Mobil 28 for reels?

[Gobi King]

I was looking for grease for bafang mid drive motors which I am going to pick up for a fat bike build.

There I read that Mobil 28 is suggested as it is safe on Nylon.

I see a bunch Nylon parts in most Reels, anyone using Mobil 28 for fishing reels?

[RowdyW]

Is it a marine grease? Is it saltwater resistant?      Rudy

[philaroman]

well, it's aircraft grease...  maybe, for kite reels 

seriously, it's for a different application -- hence, I'd expect different specs/formulation
all sorts of wind-tunnel & vibration testing/concerns, meaningless for a reel

[Gobi King]

don't forget fly reels ;-)

lol, at nearly $20 a tube, it is pricey.

here are the specs:

Mobilgrease 28 is recommended for use in landing wheel assemblies, control systems and actuators, screw jacks, servo devices, sealed-bearing motors, oscillating bearings, and helicopter rotor bearings on military and civil aircraft. Subject to equipment manufacturer approvals, it can also be used on naval shipboard auxiliary machinery and where superseded specifications MIL-G-81322 (WP), MIL-G-7711A, MIL-G-3545B, and MIL-G-25760A are recommended.



Mobilgrease 28 is also recommended for industrial lubrication, including sealed or repackable ball and roller bearings wherever extreme temperature conditions, high speeds, or water washing resistance are factors. Typical industrial applications include conveyor bearings, small alternator bearings operating at temperatures near 177ºC (350ºF), high-speed miniature ball bearings, and bearing applications where oscillatory motion, and vibration create problems.



Mobilgrease 28 is qualified by the U.S. Military under Specification MIL-PRF-81322, General-Purpose, Aircraft, and Specification DOD-G-24508A (Navy) for shipboard auxiliary machinery. It is a U.S. Military Symbol WTR and NATO Code Number G-395 grease.

[philaroman]

"extreme temperature conditions, high speeds, or water washing resistance are factors... and bearing applications where oscillatory motion, and vibration create problems" -- all conditions FAR beyond what a reel encounters

"water washing resistance" sounds good, but prob. too tacky -- for rain at hurricane speeds

no mention of salt/corrosion...  layman brain says: normal (not, "acid") rainwater
is among closest to "natural distilled" & least corrosive -- i.e., zero pH & no solute salts
curious whether pontoon sea-planes use M-28, or Marine grease 

[jurelometer]

My (untrained and unqualified    ) obsevations:

You can check the  NLGI grade spec  for thickness. 2  (consistency of peanut butter) is probably the most common.  Looks like Mobil 28 is 1.5. (tomato paste).  I would guess that our favorite Yamaha Marine is a 2.  Here is a handy guide:

https://www.thelubricantstore.com/laymans-guide-to-nlgi-grades/

I have read that  "marine grease" is marketing terminology, and while it may be useful in that the manufacturer is indicating that the grease is suitable for marine use,  there are no standards for testing greases in order to label them as marine grade.

I just looked at the Mobil catalog, and they do not label a single grease as  "marine", although several are recommended for various marine uses.

One thing that we do not talk about much is shelf life.  Manufacturers recommend using grease as soon as possible after it is opened, and have recommendations about storage temps, etc.  In addition to heat, oxidation is a big killer.  A common failure is the oils (the actual lubricant) separating  from the thickener.   If you use failing grease in your reel, the oils will gradually bleed out leaving that ever-hardinening goo behind.  Typical grease shelf life ranges from two to five years.

Reels are bit unusual in terms of a use case for grease. The functional performance demands are low, but there is a sort of secondary  "shelf life", where small amounts of grease sits unsealed on the parts in the reel, exposed to the the air (oxidation) while the reel awaits its next usage, often for months or years at a time.

I would guess that oxidation is the main culprit in grease degradation in reels, from a combination of applying old grease, and letting it sit in the reel.  Emulsification probably comes next, but that requires getting a bunch of water in the reel with some extra grease and turning the handle rapidly.  Any grease probably does a good job for corrosion protection in a reel, as long as it stays in place. And the actual lubrication demands are so minimal that just about any grease with the minimal NLGI rating that will keep it where you want it will do fine.

Leaving drag grease out of the equation for now, a good candidate would be a grease that is  compatible with previously used greases on your reel,  has the thickness you desire, has good ratings for water exposure/wash off, and maybe most importantly, slow to oxidize.  Thre are ASTM ratings for all of this stuff except compatibility (there are tables for compatibility from manufactures that conflict a little),   so you can actually do comparisons.  Oh, and low toxicity for the reel tech (check the SDS) is a good idea, too.

