The truth about gasket grease

[Andrew Donn]

Camera companies, like regulator companies, do not make their own grease and none of it is "special" or magical. 99 times out of 100 if it is a SCUBA application and not a regulator the product will be Dow Corning 111. This is a silicone based product that is suitable for all rubber O-rings (buna-n) that are typical of most camera applications. It is clear to slightly opaque and is medium thick in consistency but not runny (similar to KY consistency). Sometimes you will see Dow Corning 007 for dynamic o-ring applications that move a lot. This is similar to 111 but is thinner and runny in consistency. Less frequently they will specify High Vacuum Grease. This is thicker in consistency almost like peanut butter and is more cloudy to opaque in appearance.
Since Dow Corning 111 lubricant is not oxygen compatible most regulator manufacturers have gone to cristo-lube or other similar PTFE lubricant. It is white in appearance and slightly thicker than 111. Krytox is a Dupont product similar to Christo-lube.

 

[BoltSnap]

Here is the bottom line. Are you willing to risk your $20 O-ring and a flooded camera to save $8 in the right o-ring lube? If you are happy to take that risk, by all means go for it. Be sure to let us all know how it went. If, however, you understand that diving is an expensive sport, and underwater photography even more so, and that by using the manufacturers recommended grease that you neither void your warranty not flood your camera, by all means, go for it.

What he said ^ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

S&S says very clearly that their grease is special and if you use regular silicon grease to lube their o'rings, this will ruin the o'rings and all is lost!! I don't see the point on why to argue with them and try to second guess them for a lousy 10 or 20 dollars when the potential loss is in the hundreds if not thousands of dollars here. I have 4 S&S strobes and I am still using the same S&S grease bottle I got in 2011. I have 4 more bottles that will take me several more years to go through. Same thing for my Nauticam camera housing. I use less than 1/3 the size of a grain of rice (uncle Ben's) to grease the Strobe o'ring and around the 1 the size of a grain of rice for the big housing o'ring (probably little less).

 

[fmerkel]

This is a silicone based product that is suitable for all rubber O-rings (buna-n) that are typical of most camera applications.

I don't know what my button O-rings are (Olympus and Nauticam), but the main O-rings are some kind of silicone. Most PnS type cameras seem to be also. I wouldn't put Dow 111 on them.

 

[Andrew Donn]

What he said ^ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

S&S says very clearly that their grease is special and if you use regular silicon grease to lube their o'rings, this will ruin the o'rings and all is lost!! I don't see the point on why to argue with them and try to second guess them for a lousy 10 or 20 dollars when the potential loss is in the hundreds if not thousands of dollars here. I have 4 S&S strobes and I am still using the same S&S grease bottle I got in 2011. I have 4 more bottles that will take me several more years to go through. Same thing for my Nauticam camera housing. I use less than 1/3 the size of a grain of rice (uncle Ben's) to grease the Strobe o'ring and around the 1 the size of a grain of rice for the big housing o'ring (probably little less).

I'm not advocating using anything other than the manufactures recommended o-ring lubricant. Like you pointed out the typical consumer uses so little that even a small tube will last a long time. Non of them are special though and are all repackaged products from one of the big chemical companies. Of course the manufacturer has done the job of verifying that the lubricants that they provide are compatible with the O-rings that go with your product.

 

[bvanant]

Well Tribolube and Christolube are cheaper than Krytox but at least in my hands I haven't had any issues with either. As for Krytox we were never allowed to use it in Medical Devices since DuPont wanted us (a small company) to indemnify them against any lawsuit. The Insurance Premium would have been more than our annual sales. One issue with Krytox is to figure out which material is which and which one for scuba.

Bill

 

[KeithG]

I'm not advocating using anything other than the manufactures recommended o-ring lubricant. Like you pointed out the typical consumer uses so little that even a small tube will last a long time. Non of them are special though and are all repackaged products from one of the big chemical companies. Of course the manufacturer has done the job of verifying that the lubricants that they provide are compatible with the O-rings that go with your product.

I think the main issue is understanding the labelling. Is that tube of "silicone grease" for your camera a grease for silicone based orings or is it a grease made from silicone? And what are each of your orings made of? Camera manufacturers do not tell us either of these things.

So your choice is to stay with the manufacturers grease or go to a grease suitable for verything. I went tribolube. A single grease for all of my dive gear, regs to cameras to strobes to lights.

 

[smfcpacfp]

I think this was a good discussion of the issue and I thank everyone for their input.

 

[tarponchik]

Don't you guys fret. Just go to Lowe's or Home Depot and by a jar of silicon grease in their Plumbing section.

 

[muzikbiz22]

Tribolube 71 gets used on every single O-Ring I own; housing, strobes, rebreather, regs, etc.

 

[KeithG]

Don't you guys fret. Just go to Lowe's or Home Depot and by a jar of silicon grease in their Plumbing section.

Is that grease for silicon or made with silicon?