White lithium spray grease

[valhalla]

OK, a bit strange this one, but it is all in the name of environmental protection;

I go through cases of White Lithium Spray Grease, 12 aerosols at a time, and I have just accidentally run-out. It was whilst I was berating myself for this oversight that I got thinking; Has anyone done a spray-bottle form of white spray grease, with a bulk container to refill it?

I have looked far and wide, and as far as I can tell, none of the main suppliers seems to offer a "Trade Bulk" option with a refillable bottle for White Lithium grease, or any grease come to that. Given that the stuff comes through an aerosol nozzle just fine, surely it could be delivered in the same way as a refillable WD40 bottle?

I use more than my fair-share of this sort of stuff, given that nothing moves for more than 5mins on this Isle without a regular dose of spray grease, however aerosols are a difficult shipment for me, and I have to limit my options as to where i can get this stuff from because of the couriers, etc. with compressed cans.

[trickydicky]

I've seen Eric O from SMA using something called "Fluid Film" on everything he touches, comes in bulk drums or aerosol cans, he is up in the rust belt so a similar environment I would guess??

[remmington]

I use Normfest High-Press Ultra - Adhesive Grease 400ml - blue stuff in cans.


I went away from aerosol cans for a while and now have returned to them (bad I know - please don't kill me Greta).

Reason being I always bulk buy on 400ml cans when they are on offer (works out cheaper this way than buying 5ltr cans - unreal I know).


The bulk of what I stock is 400ml aerosol cans of:


Brake cleaner

Spray grease

WD40 (and I always buy proper WD40)

Silicon lubricant




Plus odd can of switch cleaner - carb cleaner - satin black paint. I don't use spray lithium grease at all (and to be honest I can't remmember the last time I picked up a can of carb cleaner?)

[valhalla]

The thing is, I would like to go away from aerosols (you know where I live, Greta) and obviate the pallaver of having to dispose of them when they are used. I have boxes full of the flattened metal cans (plastic removed) to go into the scrap metal recycling bin.

It would kill a few birds with one stone (head down, Greta) by cutting out the waste, or most of it, and making it easier to keep larger quantities in-stock.

I did wonder about Eric o's Fluid Film, but I concluded it was probably just like WD40, or similar, whereas spray lithium is definitely a liquid-borne grease.

One line of enquiry that I'm going to make; that excellent link to the lanolin-based grease from a few weeks back. I wonder if those nice fellows do a big drum of something that can be blown at high-pressure into door hinges - maybe using a cleaning-gun on an airline at 90psi?

[trickydicky]

Apr 23, 2021 23:40:22 GMT 1 valhalla said:

The thing is, I would like to go away from aerosols (you know where I live, Greta) and obviate the pallaver of having to dispose of them when they are used. I have boxes full of the flattened metal cans (plastic removed) to go into the scrap metal recycling bin.

It would kill a few birds with one stone (head down, Greta) by cutting out the waste, or most of it, and making it easier to keep larger quantities in-stock.

I did wonder about Eric o's Fluid Film, but I concluded it was probably just like WD40, or similar, whereas spray lithium is definitely a liquid-borne grease.

One line of enquiry that I'm going to make; that excellent link to the lanolin-based grease from a few weeks back. I wonder if those nice fellows do a big drum of something that can be blown at high-pressure into door hinges - maybe using a cleaning-gun on an airline at 90psi?

Fluid Film apparently contains Lanolin from sheep wool and is non toxic, he has done a video all about it

Might be worth a look if you want to go green

[oli]

Like you, I’d far rather use a hand sprayer but I think the issue with grease is that it is too viscous to spray through a nozzle unless it is thinned out. The stuff from the aerosols I’ve used seems to be a lot of solvent with a bit of grease in it when you spray it. It then evaporates quickly to leave the grease. I suspect the solvent used is fairly volatile, perhaps too volatile to use in anything not sealed and able to hold the pressure if it starts to evaporate when left in the sun.

I’ve got several grease cans I cut to take a paintbrush in the lid - tippex style - which works well.

[valhalla]

Well, my first trial-kit of the Lanoguard products has turned-up this evening from the South Coast, so I will do some trials on these sprays and greases.

I am extrapolating from the reports by SMA (Eric 'O) et. al. about the Fluid Film products in the USA. I think they are similar, if not exactly the same, as the Lanoguard spray, but I may be wrong. If they are the same, the spray-bottle applicator will be just the ticket to getting this fluid sprayed into door catches and hinges, and that will be the acid-test: Will the fluid do the job over the next 12months?

Also, I ordered a tub of the thick, heavy lanoline-based grease. I have lamented more than a few times about not having access to Castrol Heavy anymore, but for anyone in any doubt of my thoughts on this subject - the old "Heavy" was/is still the only grease that lasts more than a week on towball hitches on the West Coast of Scotland. Anything elese just gets blasted clean off the hitches. The Lanoguard grease seems to be a very good substitute ("dipped-finger" test) and although it doesn't quite smell as nice as the old "Heavy", is approximately the same in all but colour - the Castrol was a bit more golden and translucent.

This is all very expensive stuff, so I hope it goes a long way.....

[huffo]

May 27, 2021 23:34:39 GMT 1 valhalla said:

I have lamented more than a few times about not having access to Castrol Heavy anymore, but for anyone in any doubt of my thoughts on this subject - the old "Heavy" was/is still the only grease that lasts more than a week on towball hitches on the West Coast of Scotland.

Nothing lasts on the rear face of our tow ball hitches either, but not because of the weather. If I forget to put the cap back on the tow ball, then it becomes a magnet for our trousers… it all gets rubbed off in a big black greasy stain the first time we try to get anything out of the back of the car…
Sod’s law says that expense grease would rub off even more quickly and leave an even worse stain!

[valhalla]

May 28, 2021 9:58:48 GMT 1 huffo said:

Sod’s law says that expense grease would rub off even more quickly and leave an even worse stain!

The old Castrol Heavy was enough to permanently ruin a pair of jeans, as it seemed to coagulate in the fibres and would not wash out at any temperature at-all.

I think that some of the colour and odour difference with this new Lanoguard grease is that they have included the fleeces around the back-end of the sheep, rather than just the middle, and there is the all-too-familiar smell of "wheelarch repairs" about this tub....