Valvoline multi-purpose grease...

It should work fine for lube. I have a Rock Chucker supreme that has loaded tens of thousands of rounds and its never had a drop of lube or grease. Its still like new and extremely tight.
 
Could do. The problem with grease, in general, is its ability to pick up grit and primer residue and hold it against the working surfaces, so you want to be judicious about your application of it. In some applications its viscosity makes it take more effort to slide something rather than less. It's good in a linkage, though. For sliding surfaces, like the ram on a press, I sometimes just use a little single-viscosity 20W non-detergent motor oil. It has no significant lateral load, so it doesn't need way oil, though I have used that, too, when it was what was in the oil can at hand. In any case, you can try the grease and if you don't like it, try the oil, which will gradually wash the grease out.

Another lube I used recently to reassemble my Dillon 600 swaging tool, was to soak the steel parts in Sprinco Plate+ Silver for three days. You can wipe it all off, but it has a layer still bonded to the steel surface and it made the whole cam so slick the weight of the handle makes it fall open. So this is one way to get lubrication without dust attraction.
 
I believe most, if not all 'multi purpose' grease is NLGI No. 2 which is probably too thick for use on a reloader. Maybe a NLGI No. 0 would be better? I use Tetra Gun Grease on the pivot points on my press, and gun oil on the ram itself to make it easier to wipe off the carbon dust from decapping.

Anyhow, thanks for the reminder. I am sure my press is over due for disassembly, cleaning and lubing.
 
Lee Precision recommended STP, that's what they said they use.
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Wow. I haven't even heard of that stuff since my high school days and my 396 Impala.

STP pretty much has the viscosity of peanut butter, doesn't it?
 
FoghornLeghorn said:
Wow. I haven't even heard of that stuff since my high school days and my 396 Impala.

STP pretty much has the viscosity of peanut butter, doesn't it?
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And sticky as hell. I had a can of it one Winter years ago in my garge...it would not pour out of the can. I cut the lid off and found it was "jelled" from the cold...had to heat it with a propane torch to get it to pour. I have not seen it for years also.
 
dahermit said:
And sticky as hell. I had a can of it one Winter years ago in my garge...it would not pour out of the can. I cut the lid off and found it was "jelled" from the cold...had to heat it with a propane torch to get it to pour. I have not seen it for years also.
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Its sticky because its an additive and not an oil.
 
Ralph Walker wrote a book on gunsmithing book many years a go and recommended using STP as a lubricant on lathe deadcenters because it would last much longet than plain oil and he knew what he was talking about in that case. He also had a chapter on using A/O torches and how to cut with one. He missed on that advise.

I once laid a bottle of STP on the dash of my work truck and it leaked a little bit. I never did get all of it off the vinyl. That spot always collected dirt quickly.
 
reynolds357 said:
Its sticky because its an additive and not an oil.
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Yes, I added a can of STP to the oil when I changed oil im BSA 650 c.c., "Spitfire-Hornet", and 650 scrambles bike. I remember commercials for STP showing how to dip a screwdriver in the STP, pinch the tapered bit between one's thumb and index finger, that the weight of the screwdriver was enough that it would slip through your fingers no matter how much pressure one applied. It was consider good stuff back in the day.
 
I don't claim to be an expert on STP. Some folks claim it settled out of motor oild and made a wad in the bottom of the oil sump,which might delay oil at the pickup getting through the pump.

I confess I had a worn Chevy SS 396 that I put STP in.I can't say it did any good.

I heard the race folks sponsored by STP used it in the gear boxes rather than the engines.

I had a Triumph T150 V motorcycle. On pure 90 weight gear oil,the synchros were not quite adequate.Crunch. Adding a little STP worked good.

Anyway,sticky as it can be! Powder granules would stick like sprinkles on a donut!!. Its like very cold honey.
Unless you just had it on the toggle pins.

The pins and the holes in the links operate under very heavy loads.

Good place for an EP grease.

As UN said,for the rest of the press,like the ram,Alight oil that will keep the black stuff in suspension,rather than cake is good.

IMO,something like CLP or even (gasp) WD 40 as a frequent flushing lube to keep the ram clean will be sufficient lube.

IMO,its a little more complex when dealing with a progressive press.

Manufacturers recomendations would be a good choice
 
I remember the standing joke between my onery high school buddies and me back in the '60's was we would say somebody with a worn out engine in their car needed the magic elixor called STP that stood for "Stop Terrible Pounding"
 
Unless you frequently degrease, clean thoroughly, then relube, any "sticky" lube is a poor choice in an application where it can pick up dirt, dust, primer/powder residue or anything else. IN a sealed gearbox, ok, in an open environment, not so much. Crud turns your grease into valve grinding compound. Not good.

A dry film lube would be a superior choice.
 
Just regular old Super Lube NLGI #2, lubed up, then wiped off. Wipe it off every few months to a year. Add more every year or 2.
 
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I use the same oil that I use in my industrial sewing machines. It’s mineral oil based, doesn’t varnish and made to wash through the surface over time so as you keep oiling it, it cleans crud out with it.
 
0000238_o-ring-silicone-grease_360.jpeg


https://www.super-lube.com/o-ring-silicone-grease

Available from Amazon; great for presses, linkage, collets on MECs, etc.
 
About anything will work, as long as you keep some on there and clean out the dirty stuff.
I have threatened to oil a gun with real castor oil, just to see what happens. Can't be any worse than Froglube or Fireclean.
 
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