One category that we may not have given enough consideration to is greases designed for exposed gearing. Presumably these will do better in terms of oxidation.

As for "reel greases":   My guess is that most, if not all products sold as fishing reel greases are simply industrial products that have been repackaged, which kind of sucks, because we can no longer access the ASTM ratings.

Here is the Mobil catalog in case you want to read more:

https://cdn.lubefinder.net/media/attachments/m/o/mobil-industrial-product-guide-2015.pdf

-J

[Rancanfish]

I always wonder when my tube of Yamaha blue is going to run out.  Then I'll get another, lol.

[jurelometer]

I always wonder when my tube of Yamaha blue is going to run out.  Then I'll get another, lol.

My Yamaha blue is about eight  years old and going strong.  My tub of Cal's that I kept in a hot garage separated about  two years after it was opened, and it now gets stickier faster when I use it as a cork drag lube.

[Gobi King]

Good read,
my tube of Shaeffers separated and is leaking juice. That tube was $$$ for my chevi truck

I will have to get a tube of Mobil 28 for my Bafang electric motors for bike unless I find something locally which is compatible.

[philaroman]

hmmm...  tell me more about the shelf-life aspect, PLEASE
still have little drag grease tubs from 20-y-o Shimano upgrade/maintenance kits
sweats tiny, tiny pools of oil "where it's been poked long ago", but seems OK, otherwise
are you, more knowledgeable folk, saying it's past its prime for drags, or gears, or BOTH?

[jurelometer]

hmmm...  tell me more about the shelf-life aspect, PLEASE
still have little drag grease tubs from 20-y-o Shimano upgrade/maintenance kits
sweats tiny, tiny pools of oil "where it's been poked long ago", but seems OK, otherwise
are you, more knowledgeable folk, saying it's past its prime for drags, or gears, or BOTH?

Probably past its prime for putting into expensive equipment that needs fully functional grease.  For a fishing reel maybe you can get by.  I dunno.  I only have my own few reels to use as a test case, so the sample is small.  I don't plan to use my bleeding Cal's any more.  I read that some folks just mix it back together by hand and keep on trucikin'.

Good read,
my tube of Shaeffers separated and is leaking juice. That tube was $$$ for my chevi truck

I will have to get a tube of Mobil 28 for my Bafang electric motors for bike unless I find something locally which is compatible.

From what I have read, greases for use in electric motors tend to use soaps that are less compatible with other grease types. . If you already have some Yamaha blue, why not stick with what works?  Changing the grease won't do much if anything for reel performance, as long as you are using the right NLGI grade.

[RowdyW]

As long as it's in a closed container to keep dust & dirt out just stick a screwdriver in it and give it a good remix. It doesn't spoil.... it's not food.

[tarpon one]

I was looking for grease for bafang mid drive motors which I am going to pick up for a fat bike build.

There I read that Mobil 28 is suggested as it is safe on Nylon.

I see a bunch Nylon parts in most Reels, anyone using Mobil 28 for fishing reels?

Your post on Mobil 28 caught my attention. Seems like we all purchase thick grease and then try to figure out how to cut it with some type of oil. From what I can tell this is a really good lubricant and is thinner than NLGI 2. All kinds of military approvals and if it's good enough for an F15 probably be more than adequate for my Avet JX Raptor. So have you tried it?

[Gobi King]

I was looking for grease for bafang mid drive motors which I am going to pick up for a fat bike build.

There I read that Mobil 28 is suggested as it is safe on Nylon.

I see a bunch Nylon parts in most Reels, anyone using Mobil 28 for fishing reels?

Your post on Mobil 28 caught my attention. Seems like we all purchase thick grease and then try to figure out how to cut it with some type of oil. From what I can tell this is a really good lubricant and is thinner than NLGI 2. All kinds of military approvals and if it's good enough for an F15 probably be more than adequate for my Avet JX Raptor. So have you tried it?

No I haven't, I'll probably get a tube this winter when I get the med drive motor for the fat bike.
What caught my attention was the compatibility of the grease with nylon.
Most fishing reels have some sort of nylon parts.

Try it pls and share your experience:-)

[Gfish]

Do the various lubricants oxidize? Somethings goin on when they separate. I never use the old tiny tubes that come from boxed old-school reels. I do take small portions from large containers of stuff I buy and put them in little covered pill bottles.
Never noticed any nylon damage, though.