Gear compound

[Tankbear]

Hi guys, I couldn't find the answer with the search function so if it has already been asked. Sorry.

Running in metal gearbox's, using the cutting compound/paste. Where do you get it from? any particular brand to look for.

Also any recommendations on lube for afterwards?

[blimp]

I use toothpaste , removed with soapy water . For lubrication most oils are just fine , but i use sticky non fling motorcycle chain grease as it holds any particles and stops them being thrown into the tanks innards - Ah , metal dust and circuitboards , yum !

A few notes and myths -

• 1 , Gearboxes need lubrication .

No they don't , the gears are usually brass or zinc alloy which are self lubricating , steel types are oiled to resist corrosion .

• 2 , Apply sparingly , in theory , it only needs to be a molecule thick to do it's job - too much just gets splashed around and is detrimental to plastic !

3 , Tooth failures are more likely to be down to poorly made gears , eccentic or skewed teeth or just flaws in the cheapo alloy they are made of than general wear and tear .

• 4 , Abuse , i.e. struggling in long grass or crashing into the walls is not good for them . A little consideration can go a long way , literally .

5 , Can you hear something ? I can , yup , a beer is calling . . .

[panzerfahrer]

I would dispute the statement that brass or zinc is self lubricating, gears are lubricated to reduce friction, friction = wear, we don't put heavy oil in car (or any other) gearboxes, to stop them going rusty. the only self lubricating material I know of, is a brass compound called "oilite" used mainly for bushes which don't run under heavy loads or continuous speed. Lubricate the gear teeth with "copperslip" grease, and the gear shaft bearings with a drop of ordinary engine oil, and I wouldn't put any form of grinding paste on the gears, all you are doing is rapidly reducing the life of the gears, let them bed-in under normal use.









Women are like elephants, nice to look at, but you wouldn't want to own one. (W.C.Fields)

[Saxondog]

Not to dispute any of this information, but I will relay my experience with my Tiger. Asiatam Hull and old style metal gearboxes,using Gruapner speed 400 motors with 12 tooth brass pinion gear. Tank weight 20lbs. My Tiger was run in using cam shaft compound very light compound and worked very well to quite the gearbox. Two years and some months later no problems at all,never lost a track or blown a fuse. Oiled once with 3-1 oil very sparingly.

[jackeb]

Just my two cents worth but, coming from a limited engineering background, apart from the previously mentioned oilite the only other metal that I know, that can be considered 'self lubricating' is bronze. The best suggestions are the motorcycle chain lube and the copperslip.
Obviously you should never lube nylon gears, which coincidently is an excellent choice for gears, sadly not in a high load bearing situation (that'll be a model tank gear box then!). The other thing to watch out for is that, what ever lube you use, the lube will attract dirt and the gears should be periodically degreased and re-lubed but, in reality, are model tanks likely to be run in the sort of dirt and filth a real tank would run? I would think that copperslip, used sparingly and cleaned off and re-lubed every 6 months to a year would be fine.
The big problem with light oils, such as 3 in 1, is they have poor adhesion properties which means regular re-oiling. I don't know about you but I really can't be bothered to strip down my tank every week or two to get to the gear boxes, but that's just me, others love constant tinkering. Which is cool.

[Tankbear]

I use toothpaste

Will whitening do, any point getting the 24hr protection?

Lube wise got some copper slip grease, also some mountain bike chain stuff not certain type but is water and dirt repellent also works great in door locks so that sounds suitable.

[jackeb]

I'd go for the copper slip. The gears are well out of the way of dirt and dust, well, as well as they could be. Depending on how often, and where, the tank is run a once yearly clean and re-lube should be sufficient. Then again your mountain bike is probably run in much more hostile environments but, I'm guessing, that it's a spray lube would would be a b*@ch to apply inn the confines of a model tank hull!

[Tankbear]

Then again your mountain bike is probably run in much more hostile environments

Not come out of the garage in over a year

No the oil is liquid, like a light 3 in 1 oil. Next time i'm in the garage i'll dig out and post proper details