What does everyone use for lubrication? I used to use Labelle, but can't find it locally. Would 3-in-1 Oil work? They also have a version with silicone at Home Depot.
Don't use general, multi-purpose oil like 3 in 1. Even if you can't find LaBelle lubes locally, order them or other model railroad-specific lubricants. Be sure they are plastic compatible. Doug
Wahl Pro-wahl Clipper Oil For Hair Trimmers And Clippers - Been using it for years. It DOESNT hurt plastic. For about $6.00 you can buy a bottle that will lube your locomotives for the next century !! You can buy a bottle at WalMart or online. JMO
Most of us have hundreds (or thousands) invested in our locomotives. Why use anything other than a top name brand designed for this specific purpose? I'm with Doug on this one. Nothing but the correct LaBelle lubricants in my train room. No need to risk it. In fact, I recently bought a new bottle of Labelle 108 because the one I had was over ten years old.
No 3-In-1 or WD-40 or... Get LaBelle. I don't remember the number (104?) but mine is medium viscosity, plastic safe.
You can get it on line at a number of places. The on e I checked had Labelle 108 for $6.99 and they had 12 in stock. They also had other Labelle products such as Teflon dry lubricant. Forum rules prevent me from giving you a direct referral but rest assured that Labelle lubricants are available.
As importantly for newbies who might read this thread is the quantity of oil. Just a teeny drop on truck gears, motor shaft ends and worm gear is sufficient.
Get a Labelle 1002 kit: https://labelle-lubricants.com/shop/kit-with-one-each-102106-and-108-for-n-and-z-scale-model-trains/ You can contact them for info on a local reseller: https://labelle-lubricants.com/wholesalers/ Several Trainboard advertising dealers sell it: Trainworld: https://www.trainworld.com/manufact.../labelle-001002-oiler-starter-set-assortment/ Fifer Hobby: http://fiferhobbysu770.corecommerce.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=12878 Top Hobby Trains: http://www.tophobbytrains.com/1002labellelubiricatingkitznho.aspx As does Walthers, so any local shop that buys from them can order it: https://www.walthers.com/oiler-starter-set-assortment Plus, there are at least a half-dozen listings for it on eBay.
I am very curious why you don't just order the correct LaBelle lubricants on line. You obviously know how to use the internet. If there is no local vendor that sells hobby lubricants, then you're not "stealing" any business from them. Is there some specific reason why you only want to find something locally?
That's good to hear. I'm not suggesting that some of the other things might not work, but I'm sure not about to test them out on my valued N scale locomotives.
I always use Labelle products as well, since they are specially formulated for use with model railroad locomotives. The one thing I never fully understood, Labelle 102 is labeled as a "Gear Lube oil" and Labelle 106 is labeled as a "Gear Grease". Why two different products for lubricating gears? I actually own both products, but find myself reaching for the Labelle 102 when the locomotives needs a few drops of oil on the gear train, which is usually only once a year.
I'm going to guess that some people may prefer grease in certain areas, e.g., the worm gear in the drive train? I don't have 106 but I'm assuming it's thicker since it's labeled as a grease. I'm also assuming it's similar to the stuff you find in Atlas locos from the factory where that's a dab (you hope!) of grease on the worm.
I use only 108 and 102. All but a few of my locos are Kato's and they rarely need any lubricant of any kind. I only bought the 102 because I purchased some 25 year old Kato mechanisms and felt they needed a bit of a refresh between being placed into service.
LaBelle 106 is a later lubricant with Teflon in it. 102 is a very old (as if 106 isn't - it was first introduced in the early 1970's) lubricant from the 1960's and, while it is an excellent gear lube, 106 has the Teflon and probably is not as likely to be thrown off the gears. LaBelle probably just decided to continue to market 102 when 106 was released, for those who were used to using it. As a side note, the tube of 106 I bought in 1974, finally ran out late last year and I bought another tube in October from Mike and Robin Fifer (who are excellent, BTW!) and I reckon that was a pretty good ROI. The bottles of 107 and 108 I bought at the same time, in 1974, didn't last quite as long - only until about 2014 or so. Doug
Since this thread was started by a guy looking for alternatives, I am going to use the opportunity to ask if anybody has tried using Inox MX3? I use that for just about everything besides my trains, and it works extremely well to loosen sticking parts and make things slide with little friction. The stuff sounds good for train gears, since it says it "contains no silicon, acid or acid forming ingredients, petroleum distillate, kerosene or petrochemical solvents," and "will not harm metal points, surfaces, plastics, paints, enamels or finishes, fiberglass, Formica or neoprene seals." It "does not dry out, gum-up, become gooey or sticky or wash off with water." It is "non-conductive, non-static, non-corrosive, non-staining and non-toxic." "Food grade approved and Kosher certified." The only caution is that it "may effect (sic) some natural rubber products with long term continual use." It comes in spray cans with a flammable hydrocarbon propellant or in an "oiler" bottle with needle applicator and no propellant. Considering how much I like this stuff for other uses, with no problems experienced with it in many applications over more than a decade, I wonder about using it to oil my n scale trains, especially the steam engine valve gear and worm/gears. My hesitation comes from 2 worries: (1) will it in some way cause plastic gears to crack? and (2) might it cause the push-in pins that retain much of my steam engine rods and valve gear get lubricated and pop-out while running? Anybody have any relevant experiences with this stuff on train models?
