Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Lubrication:

The kits of this type provide a wax stick to rub on wood wear surface. I am not strictly against wax, but I prefure pencil lead. The advantage of pencil lead IMHO is it is relatively hard and a #2 pencil is a great handle aplicator.
  The burn edges have a more rough texture than the blonde wood face, rubbing the pencil lead on the burn edges has a tendency to burnish the wood fibers smooth and impregnate the fibers with graphite at the same time. The problem with say a powder graphite is it makes a mess and stains the blonde wood.
  The graphite pencil does tend to blend in with the burn edges, but I have used wax when it calls for it on a large blonde wood area that will show.
  You can use most any wax but I like white candles, I try to avoid bee's wax as it is softer and feels a bit gummy, specially in hot weather. I have never built 2 of the same model and compare a all pencil graphite build to all wax build, but in my head the pencil graphite wins!
  If you are "that guy" that needs to take lubrication up a notch, you can buy artist pencil set, a set will range from very soft lead to very hard, I feel the pencils in the softer range have more graphite. There is clay in pencil lead and that makes it stronger.
   I would welcome any idea's of a dry lube better than graphite and wax.
  Lube is more critical on the wood kits with wood gears. It is not strictly needed on the Ferris wheel BUT for fun I spun the red Gondola in the photo in my fingers on its axle right after I gave it the pencil and it was nearly silent, then spun a dry one and it felt and sounded gritty.
  A #2 pencil is nice for putting graphite in tight areas, I like that flat Carpenters pencil for large coverage.


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