Vent window lube

[AZAV8OR]

My vent windows are getting a bit stiff to open and close. What's the best lube to resolve this?

 

Thanks in advance for suggestions!

 

[CT4ME]

I'm going to guess the answer is going to be "food grade silicon".  My planes have come back from Roger's with a slight film of clear lubricant on the vents, hinges and other friction spots.  Unless you want a mess on your clothes you'll make sure all excess is wiped off.  

[Anticept]

I'm going to guess the answer is going to be "food grade silicon".  My planes have come back from Roger's with a slight film of clear lubricant on the vents, hinges and other friction spots.  Unless you want a mess on your clothes you'll make sure all excess is wiped off.  

 

Silicone

 

But yeah, silicone or a general purpose lubricant will work (like LPS). Don't use something like WD-40.

[Roger Lee]

The plastics can get a little sticky either from dirt in the rails (just wipe them out) or from dry plastic to plastic rubbing in the rails. I use 3M silicone paste in the rails. Makes the windows slide easy. I'm sure other lubes will work too. You don't need a lot.

[FlyingMonkey]

The plastics can get a little sticky either from dirt in the rails (just wipe them out) or from dry plastic to plastic rubbing in the rails. I use 3M silicone paste in the rails. Makes the windows slide easy. I'm sure other lubes will work too. You don't need a lot.

 

The "you don't need a lot" comment should usually apply to anything lubed (except a few things like wheel bearings!)...for most items just use enough to get free movement desired.  Excess lube, especially thick lubes like grease or silicone paste, just attract dirt and can cause more problems.

[WmInce]

For zippers, push-button snaps and the sliding windows, Chapstick seems to work really good also.  One little tube in the travel tool pouch goes a long way, for a lot of things, that need freedom of movement.  Been using it around my boats for years.

[Doug G.]

Isn't Chapstick petroleum based? Possibility of damage to the plastic?

[FlyingMonkey]

Isn't Chapstick petroleum based? Possibility of damage to the plastic?

 

I always thought Chapstick was mostly wax/paraffin based.

[WmInce]

Isn't Chapstick petroleum based? Possibility of damage to the plastic?

 

I have never seen any damage from it so far.  I've been using it as a semi-dry lubricant for a long time, just on specific applications.

[Doug G.]

Whatever you want, it is probably in there - from Wickipedia:

"The full list of ingredients in a regular-flavored ChapStick are as follows:

 

arachidyl propionate, camphor, carnauba wax, cetyl alcohol, D&C red no. 6 barium lake, FD&C yellow no. 5 aluminum lake, fragrance, isopropyl lanolate, isopropyl myristate, light mineral oil, methylparaben,octyldodecanol, oleyl alcohol, paraffin, phenyl trimethicone, propylparaben, titanium dioxide, white wax, propanol.[citation needed] Its net weight is usually 4 g."

[WmInce]

Whatever you want, it is probably in there - from Wickipedia:

"The full list of ingredients in a regular-flavored ChapStick are as follows:

 

arachidyl propionate, camphor, carnauba wax, cetyl alcohol, D&C red no. 6 barium lake, FD&C yellow no. 5 aluminum lake, fragrance, isopropyl lanolate, isopropyl myristate, light mineral oil, methylparaben,octyldodecanol, oleyl alcohol, paraffin, phenyl trimethicone, propylparaben, titanium dioxide, white wax, propanol.[citation needed] Its net weight is usually 4 g."

 

Thanks Doug.

[AZAV8OR]

Thanks all!

[Anticept]

The plastics can get a little sticky either from dirt in the rails (just wipe them out) or from dry plastic to plastic rubbing in the rails. I use 3M silicone paste in the rails. Makes the windows slide easy. I'm sure other lubes will work too. You don't need a lot.

 

By the way, Dow Corning makes the molykote line of dry silicones, which might be really useful to use instead. They don't attract dirt like regular silicone lubricants.

[Runtoeat]

Corey, do you have the name for the Molycote product that might be good to use on the window vent rails?  This would probably be good to use on the door latches too.

[Anticept]

Ask them. Make sure it's compatible with acrylic and polycarbonate (the two materials used in the windows, depending on which we are referring to)