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Posts: 3467
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to Guest)
I am not the expert with "actual knowledge" you requested, but I can tell you what my guitar instructor and good friend Paco de Malaga advised me to use to lubricate tuners. He recommended usiong actual sewing machine oil. Sewing machine oil is lighter and thinner than 3-in-1 oil, and it may be that it is less likely to damage wood on the headstock it may come into contact with. I don't know this for a fact, but I do know that sewing machine oil did the job just fine with no adverse effects.
Bill
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And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to BarkellWH)
Jesus ...how much oil do you put on .... ?
Any oil is better than none ... you know what lots of people use on sewing machines ..
....3 in 1 oil ,,, if they have nothing else ... WD 40 ... how bad are your tuning pegs ?and ...apart from when you change strings ,, .. how often are they being moved around ...significantly ... ?
if the oil you put on is ''damaging the wood '' as i read it ... i suggest the fault may not lie in the oil but the user .....
a bit less butter on your toast this morning perhaps .....
Posts: 219
Joined: Jun. 22 2012
From: Seattle, USA
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to Guest)
encanto,
Since any oil will work, why don't you just save your money on that fancy 3-in-1 stuff and use motor oil instead? Just a few drops off the end of the dipstick will do. Why don't you try it and let us know how it works?
Posts: 3467
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to El Kiko)
quote:
Jesus ...how much oil do you put on .... ?
You obviously missed the point of my comment. I simply stated that my guitar instructor recommended actual sewing machine oil. I clearly stated that it may be because it is lighter and thinner than 3 in 1 oil, and it may be less damaging to the woodstock should it come in contact with the wood. I was just speculating. I did not intend it as ground truth.
You are hereby authorized to use 3 in 1 oil on your toast in the morning.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
Posts: 3467
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to timoteo)
quote:
Since any oil will work, why don't you just save your money on that fancy 3-in-1 stuff and use motor oil instead? Just a few drops off the end of the dipstick will do. Why don't you try it and let us know how it works?
Great idea, Timoteo. Motor oil with a multi-viscosity rating of 10-30 should lubricate the tuners in both winter and summer equally well.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to Guest)
It's good to use an oil that has a lower viscosity, like weapon oil or sewing machine oil, and most importantly, it should not resinify, because then the tuners becomy sticky and unpredictable in their turnings.
Also it is a good idea to use a syringe with a relatively thick needle to bring the oil exactly where it is needed, without spilling it all over the place, as it is a common practice among saxophone and flute players.
There is also e very good nonresinifying light oil for saxophones already sold in syringes of a kind.
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Music is a big continent with different lascapes and corners. Some of them I do visit frequently, some from time to time and some I know from hearsay only ...
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RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to Guest)
It's just oil, as long as it doesn't dry to varnish, and you don't apply it like you're lubing a locomotive, you're in good shape. Just a little light machine oil is fine, and it doesn't take much. 3 in 1, Marvel Mystery oil (smells great), sewing machine oil. Don't use WD-40 it's designed to dry, since technically it came from the Aerospace industry as a corrosion preventive film.
Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to n85ae)
You know ... joking aside , i dont think i have ever put oil on any tuning mechanisms ..in all the years .. electric , classical , flamenco ..banjo and Portuguese guitar ... i just never had to .. I might have cleaned them or polished them once in a while .. you know . when your changing strings and giving the guitar a bit of a general clean up . but oil never ..
Do all of you Guys n Gals oil tuners regularly ....??
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to Jeff Highland)
quote:
No oil for me. If a tuner needs oil to function, it probably needs replacement.
In most cases I would tend to agree. One other thing that causes bad tuner movement is filth, dust, grit, hand oils accumulated in the gears. The reason the gunk is drawn into the gears is because they have too much lubricant on them.
However if I had to pick a lubricant for a gear that really needed lube, it would be a small dot of White Lithium grease.
Before lubing gears try cleaning them by holding a soft cloth next to the gear and twisting the knob. Get the dirt out first at least before you lubricate.
I realize most of you like to work on your own guitars and lubing your own gear shafts gives you something positive to do.
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to estebanana)
White lithium grease hardens over time ...
I have a small lathe, which had white lithium grease in the gears, and I spent an entire Saturday cleaning out hardened, and solidified, white lithium grease. Just think about your favorite bar type bath soap, and that's what it became. Not my favorite lubricant for that reason, I'd use light machine oil (sparingly).
Jeff.
quote:
However if I had to pick a lubricant for a gear that really needed lube, it would be a small dot of White Lithium grease.
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to Guest)
Tiny bit of white bar soap would lube the tuner gear just fine. There's a difference between large gears with caked on grease and a tiny dot.
I think any of the lubes mentioned would probably work, the thing is to use tiny bit or none at all. I buy a lot of tuners to go out with guitars and I honestly can't remember a good quality tuner that really needed to be lubricated out of the box as long as it was installed properly.
The thing I don't like about oils is that if over used they can wick down onto the barrel or the side of the head stock. So the stiff dab of grease stays put on the gear.
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to BarkellWH)
quote:
Great idea, Timoteo. Motor oil with a multi-viscosity rating of 10-30 should lubricate the tuners in both winter and summer equally well.
Bill
Flamenco guitars really need the tougher 10-40 perhaps even with a detergent. And have heard some stories of players switching to synthetic motor oils, but I'm sure there are some caveats and could be costly.
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to Guest)
It's not a matter of big gears, it's a matter than Lithium grease hardens. I have experienced the problem on a large scale because I had an entire lathe gearbox full of the dried nasty stuff. It would be MUCH easier to clean out a guitar tuners gears. However - Putting it on a guitar tuner doesn't make lithium grease NOT harden :) That's the point - It does.
Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland
RE: Tuning machines: what's wrong wi... (in reply to n85ae)
I just did a google search to find out the best lubricants to use .... but due to not thinking and perhaps miswording my query .. google search brought me to
Sexual Health topics .... F Y I ..vaseline seems multi purpose ...
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