Hi All:

I just made myself a tool to take out the pistons of my MB149 and 146. I want to lubricate the piston with silicone grease.

My question is: Can I use the ordinary silicone lube I get from automotive/hardware stores? Or do I need to have something special?

Keith, if you hear me: I think you told me something but I forgot and just got some Silicone Lube from Canadian Tire. Don't feel too good to just use it without checking.

Also, where should I apply the grease? On the piston or along the inner wall of the pen barrel?

Finally, when I put the piston back, should I put some rubber cement on the threads to help sealing the assembly?

Your experience in this is greatly appreciated.
Looking forward to any info. Meanwhile, the pens are in bits and pieces all over the table. I hope I don't lose anything.

Hi,

You can use it as long as it is ordinary or for pens. (Not some concoction made of petroleum jelly and canola oil.)

Dillon

Thanks Dillon:

Good thing you mentioned petroleum jelly. Took a look at the contents, Petroleum Distillate is there. So no can use. Right?

Hi,

Petroleum eats away rubber!!

Dillon

Raymond, you do need to be very careful. Most of the silicone grease out there is NOT pure silicone that is suitable for pens. Nearly all of it has petroleum distillates which not only will eat rubber, but may cause deterioration of the plastic materials in your pens (most plastics are derived from petroleum products). You can get 100% pure silicone grease from Giovanni at Tryphon Enterprises (no affiliation, just a happy customer). Their site is:

Tryphon's Catalog

Giovanni's silicone also has PTFE additive in it (teflon) for added lubrication - perfectly safe for pens. He has a $20 minimum order, but if you look at his catalog, that's no problem. HTH, southpaw.

I found pure silicone grease at Lowe's hardware in the plumbing section. They didn't bat an eye when I asked for it. Try plumbing supply rather than automotive.

J. Appleseed

Indeed, your local Lowe's or Home Depot should carry the stuff in their plumbing section. It's called Plumber's Silicone Grease by Gunk and is available in a small round container for about $3 bucks. It's also popular with flashlight geeks who use it for o-rings and threads since it doesn't contain petroleum additives which will eat away through rubber.

Another place to try is a Dive store as they sold sell the 'food grade' silicone grease for various o rings.


I would also say to use an adhesive that can be removed. I just had a heck of a time with a pen that was superglued together! Visconti recommends silicone grease so a check at their website might give you an idea as to where to put it.

I seem to remember that you pull the piston all the way down and then use a toothpick to ring the point where the piston touches the barrel. Then work the piston up and down reapplying if necessary. [ but this is going on memory]


kurt H

Here's a previous post on this very subject:

Greasing Pistons Post

In my opinion, the silicone grease sold as "plumber's grease" is not suitable for pen use. I find it too "sticky" and it retains dirt. I tried it (and many other similar products) before selecting the silicone grease that I sell at the Tryphon website.

Thanks Giovanni:

I just sent you an email from work asking you about the shipping cost for my order. I will send you a money order as soon as you confirm the total cost.

I talked to you briefly by email a week ago but this time I changed the order a little bit. So hopefully I will get your silicone grease for my pens soon.

So please check your email.

Cheers
Raymond