Silicone Oil for Metal to Metal Lubrication?

[North West Outpost]

Re: Silicone Oil for Metal to Metal Lubrication?

I don't want to dispute what grease says on the tin should be used for lubing gear sets. Especially as I use Lithium which is whats recommended. But for a long while I used Silicon grease on gear sets and there were no apparent detrimental effects.

In particular reference to this. Recently the buyer of one of my previous builds where I would deffo have used Silicon on the gear set pm'd me and told me that after 2 years with frequent use and 30+ a sec. It had finally chewed a piston. He did not tell me that the gears were badly worn...I'm sure they would have been Element 13:1's and an Element duracon piston. They were my favourits at the time.

[Apurturesci]

Re: Silicone Oil for Metal to Metal Lubrication?

Well I have had a lot of GBBs in my time, and I can say that a GBB with no lube shows more wear on the slide rails than one lubed up every few days with silicone spray. It works for me, so I will use it.

[Oldcoldbellybadness]

Re: Silicone Oil for Metal to Metal Lubrication?

many thanks for the replies. i was curious as the top slide that exposes the hop up on my src g36c is sticking and i wanted to know if silicone oil/spray was the way to go?

[ThatblokewiththeScar.]

Re: Silicone Oil for Metal to Metal Lubrication?

Something else to consider is that silicon oil being a liquid can and will collect tiny particles and can form a slurry not dissimilar to cutting compound. I had a KSC G18C with a very badly worn slide which I put down to spraying silicon in the gun after every skirmish. When I investigated the sticking slide there was enough slurry at the back of the slide to T-Cut a Bentley!

Spray silicon is fine for the barrel and hop etc. But in an ideal world Lithium or Graphite works best on metal to metal.

This does not mean that if you use silicon you are wrong just that it may not be ideal. ICS do a combination silicon based gel oil for ever moving part of the gearbox and apart from being difficult to apply it works pretty well.

If you want ideal I have used Molybdenum Disulphide as a completely dry lubricant in a few gearbox's and one of them is still running today nearly 4 years on.

[tisane]

Something else to consider is that silicon oil being a liquid can and will collect tiny particles and can form a slurry not dissimilar to cutting compound.

And so does grease.
Both pick up crap from both inside and outside the gun with any form of lube on them, thats why we all clean our GBBs and relube on a regular basis.

[ThatblokewiththeScar.]

Re: Silicone Oil for Metal to Metal Lubrication?

And so does grease.

Yes, However grease will tend to hold particles in suspension due to the viscosity of the medium. Silicon oil will not and over time will deposit this detritus rather like a river with sediment.

To the OP. Some gun oil almost regardless of type is better than nothing so as long as you are carrying out some form of maintenance to your guns you are doing better than most. A couple of useful things to have in your toolbox are a can of silicon spray and one of white lithium. Most Airsoft site shops sell it or you can order online or go to B&Q. Silicon is used primarily for cleaning your barrel and maintaining your hop and is excellent for cleaning mud and crap of the body of you gun. White lithium is used as a metal to metal lube and is an excellent product. It is also useful for sticky folding stock hinges and the like.

As with all things to be lubricated less is more! a ruff guide is if you think you have applied to much then you probably have.

Assuming that you are not getting into the gearbox at this time then these two lubricants will do you fine. If you are going inside the gearbox then there are products made specifically for the job and are marked for the parts in use IE Gear, Bearing, Air-seal etc. There are many other products that will do the job but if you are not sure then just goggle Tokyo Marui or Guarder or Systema grease. The picture below is some of what I use every day.

Gun maintenance is the path to true happiness.:D

[Oldcoldbellybadness]

Re: Silicone Oil for Metal to Metal Lubrication?

so would pellgunoil be suitable? i use it in my co2 air weapons to help keep the seals moist. i'm assuming it will be safe for the rubber seals in my air soft gun?

[ThatblokewiththeScar.]

Re: Silicone Oil for Metal to Metal Lubrication?

so would pellgunoil be suitable? i use it in my co2 air weapons to help keep the seals moist. i'm assuming it will be safe for the rubber seals in my air soft gun?

I imagine it would be fine as it appears to be for pressures much higher then we use. But I have no experience of this product so could not give advice one way or another.