Greasy question

[Tortuga Roja]

This maybe news you, but the grease has nothing to do with sealing the housing or any other closed chamber. Are you saying that using the wrong o-ring grease will cause a LEAK?? Fantasea does not even recommend using grease, which is ok as well, we do this in high vacuum chambers to prevent out gassing.

No. Not news to me. I have said so many times on this forum. Of course the grease has nothing to do with the actual seal. But it does have a lot to do with the care of your o-rings. So YES, I am saying that using the wrong grease can cause a leak, if you use a grease that causes your o-ring to fail.

"If you think that Sea & Sea, Ikelite and Inon are selling the same repackaged grease, you obviously haven't used them all."

Does not matter if I used any of their grease or not just as long as have used the best grease from the manufacturer...of the o-ring,

My point is that you said all of these companies were probably selling the same grease repackaged and you were wrong. They are not.

… my point is that to grease or not to grease o-rings is not the rocket science the housing or strobe folks make it to be.

The discussion isn’t about to grease or not to. Some you do – some you don’t. The manufacturer will tell you which is which.

This thread was started by someone needing advice about what kind of grease to use and asking if it was all the same. Then you decided to tell him that “most likely” all manufacturers were re-packaging the same grease for everything, insinuating that it didn’t matter. You also talked about the different types of o-rings like this guy (or most of us) would know what kind he (we) has. I find this irresponsible. If someone gets the message that it doesn’t matter what grease they use and they use something that swells the o-ring and floods the camera are you gonna pay for it?

The fact is, the grease that is supplied by these companies varies a lot. If your experience was with underwater housings instead of semiconductors, you would have known that. Maybe there is one that will work for all. Maybe not. You can guess with your camera, I won't guess with mine.

"If you want to do a chemical analysis on your o-ring to be sure you know what it is made of, then research the Internet to see what the best lube is and where to buy it, be my guest. I'll save that time and use what the manufacturer gave me."

I actually did, it's part of my job in the semiconductor industry, but if you can sell us tubes of o-ring grease for 4 for a dollar I am sure we will buy them from you.

That’s my point. The majority of us don’t want to spend our time learning how to do a chemical analysis. It is easier and cheaper to do what the manufacturer says. Do you think they are telling us wrong? Do you really think that Ikelite puts grease in 4 little tubes and sells it for a buck to try to rip us off? That is absurd.

Yes, Ikelite part number 5020 is 4 little tubes of their lube – enuf to last years when used as directed – retail price $1.00.

How many you need?

 

[JTemple]

Thanks Mike for setting that all straight! I'd hate to think of the consequences.
Now if only Ike would make those little tubes with screw cap tops!

 

[f3nikon]

"So YES, I am saying that using the wrong grease can cause a leak, if you use a grease that causes your o-ring to fail."

Stop the press! Please tell me how using the "wrong grease" can cause an o-ring to leak? Have you actually seen in o-ring leak because of the wrong grease?

I have seen o-rings in very high pressure environments, in the 1.0 x 10-8 range of vacuum...equivalent to submarine like pressures.

I have even seen AXLE grease used o-rings! Each and every one of these o-rings held up to the lowest helium leak checking levels our equipment can sense. The only way we could find a leak is one; there was not enough compression on the o-ring or two; there was a scratch or debris across the sealing surface.

The only way we could chemically cause a leak is when the o-ring was exposed to Acetone, which is a cleaner and not a grease, and made the o-ring swell up!

"If someone gets the message that it doesn’t matter what grease they use and they use something that swells the o-ring and floods the camera are you gonna pay for it?"

So you think the Parker Super O Lube will cause any o-ring to swell up??? Because if you reread my post I did not say use ANY grease, I specified Parker Super O Lube recommended by people who MAKES the o-rings.

"The fact is, the grease that is supplied by these companies varies a lot. If your experience was with underwater housings instead of semiconductors, you would have known that. Maybe there is one that will work for all. Maybe not. You can guess with your camera, I won't guess with mine."

The underwater housing market is just a "hobby" when compared to the multi-billion dollar semiconductor manufacturing equipment market with the ultra high pressure seals and 2 inch thick stainless steel chambers. I don't think you want to go there if you don't even have a clue on what this industry is about.

But for 1 dollar we get four tubes that sounds like a good deal!

 

[f3nikon]

Fine, use on your nitrox tank's, or better yet deco bottle's, o-ring if you want. Silicon grease is not stable with respect to HP O2 (few things are).

