with naptha (lighter-fluid to us Aussies) followed by re-oiling around the changer, roller-nut and moving parts in the undercarriage will go a long way to keeping your steel playing as smooth as butter.

Inox

Ned McIntosh wrote:
May I just add word of warning if you decide to use jet turbine oil? Contact with the skin may result in "de-fatting" of the affected area, and some people can become sensitised and develop dermatitis. It is a very, very good oil, but handle it with care. It isn't your everyday "3-in-1" variety!

Ned, I never thought of that. I got it on my fingers with no ill effects. The feel of the oil reminds me of the finest lubrication ever, and it feels very slippery.
Of course other people might react differently and I thank you for the warning.

The newer synthetic MobilJet II, and Exxon 2380 Oils, are completely non-corrosive, and contain no paraffin wax...

Mickey Adams wrote:The newer synthetic MobilJet II, and Exxon 2380 Oils, are completely non-corrosive, and contain no paraffin wax...

Cool!! Synthetic oils catch up to the 1920s!!
http://scripophily.stores.yahoo.net/inrecobetema.html

(My maternal grandfather was F. X. Govers that figured out how to remove paraffin from lube oil. I didn't know that it was still the method. I've never even gotten a free court of Havoline.

I usually use Remoil.
I'm thinking of trying the Triflow.
My mechanic and local gun guy said he'd probably use Marvel Mystery oil. It doesn't come in an application-friendly bottle, though.