Comparing silicone grease products

[Goodwhiskers]

I have to seal a slightly leaking, Select-A-Point brand, nib & feed assembly to the section of my Esterbrook SJ, and it seems silicone grease is the material to use. A quick search of the FPN has pointed me to products from two retailers, Tryphon and Pendemonium. Are the products equivalent in usefulness? If one is better than the other, how much of a difference is there? Thanks for your time.

[Gerry]

For the application you have, either would work well, as would silicone grease purchased from a plumbing store, scuba shop, automotive supply (disk brake grease) etc. It isn't a critical application.

 

I assume you're sealing the threads on the screw-in nib. Since they leak so seldom in my experience, you might look around in the area carefully to see if the leak may be coming from another source - cracked section perhaps...

 

Gerry

[tryphon]

I have to seal a slightly leaking, Select-A-Point brand, nib & feed assembly to the section of my Esterbrook SJ, and it seems silicone grease is the material to use. A quick search of the FPN has pointed me to products from two retailers, Tryphon and Pendemonium. Are the products equivalent in usefulness? If one is better than the other, how much of a difference is there? Thanks for your time.

They are both good, you can't go wrong with either.

Plumber grease is more "gummy": it probably works fine in your case, but is not as good for lubricating piston fillers. Our grease (Tryphon) has added PTFE and is an outstanding lubricant and perfectly safe for all pen work.

In your instance, use of a non-hardening section sealant may even be better than silicone grease.

[Gerry]

I should have added that dielectric grease sold in automotive stores for sealing electrical connections is appropriate, as is heat sink compound available from Radio Shack.

 

You could also consider a Plumbers Wax, available as a ring for setting toilet bowl connections - amazingly inexpensive, quite easily worked, and removable. Safe for all plastics etc.

 

I would also suggest a try with teflon plumbers tape - a test you could perform very easily to see if that cures the problem by sealing the threads. Some people have advised against the tape based on a fear that the added thickness might cause stress that might crack the plastic. An interesting discussion was held here quite some time ago, but no conclusions were reached, as no one had ever seen any damage caused. In any case, your application (screw threads in a solidly made section) does not lend itself to concerns of this nature in my opinion.

 

So, you now have many more options than you really need.

 

Have fun, and let us know how it went.

 

Regards

 

Gerry

[Goodwhiskers]

Here's an in-progress update:

 

The pen had arrived with the Select-A-Point brand 125 manifold nib assembly installed. An Esterbrook brand 9450 (extremely fine, very firm) nib assembly was also in the package (a nice surprise from the seller). I had set the Estie nib aside to try after writing out a filling using the manifold nib. I'm using Noodler's Black ink.

 

I dumped out the ink and screwed out the manifold nib. A careful examination of the Estie's section showed no damage to the section or its the internal threads, and likewise no damage to the threads of the nib assembly.

 

However, rolling the round part of the nib assembly between thumb and forefinger, I discovered that the surface of its sleeve (which holds the nib and the feed together, and which has the threads that secure it to the section) wasn't truly, cylindrically round, even where the threads are. It seems the base of the nib and the feed block do not form a perfect cylinder when together; the nib sticks out a tiny bit from the arc of the feed block, distorting the sleeve and its threads ever so slightly, especially where the nib emerges from the sleeve.

 

Would that distortion, combined with the "nib creep" of Noodler's cellulose-reactive inks, make enough of an opportunity for that slow leak?

 

I screwed in the Estie 9450 nib assembly, which felt perfectly cylindrical in its round part and threads, and refilled the pen with Noodler's Black. I'll report again in a few days. I'm starting a new thread in this forum for this repair, titled Estie vs. Select-A-Point, sealing Noodler's.

Edited January 28, 2006 by Goodwhiskers

[Goodwhiskers]

The story (such as it is) continues on this topic thread.

[caoquocdat]

http://www.amazon.com/Wm-Harvey-050090-C-Silicone-Grease/dp/B000FPANUW/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1436709433&sr=8-19&keywords=pure+silicone+grease

"Wm Harvey 050090-C Silicone Grease Wm Harvey 050090-C Silicone Grease Features: Silicone grease is 90% pure silicone product Contains no petroleum additives Offers heat resistance up to 450 F Non staining For use on rubber and synthetic "O" rings 1/2 fl oz 12 cards per clip strip"

 

so can i use it fot my fountain pen ?

[terim]

We give out a lot of this grease to customers buying eyedroppers ..... I'm tried of buying the little tubs at Ace hardware ! Does anyone know a brand that is sold in larger quantities?

[FarmBoy]

Teri-

 

Try this

-Todd

[terim]

Teri-

 

Try this

-Todd

 

You got me. I did ask for large quantities, but maybe I don't need a whole PAIL. I was able to find the same product in 14oz tubes.

 

Thanks

TERI

[FarmBoy]

 

You got me. I did ask for large quantities, but maybe I don't need a whole PAIL. I was able to find the same product in 14oz tubes.

 

Thanks

TERI

It was a test.

 

You passed.

 

T

[Russ]

If you are using silicone between section and barrel threads, please be careful. Other threads substantiate my experience: silicone is very smooth upon installation, and it does prevent leaks, but with time it can make unthreading almost impossible. I was in terrible fear of ruining two or three pens I sealed with silicone when, years afterward, I had trouble getting the nib carriers to release from the section. I succeeded, but I'll not use silicone again.

[Kelly G]

FWIW - the 14oz tube of Dow Corning High-Vacuum grease will last for years under normal pen repair use. I've had a tube in use for over 10 years and have used only a small fraction of the grease. Note that I've also used some of the grease for other purposes.