deskthority

Last time I had checked otd I found an article on lubing mx switches.
They used some kind of mysterious "otd oil" in combination with KG-8 micro PTFE lubricant.
It is available in the US.
http://www.simmonsle.com/xcart/product. ... 254&page=1

My brother uses similar stuff on just about everything, like door hinges. It should work pretty good on Cherry switches I imagine. I might have to try it out on scroll lock and see how it does.

There are several ways to lube switches. You can either lube the stem, the spring or both. I'll try to write some more on this subject later on.

How often would you say the switches should get treated with some lube? And when can you tell it need to get some lube?

I'm still interested in trying some of that paint-on dry lubricant for sliders, it's the one thing I haven't tried.
All other lubes just lead to more friction and gunk in my experience. From what I've seen, it's gotta be dry.

I think the friction of the cherry mx switches is really annoying.
However I have just found the holy grail.
http://www.iomania.co.kr/frontstore/ite ... _id=iomall
Now I just need someone to help me with shipping.

Also a favorite of porn directors in Korea AND Japan.

sixty wrote:There are several ways to lube switches. You can either lube the stem, the spring or both. I'll try to write some more on this subject later on.

Sixty, did you ever manage to "write some more on this subject"? I'm specifically interested in a lubricant for well worn Alps switches that's easily available in Germany.

Sadly there is no such thing as an easily available really good lubricant. I tried the commonly available dry lube and variants, none of them are as good as that RO59 stuff. Sadly it seems to be only for sale in Japan. Its an American brand, but the water based lube for plastic is not for sale through their American site.

I might still have a few left over drops somewhere, which are enough to lube 100 switches. One I am done with the Poker distribution and a little less stressed I'll look for it and send it to you if you still need it by then.

RiGS wrote:Last time I had checked otd I found an article on lubing mx switches.
They used some kind of mysterious "otd oil" in combination with KG-8 micro PTFE lubricant.
It is available in the US.
http://www.simmonsle.com/xcart/product. ... 254&page=1

How do you grind a molecule to half its molecular weight? Good lord, ad-speak makes me all stabby. (I'm not saying that it may not be a fine product, just that they clearly did not have an engineer or chemist read proof their marketing BS.)

sixty wrote:Sadly there is no such thing as an easily available really good lubricant. I tried the commonly available dry lube and variants, none of them are as good as that RO59 stuff. Sadly it seems to be only for sale in Japan. Its an American brand, but the water based lube for plastic is not for sale through their American site.

I might still have a few left over drops somewhere, which are enough to lube 100 switches. One I am done with the Poker distribution and a little less stressed I'll look for it and send it to you if you still need it by then.

Have you tried that KG-8 stuff as well?
It is widely availble.
Here is a Korean article about lubing Cherry switches with that KG-8 lubricant.
http://www.otd.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_tabl ... C%EB%B7%B0
Is there anyone who can translate it?

sixty wrote:Sadly there is no such thing as an easily available really good lubricant. I tried the commonly available dry lube and variants, none of them are as good as that RO59 stuff. Sadly it seems to be only for sale in Japan. Its an American brand, but the water based lube for plastic is not for sale through their American site.

I might still have a few left over drops somewhere, which are enough to lube 100 switches. One I am done with the Poker distribution and a little less stressed I'll look for it and send it to you if you still need it by then.

Thanks for the answer and offer. I need a bigger amount though. What alternative lube(s) would you recommend then, even if it's not near as good as the mighty Ro59? :)

What about these from electrolube?
CG60 http://www.electrolube.com/docs/lubricantmain.asp?id=62
CG70 http://www.electrolube.com/docs/lubrica ... asp?id=202
LCG http://www.electrolube.com/docs/lubrica ... asp?id=205
SPG http://www.electrolube.com/docs/lubricantmain.asp?id=70

Farnell is selling CG60 and SPG
http://uk.farnell.com/electrolube/cg603 ... dp/1098273
http://uk.farnell.com/electrolube/spg35 ... /dp/725626

DuPont Non-Stick Dry-Film Lubricant:
http://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Non-Stick- ... B003UTX0R8
It's based on isopropyl alcohol, which is generally safe for most plastics and dries faster than water.
Info and MSDS here:
http://www2.dupont.com/Consumer_Lubrica ... cants.html

Applications include:
Electrical switches and connectors, gaskets, seals, rollers, plastic gears.

Haven't tried it but the specs look promising!

Hmm, I like pure isopropyl alcohol to clean stuff. It isn't the fastest way to clean, but it leaves no residue at all. If I clean a trackball with it, it does the job too well, the trackball won't roll nicely and I have to lubricate it with my hands. The isopropyl acts as an anti-lubricant here.

I'm not in expert in chemics, so maybe someone can explain what the role of the isopropyl is in this class of lubricants? Surely the actual lubrication is from the impure parts of it? Is it a thinner and just a way to transport the lubricant to the surface to be lubricated, and then vaporize?

I think so, these dry lubricants use a liquid as a transport mechanism, and then need to dry, leaving the teflon bonded to the surface. The RO59 site even says you need to heat the area for 30 minutes for the bond to happen, otherwise let it dry overnight. My guess is isopropyl-based will dry much faster, and won't be harmful to plastics like acetone.

Acts as a solvent
(@webwit)
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