(Hence the word "relatively" in your own post.)

I was just kidding around, yes it could be toxic with the oxygen mix but will this very thin coat on the o-ring even make a difference?

 

[ChillyWaters]

Parker Super O Lube is the silicon base grease for your o-rings. Parker is one of the world’s largest o-ring manufacturers and wrote the Bible on o-rings. Silicon grease is used on "regular" or Buna, Viton o-rings etc. as well as silicon o-rings because this type of grease is inert.

I've always wondered about that...

Hmmm... I wonder where I could get some when my current tube runs out (which, admittedly, will still be a while). Is it widely available?

- ChillyWaters

 

[Tortuga Roja]

"So YES, I am saying that using the wrong grease can cause a leak, if you use a grease that causes your o-ring to fail."

Stop the press! Please tell me how using the "wrong grease" can cause an o-ring to leak? Have you actually seen in o-ring leak because of the wrong grease?

Yes I have. We were in Fiji and a guy ran out of grease for his ds125 strobe and used something from his save-a-dive kit. He didn’t realize that he didn’t need grease for that ring. The o-ring swelled and flooded his strobe battery pack. I overheard him saying that he had flooded his battery and didn’t have a spare. Not knowing how he flooded it, I loaned him my spare. He used the same o-ring and flooded mine too. Next time I’ll ask more questions.

I have also read similar stories online.

" The underwater housing market is just a "hobby" when compared to the multi-billion dollar semiconductor manufacturing equipment market with the ultra high pressure seals and 2 inch thick stainless steel chambers. I don't think you want to go there if you don't even have a clue on what this industry is about.

No I don’t want to go there. Why would I? It’s apples and oranges. You’re the one that keeps going there. By doing so you keep missing the point! I could care less about helium, and semiconductors. I care about saltwater and my camera! I would guess that at least 90% of the people on this forum have no desire to go out and learn everything that you know about the semiconductor industry. We are talking about a guy wondering if all grease was the same. Simple answer: It’s not. I’m sure you are a friggin’ genius when it comes to semiconductors. You say I can put any kind of grease on my Ikelite o-rings. Ikelite has been manufacturing underwater housings and lights for many decades and they say that using the wrong grease will swell the o-rings they use. Hmmmm.

My point is so simple. You invest hundreds or thousands of dollars for your UW camera system. You choose a particular brand because you trust that company enuf to rely on what they know about taking electronics underwater. Why then would you decide to not believe them when they tell you how to take care of it?

.

But for 1 dollar we get four tubes that sounds like a good deal!

Yep, that Ol’ Ike is sure trickin’ us dumb divers. He’s not making money on the housings and strobes and flashlights. He’s getting’ us on the lube!

 

[Tortuga Roja]

Thanks Mike for setting that all straight! I'd hate to think of the consequences.
Now if only Ike would make those little tubes with screw cap tops!

Then he'd have to charge us a buck-fiddy!

I keep mine in a film canister.

 

[f3nikon]

“Yes I have. We were in Fiji and a guy ran out of grease for his ds125 strobe and used something from his save-a-dive kit. He didn’t realize that he didn’t need grease for that ring.”

Was this grease that this “guy” used the PARKER SUPER O LUBE? Or are you just making this up? Because acetone is the only solvent that can make the o-ring swell up like that not grease!

"You say I can put any kind of grease on my Ikelite o-rings. Ikelite has been manufacturing underwater housings and lights for many decades and they say that using the wrong grease will swell the o-rings they use. Hmmmm. "

When and Where did I say:

"You say I can put ANY KIND of grease on my Ikelite o-rings"???????????

Because you still did not answer this one:

So you think the Parker Super O Lube will cause any o-ring to swell up??? Because if you reread my post I did not say use ANY grease, I specified Parker Super O Lube recommended by people who MAKES the o-rings.

Because as a matter of fact I have been using the PARKER SUPER O LUBE on the Ikelite o-rings for the past 15 years without a single sign of a leak!

Sounds like you're trying to twist this just to make a buck?

 

[f3nikon]

I've always wondered about that...

Hmmm... I wonder where I could get some when my current tube runs out (which, admittedly, will still be a while). Is it widely available?

- ChillyWaters

Yes, check with a plumbing shop or valve and fitting store that carries Parker o-rings.

 

[JTemple]

I keep mine in a film canister.

They still make those? Or, more to the point, you still have some of those?