Grease gun question

[Gun Doc]

Alan,

First off, thank you for all the good info you have posted here and on the Tackle Tour Forum.  It has been educational, useful, and valuable.  I have a question about the mini grease gun you use (and yes, I have read the "Tools of the Trade" thread.)  Is this the proper place to ask questions?

-Gun Doc

[BigT]

Yep... put any questions in here and Alan or other members will reply and then Alan sometimes moves the threads to another forum.


Cheers, Slinky

[Gun Doc]

Yep... put any questions in here and Alan or other members will reply and then Alan sometimes moves the threads to another forum.


Cheers, Slinky

Thanks for the reply.

Question 1:  I put together one of the mini grease guns and indoors in the air conditioning it proceeded to leak out quite a bit of thick heavy "oil."  This left the remaining grease somewhat "dry."  It was a lot like jello where you can take a fork and break it up into many small clumps, but it is no longer "smooth" (like pudding) the way grease should be.  I tried storing the gun head down.  This worked until you turned it right side up to use it, at which point oil that had worked past the "plunger" then came running out.  I bought the gun at Home Depot and it looks exactly like the one Alan recommends in the "Tools of the Trade" thread.  The 3-oz cartridges are "Yamalube Multi-Purpose Grease" and have printed on them:
"For lubrication, corrosion and rust protection, and water resistance.  Resists wash out.  Good in salt and fresh water.  Four (sic) use with 3 oz. grease guns."  
The grease is the beautiful blue color we have all come to love.  So, has anyone else had this problem?

Question (or maybe just a comment)  2:  I have two (or three?) Yamaha lubes.  One is the 3-oz cartridges mentioned above.  

The second is a 1-lb tub of Yamaha "Multi purpose grease."  Printed on the container:
Yamaha Extreme Pressure Multi-Purpose Grease
*Aluminum complex formula resists melting and running even in extreme temperature applications. (Droping point is 475 F.)
*Resists breakdown and washout in fresh and salt water.
*Excellent for wheel bearings, steering, chassis lube points and sealing of foam air filters.
The grease is blue and may be the same as that in the 3-oz cartridges.  

The last is a 1-lb tub of Yamaha "Race Grease."  Printed on the container:
Yamaha Race Grease
*Specially formulated for racing applications.
*A special blend of performance lubricants provides superior anti-friction protection.
*Extremely stable formula resists running or breakdown from friction, water, or dirt.  Protects against wear and corrosion while providing excellent lubrication.
*For use in all performance applications where superior lubrication is required.
This grease is RED, not blue in color.

The two blue greases are said to be good in salt water, and may be the stuff that can now be obtained on only 14-oz cartridges.  (According to Alan, you can no longer get the good stuff in 3-oz cartridges or 1-lb tubs.)  I bought the Race Grease because I could not get what I wanted locally (Austin, Texas.)  In ordering, I was spending a good amount on shipping, so I decided to go ahead and get the Race Grease too.

So, any comments on the greases?  I know it seems I am being overly detailed about grease, but as many know it is extra important around salt water (especially wade fishing or in a small skiff.)

Thanks in advance for any replies,
Gun Doc

[dylan]

sounds to me like your grease tubes are old, and have separated? 
new grease might fix the problem? 

I have the same gun, and like it.  I mostly use an acid brush though and just a pile of grease on a tray. 

[BigT]

While I haven't had it happen with any of the grease I use for my reels, I did have something similar happen to a couple of old cartridges of grease in my workshop. I don't know what caused it but I tossed the cartridges and replaced them with new ones and the problem was solved.


Cheers, Big T

[Gun Doc]

Thanks for the replies dylan and Big T.

The grease in the remaining cartridges does not appear to be separated, although I can only see the grease at each end as I am not about to take the grease out of the tube and try to put it back in!  I think it has something to do with the pressure "squeezing" the oil out of the grease, but this can happen only if the oil can get by the spring loaded plunger.  If the oil cannot move past the plunger, then the pressure will not cause the grease to separate.  The tubes for this grease are not paper or cardboard, but a thin plastic, and I wonder if that has something to do with it?

Both of you (dylan and Big T) may be right that new grease will solve the problem. 

These grease guns are made in China, so it could be a problem with the gun.  I doubt the quality control is all that good.

