Rigging grease recommendations for long-term-rigged gliders

So, I have been using white lithium grease for decades for all my glider fittings. This has worked out fine, no problems ever, all my fittings have stayed nice, with no damage of any kind.

However, now that I have an 18 meter motorglider and am retired and blessed with time to go soar, my rigging habits have changed. I now typically keep my glider rigged for weeks at a time when flying at soaring safari or contest sites. When based at my home 'drome off season, I have a hangar so I am typically rigged for months at a time off season.

A person knowledgeable about such things recently told me that white lithium grease for the main high stress attach points (wing pins and lift pins) is not good, it dries out and/or cannot stand up to or stay in place due to the high stresses on those components, and the result is scoring. This makes sense to me, and I am thinking about changing to a better grease for long-term rigging. He suggested molybdenum disulfide grease.

I would like to invite comments on this. Are there other options for grease for long-term rigged gliders? What are the best sources (USA) for such greases?

Thanks in advance,
Cheers,
Jim J6

Sorry, I forgot to include this link as a possible source of the molybdenum disulfide grease:

https://www.partzilla.com/product/ya...CC-MOLDM-GS-10

Cheers,
Jim

On Saturday, 1 February 2020 17:43:01 UTC-6, Jim Hogue wrote:
So, I have been using white lithium grease for decades for all my glider fittings. This has worked out fine, no problems ever, all my fittings have stayed nice, with no damage of any kind.

However, now that I have an 18 meter motorglider and am retired and blessed with time to go soar, my rigging habits have changed. I now typically keep my glider rigged for weeks at a time when flying at soaring safari or contest sites. When based at my home 'drome off season, I have a hangar so I am typically rigged for months at a time off season.

A person knowledgeable about such things recently told me that white lithium grease for the main high stress attach points (wing pins and lift pins) is not good, it dries out and/or cannot stand up to or stay in place due to the high stresses on those components, and the result is scoring. This makes sense to me, and I am thinking about changing to a better grease for long-term rigging. He suggested molybdenum disulfide grease.

I would like to invite comments on this. Are there other options for grease for long-term rigged gliders? What are the best sources (USA) for such greases?

Thanks in advance,
Cheers,
Jim J6

On Saturday, February 1, 2020 at 6:43:01 PM UTC-5, Jim Hogue wrote:
So, I have been using white lithium grease for decades for all my glider fittings. This has worked out fine, no problems ever, all my fittings have stayed nice, with no damage of any kind.

However, now that I have an 18 meter motorglider and am retired and blessed with time to go soar, my rigging habits have changed. I now typically keep my glider rigged for weeks at a time when flying at soaring safari or contest sites. When based at my home 'drome off season, I have a hangar so I am typically rigged for months at a time off season.

A person knowledgeable about such things recently told me that white lithium grease for the main high stress attach points (wing pins and lift pins) is not good, it dries out and/or cannot stand up to or stay in place due to the high stresses on those components, and the result is scoring. This makes sense to me, and I am thinking about changing to a better grease for long-term rigging. He suggested molybdenum disulfide grease.

I would like to invite comments on this. Are there other options for grease for long-term rigged gliders? What are the best sources (USA) for such greases?

Thanks in advance,
Cheers,
Jim J6

I would suggest a good quality wheel bearing grease. The nastier and stickier the better.
UH

I would suggest a good quality wheel bearing grease. The nastier and stickier the better.
UH

Try "Flamingo Grease." Nasty, Sticky and Pink!
Made for boat trailer wheel bearings that dip into salt water in the Florida Keys.
Used it on my Blaink L-23 fittings when I had Miami Gliders and now at Marfa Gliders in southwest Texas since 2001 (where I traded rust for dust.)
Find something similar - nasty and sticky (and pink) - perhaps in a marine supply store.

Note the Blank L-23 horizontal T-tail stabilizer is very hard to remove after an outlanding or approaching storm if the pins have not been cleaned and greased every 3 months. Changed to "Flamingo Grease" and it slid off (forward) without using the expletive deleted words, a rubber mallet and wooden dowel. Mallets and hammers on aircraft are not recommended!

The Schempp-Hirth manual just specifies "acid free grease". Which types of grease are not acid free?

Hi Jim -

When I got my glider, an engineer, CFIG, and motor glider owner recommended Super Lube Synthetic Grease. About $8 a tube available all over.

It seems to work great.

Lou

My sailplane manual says use a Molybdenum grease. All the people around me say White Lithium is just fine for daily assembly. The local A&P says use graphite if you keep the glider assembled for a long time.

I don't know. I just do what I'm told.

My knowledgeable person also mentioned graphite as good for long term rigged. What form is this, the powdery stuff, or is there a pasty type "graphite grease"? Not familiar with it....

Cheers,
Jim J6



On Saturday, 1 February 2020 19:08:14 UTC-6, rj wrote:
My sailplane manual says use a Molybdenum grease. All the people around me say White Lithium is just fine for daily assembly. The local A&P says use graphite if you keep the glider assembled for a long time.

I don't know. I just do what I'm told.

What does your maintenance manual recommend?

I used Superlube for awhile, but felt like I was getting too much fretting wear. Switched to Lucas Red n Tacky. Good wear and anti corrosion properties. https://lucasoil.com/products/grease/red-n-tacky-grease