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Bearing oil / molyslip ratio?

nitrous

pfm Member
Hello folks, I've done a quick search for Linn black bearing oil but can't find anyone who has established this. I'm not looking for exact answer, just an educated guess:D

I have bottle of molyslip and plenty of Mobil synthetic 15/40, or Mobil multi grade to play with;)

Not interested in buying the little Linn bottles this time around as I have the above and I'm quite sure the bearing won't come to any harm using this mix in any ratio really.

I'm leaning towards 50/50 ratio well mixed of course? Any thoughts?

Cheers
 
What materials are the bearings made from?

The moly grease may well contain EP additives which could be damaging to yellow metal bearings (i.e. bronze bearings).

Personally I'd say just use the mobil 15w/40 oil and forget about the moly.

Compressor oil (preferably synthetic) is a safe choice for turntables with sintered bronze bearings. This is what I use in my Thorens.
 
Hi Mike, I should have made it clearer, this is a Linn (Just) pre circus bearing, currently running with the dealer supplied Linn black oil. So it contains molyslip, I just don't know the ratio:rolleyes:
 
Sorry I'm not familiar with Linn bearings.

By "molyslip" I'm guessing that you mean molybdenum disulphide grease, the kind which you would use for CV joints on a car?

This is a grease which has been fortified with molybdnum disulphide which is what gives it the black colour. The molybdnum disulphide gives better wear protection on the metal to metal sliding surfaces of the CV joint, particularly the driveshaft splines.

I'd expect that a typical molybdenum disulphide grease would be a 'general purpose' soap emulsified lithium grease with the molybdenum disulphide added as an additive. Such greases will typically also contain other additives such as rust inhibitors and sulphur/phosphorous EP additives.

It's the EP additives which may damage bearings containing yellow metals and that's why I would advise you not to mix the molyslip grease with engine oil to make your own lubricant unless you are sure that your Linn bearing does not contain yellow metal surfaces.
 
Molyslip is a famous old oil additive brand Mike P

Nitrous - Molyslip does what it said on the tin in the good old days when we all used mineral oil. Problem is those days are long gone & I 'm not sure what it does with fully synthetic oils like Mob 15W-40. The chemical composition of Molyslip is (+/- %) more or less part of the standard contents of all synthetics so adding Molyslip - assuming at the Molyslip recommended ratio - will probably do nothing & probably not harm anything in your LP12, especially when compared to its design intent of heat, pressure & stress conditions of an internal combustion engine. i.e. not much in common with an LP12 bearing.
Also watch out that the Molyslip you have is the OIL additive & not the many & various fuel or transmission oil or grease or or corrosion or & & & & variants
And BTW, your LP12 is better served with a 0W or 5W grade rather than a 15W
 
Aaaahh it all makes sense now.

Thanks for clearing things up Mike-B :)

Nitrous, sorry I thought you were going to mix moly grease with engine oil.
 
Just put a dollop in say 5:1 oil/moly, the exact amount makes no difference, just make sure it's well mixed first. I run silicon diff fluid in my Linn bearing, you can put anything in there that doesn't contain water or organic solvent.
 
Hi!

Isn't the synthetic 5W30 grade a generally accepted, generic oil solution for most turntable bearings including Linn, Rega and so many other?

Cheers, JPB
 
Thanks guys,

Mike-P, I'll have to remember to explain myself better in the future!

Mike-B, don't worry I have the correct additive for oil, yes I wondering about a 0/5w. I have that as well so may try it.

Sq, is that the funny creamy consistency lubricant? I've come across this in Hewland race gear boxes.
 
Yup, exactly that. It comes in many viscosity grades, i use 10k, which is very thick. It pours like honey.

Putting a dollop of more viscous oil in the bearing helps with speed stability on the LP12 by reducing motor cogging- quite profoundly.
 
I've just tried a ceramic ball replacement in my Planar 3, and it came with some thickish oil, (looked like Duckhams), so I used some Audio Origami oil instead. Now, to my point - I have some aerosol anti-scuff assembly lubricant, and wondered if it would improve spindle lubrication, or whether to just leave it out?
 
Hi Fudgemaster, I'm not sure I can help really....I started the thread to find out one specific bearing oil (Lp12 black oil). However from some the discussion above you can work out that a thin oil allows a bearing to turn easily, but probably offer little resistance to wear. Whilst a thick oil probably dulls rumble/transmission of unwanted vibration, but may cause a problem with speed control.

So, you may need to do more research to work out what is best for your bearing.......

Regards
 
Cheers, nitrous, wish I hadn't thrown that can of Castrol R out.....;-)
I decided to give the ceramic ball bearing a try, as it was a cheap option, but am now wondering whether I'll need to change the whole assembly to ceramic? Still, it'll fill the post-retirement hours after Christmas.
 


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