On Sun, 3 Mar 2019 08:52:10 -0000 (UTC), gregz <
ze...@comcast.net>
wrote:
If you're thinking of making your own, forget it. I tried and failed.
The trick is that it should not evaporate, not creep, and has to be
constant viscosity over a wide temperature range. If you read the
optics forums, you'll find that volatized thread lubricant, deposited
on the internal optics, is a really bad idea. This is not much of a
problem with electronic controls, except perhaps security cameras
inside waterproof domes. Creep is having the grease melt and drip all
over the front panel and the owners fingers. Constant viscosity is
needed to keep the controls from feeling loose when hot, and stuck
when cold. I gave up on making my own and over-paid for the real
stuff.
I suggest you NOT use silicone grease, which will creep and land on
the resistance material of a potentiometer or contacts of a switch.
Silicone grease is a good insulator and might produce a bad
connection, especially when mixed with dust and dirt. If this
happens, methinks the best cleaning solvents are hexane or Coleman
camp fuel which is about 25% hexane, and a soapy water cleanup.