Still looking to hear from others too, so please post up.

[wallacewt]

hi gun doc,i got a drum of castrol bearing grease 20 years ago! was 2nd hand,so i dont know how old it is.its seperated as well,i just put some in a jar ,stir,whack it on,suits me,still works.frames, screws, sealed bearings,open bearings i oil with innox5,cant get reelx in oz,still no rust in my old reels.bp would know but then again!!
Thanks for the replies dylan and Big T.

The grease in the remaining cartridges does not appear to be separated, although I can only see the grease at each end as I am not about to take the grease out of the tube and try to put it back in!  I think it has something to do with the pressure "squeezing" the oil out of the grease, but this can happen only if the oil can get by the spring loaded plunger.  If the oil cannot move past the plunger, then the pressure will not cause the grease to separate.  The tubes for this grease are not paper or cardboard, but a thin plastic, and I wonder if that has something to do with it?

Both of you (dylan and Big T) may be right that new grease will solve the problem. 

These grease guns are made in China, so it could be a problem with the gun.  I doubt the quality control is all that good.

Still looking to hear from others too, so please post up.

[Gun Doc]

Thanks for all the replies.  For what it is worth, some more has been learned.

I took my mini grease gun apart.  It took a dremel tool and it will take a bit of shop time to get it back together, but I learned something.  I don't know if my gun was made wrong, but the the way the rubber "piston" that pushes the grease up towards the head was made and installed it is easy to see how any separated oil could get past it.  Hmmmm.

I also took the "jello like" grease out of the gun, stirred in the separated "oil" that was in the bottom of the plastic bag the whole mess was stored in, and voila, it is normal grease again.

I also discovered that even though the stuff in the 3-oz cartridges and the 1-lb tub are both Yamaha Multi-Purpose Grease and both are waterproof and anti-corrosion, they are not exactly the same.  The stuff in the 1-lb tub is a bright blue.  The stuff in the 3-oz cartridges is blue, but with a greenish tint to it.

Hmmmm . . . 

[Bryan Young]

Hey Gun Doc,

Alan posted a thing about the different Yamaha grease at http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=50.0.  You may find similarities.

Bryan

[Gun Doc]

Bryan Young, thanks for the reply.  I already read that post, but I appreciate your telling me about it nonetheless.

I have been doing some research (I'm a Mechanical Engineer) and have learned some more things.  Some greases will separate more than others (think of one type of sponge holding water in the presence of gravity better than another type of sponge.)  But, pressure will tend to cause any grease to separate if the oil (or water in the sponge case) can get past the object applying the pressure.  Think of it like this:  Put a saturated sponge in a tube (imagine the sponge is the same shape as the tube.)  Put a piston in the tube and push on the sponge.  If the water can get past the piston, then you will squeeze water out of the sponge.  If the piston fits well and the water cannot get past it, then you will not squeeze water out of the sponge.  It is pretty much the same with grease and the oil it contains.  So, it is not just the properties of the grease, but the quality of the grease gun.  I have a better quality (hopefully) grease gun on order.  Stay tuned.

For now, I have some grease in a large syringe (60 cc) with a large hole (about 3/32") and in a smaller syringe (12 cc) with a 16 ga needle.  Along with bulk grease in tubs applied with an acid brush, I may have things working OK.  Even so, getting the grease gun to work as it should intrigues me.  I hate that so many things aren't made as well as they once were and that we have become such a "throw it away and get a new one" society!

[alantani]

the grease i use has been transferred to a different container and stirred before being fed into the grease gun cartridge.  i never thought about it, but that is probably the difference.  the gun is then stored upright.  i've noticed a little "oil" dribbling out, but not much.  also, i go through the stuff pretty fast.  the gun gets refilled at least twice a week.  alan

[Bryan Young]

Thanks Brendan.  Though all of you may be interested.  Maybe folks in close proximity can do a bulk purchase together.

Hello Bryan,
Check out this link. It may be the work around for the lack of 3 OZ Yamaha marine grade grease cartridges. http://www.tubesrus.com/packaging_materials/caulking-tubes-and-grease-cartridges/default.html?tsid=googleppc&gclid=CO7k-OLY5KYCFUHt7Qod0FcJ0A

Later, Brendan.