Lego Technic: Axle & Gear Lubricant?
Discussion
I emailed Lego a few years ago to ask advice on lubricants for Technic, but they said oils would attract dust, be messy and possibly damage the plastic (which is self-lubricating anyway). While the self-lubricating point may be true to an extent, additional lubrication is definitely beneficial on some complex models; my Excavator and Unimog functions were dodgy at best despite them being built to spec., with no tight axles etc.
Frustrated by this, I decided to experiment with furniture wax: The 8043 excavator barely functioned as-built, so I decided to experiment with Mr.Sheen furniture polish spray. The effect was significant: The noise levels immediately reduced as the wax was dotted onto various components while running, and the model now works infinitely faster and smoother in all mechanical movements. Battery life is also much better, to the extent that despite a lot of use by my young son, the original Duracells are still going strong.
I’ve just done the same with a Unimog currently under construction, and again, the results of a small amount of lubrication are fantastic – the compressor is faster and smoother, and the steering (which barely functioned via the cab-top wheel) is now very easy to operate, to the extent I’m thinking of gearing the steering column and adding a drive motor to enable remote control.
It’s been a couple of years since the excavator was lubricated, and there appears to have been no degradation of the plastic, nor any visible accumulation of dust. I can’t see any downsides so far, but wondered if anyone’s heard of any consensus about suitable lubricants for use on technic axles and gears? Silicone was suggested at one point, but there was some debate about compatibility with the plastic.
Frustrated by this, I decided to experiment with furniture wax: The 8043 excavator barely functioned as-built, so I decided to experiment with Mr.Sheen furniture polish spray. The effect was significant: The noise levels immediately reduced as the wax was dotted onto various components while running, and the model now works infinitely faster and smoother in all mechanical movements. Battery life is also much better, to the extent that despite a lot of use by my young son, the original Duracells are still going strong.
I’ve just done the same with a Unimog currently under construction, and again, the results of a small amount of lubrication are fantastic – the compressor is faster and smoother, and the steering (which barely functioned via the cab-top wheel) is now very easy to operate, to the extent I’m thinking of gearing the steering column and adding a drive motor to enable remote control.
It’s been a couple of years since the excavator was lubricated, and there appears to have been no degradation of the plastic, nor any visible accumulation of dust. I can’t see any downsides so far, but wondered if anyone’s heard of any consensus about suitable lubricants for use on technic axles and gears? Silicone was suggested at one point, but there was some debate about compatibility with the plastic.
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