A lil` lubrication...

[onmehedson]

A quick question if i may.. will it do my eq3-2 mount any harm if i apply a little wd-40 to the moving parts..

Many thanx..

[simon84]

I'm looking forward to the answer to this as I want to re grease my NEQ6 and was wondering what the best product would be to do this.

I have some rocket oil that came with my ABU fishing reels so was wondering if that would be any good.

[Bizibilder]

I would be inclined to not use WD40! Grease is the right stuff to lubricate a mount - WD40 will simply wash any grease away - so for gears and slow moving bearings - grease please. (Don't use oil either - it will drain away surprisingly rapidly!)

[Rob]

Dont use WD 40. only lithium. I personally use super lube purchased in a small tube from Ebay. Its regarded as the best by most of our US friends for mounts and focusers alike.

SYNCO SUPERLUBE MULTI-PURPOSE POCKET LUBE OIL 1 x 7ML on eBay (end time 19-Jul-10 12:51:42 BST)

Rob

[onmehedson]

Thanx .... I quess that means disassembly of the mount would be in order to grease.

Next question then, has anyone taken an eq3-2 to bits (and put it back again with no bits left over!!) ?

Hi Rob, can this oil be applied directly to the joints with the mount complete ?

Thanx again ....

[Bizibilder]

Easiest way to put grease in is with a syringe. You can get right into the nooks and corners! Don't forget to smooth the end of the needle with wet and dry paper (Wash WELL afterwards to get rid of the abrasive!!!) so it does not scratch the bearing surfaces.

[Macavity]

If you are enthusiastic, you might want (are well advised!) to remove the Skywatcher "black goo" first. This is generally held to be pretty 'orrible stuff. I did disassemble the mount (it's not difficult) and washed the components in turps. Many people will recommend lithium grease for it's low temp performance, but I [lazily] used some fairly ordinary machine grease as a first replacement...

The only "interesting" aspect to the disassembly is the removal of a threaded collar on the one axis. It has two holes to turn it AND grub screws fixing it. Rotate the axis until the grub screw (hex) heads become visible (through a hole in the casting) and undo 'em. You might have to make up a "tool" (piece of wood + nails) to engage in the holes on the collar to give it an initial twist. Do TRY to remember the ordering of the various washers...

[simon84]

I did plan to do this with my NEQ6 when I first picked it up but because it was new and I didnt want to void any warranty I've left it alone.

My year is up in September and I've picked up an EQ5 for my kids to use so will practise with that one first before I take the 6 apart.

I've ordered some of that Superlube that Rob suggested so I'll see what happens.

Looking forward to seeing its insides.....