What oil do you use in your stuffing tubes?

What oil/grease do you use in the stuffing tubes? Standard 10W30 motor oil? or something specific?

 

My preference is white lithium grease. Being thick, it's inclined to stay in the tubes & not leave an oily sheen on the water. I buy it in squeeze tubes, which makes it easy to install: Pull the shaft out of the tube (part-way is enough), stick the grease tube into the stuffing tube bearing, & squeeze until clean grease starts oozing out the other end. Then, slide the shaft back in & re-connect everything.

JM

 

I don’t bother filling the stuffing tube with grease. I do coat the shaft with grease during initial assembly. Install and work the grease into the tube bearing surfaces. At the post battle ship "dry off" before storage I place a small drop of 10W30 motor oil on the shaft exit by the prop. The oil and grease are there for running the props dry on the bench. In the water the water does the lubricating.
On a small ship (360 size motor) filling the stuffing tube with grease can significantly increase the load on the drive motor.

 

I don't fill the stuffing tube with grease, either. I just apply a thin layer of grease to the shaft, then insert it into the stuffing tube and spin it for a while to spread the lubrication around. As long as your components are within reasonable tolerances (ie not a millimeter off) then that's all it takes to keep water out. It's not 100%, but in a combat warship you'll have a lot more to worry about from battle damage than you will from the few drops of water per hour that a layer of white lithium grease will let through. Also, over-filling your stuffing tube with grease can cause a several-knots drop in speed, as well as increased current draw.

Mark is also right about the water lubricating everything well. My propulsion is always noisier before a battle than after.

 

I use a molybdenum based oil/grease usually used in automotive engine assembly. (I come from a motor racing background). It provides all the lube needed while keeping most if not all of the water out.
Rodney uses ungeared 385 mabuchis on both her props, and runs an esc for speed control. She's never had any problems with her shafts, and is nice and quiet. Her pump is actually louder than her propulsion.

 

I'm wondering if the differences we are seeing is due to different stuffing tube design? There are two methods that I know of to make a ST.

One method: (the easiest)
Find a tube & a shaft that will fit snugly into it.


Second method:
Find a tube
find a shaft that is 2-3 sizes too small for it.
Create 1" spacers that adapt the tube to the shaft
Build and attach spacers to each side of the tube
Run the shaft through the tube.
URL:
http://www.bderc.com/howto/chapter4/page6.html


I am using the second method because during tests with the first method I found the shaft got too hot, expanded, & dramatically increased resistance.


I'm rather leaning toward John's white lithium grease two reasons:

1. I have it on hand
2. This is what Basin Shipyards recommends for their tubes & as far as I can tell we are using the same design.

 

3rd method:

http://www.ntxbg.org/pgOnTheWays/pgStuffTube.htm

JM

 

I apply the lithium grease to the shafts before I insert it in the stuffing tubes. I also have teh stuffing tube filled with lithium grease. When I place the shaft back in I rotate and counterrotate the shaft pushing it in slowly at the same time I plug up the other end of the stuffing tube to reduce the amount of excess grease that will come out. I find this works well and keeps the shafts very quiet. Yes it will increase resistance and load but it will break in and work it's way loose after a few runs. Have not had any issues using this method.

 

I did use the White Lithium Grease with teflon from my bicycle toolkit, but now I use White Lithium in a very convenient spray can that I found it at Lowes:
http://www.crcindustries.com/hd/content/prod_detail.aspx?PN=05037&S=N

cheers
Jeff

 

Grease? Grease? What's that? I haven't put a drop of grease or oil on my Spahkreuzer's drive train since I got it two years ago. It's got some sort of dark grey goop on it that keeps it turning nice and pretty. I also haven't had much opportunity to properly grease it, because I've never needed to remove the propshafts.

In all my other projects, it's white lithium grease all the way.

 

That dark gray goop may have been white lithium grease once upon a time!

I try to remember to clean mine every year, replacing the gunky grease with fresh.

JM