Astrophotography by Bob Allevo

There are many good lubes that can be used on the gears. Cleanliness prior to lubricating is very important. Dirt or foreign particles can lead to premature gear wear and problems in guiding. Don't let it get there in the first place. Several lubes have been mentioned on the user groups including SLICK 50 grease. So that is what I used when I had my worm box off. You do not need to completely hide the gear teeth with the lube. Don't do it. That's way too much. Just a small amount all the way around. Apply it with a popsicle stick or toothpick or plastic pointer. Metal objects against the teeth may cause damage.

I'm unsure of the frequency required but my guess is that once a year should suffice. If you operate in a hot climate, the melting temperature of the lube would be very important. In a cold environment, the lube should retain its viscosity characteristics. So in selecting a lube, and the lubricating intervals, the viscosity vs. temperature range should be considered when deciding what lube you should use.

Fig.1 is an image of the gearbox to worm adapter that I had taken for this tip section. The entire gear assembly had already been very lightly greased with Slick50. What is shown on the surface is Slick50 grease that has melted?. What looks like a scratch in the bore is really just grease. I am VERY disappointed to see the residue. This to me looks like the Slick50 has melted. My typical ambient temperature for this time of year is about 80-85 F. But I'll leave it for now and monitor it with time.

The Meade LX200's have a very dark looking grease. As though tinted with molybdenum disulfide. It stayed in place forever.

Well, I couldn't leave it for now. I did some searching on the Meade Mapug group and came up with some interesting grease. The advertised temperature range is fantastic and it comes in a neat plastic syringe. Not knowing how much 12ml is, I ordered and received 3 syringes. I planned on re-greasing my worms the next day and I was anxious to know if the stuff would perform in temperature as advertised. So I put a small dab on a piece of aluminum foil and into the toaster oven at 250F and let it stay there for about 30 minutes. The rest of the syringe was put into a baggie and in the freezer until the next morning. THIS STUFF IS GREAT. When I removed the dab from the oven, absolutely no sign of melting. In the morning, I retreived the rest from the freezer and applied a dab to a paper. It came out as it did before going into the freezer. So I cleaned my worms, (got rid of the Slick50 kids stuff), and greased them with the Hi-Slip stuff. I like this grease a lot and I'm glad I purchased 3 of them. One syringe is more than enough to grease both worm and gear assemblies.

Lubricates High Friction Areas; Protects Steel In Extreme Temperatures

Molybdenum-disulfide, in a corrosion-resistant, synthetic grease prevents galling in high-load areas. Won’t run in extreme heat up to +650°F; won’t gum up in cold down to -65°F. Packaged in a syringe that makes it easy to apply precisely. Water resistant and long lasting so it won’t wash away.

SPECS: .41 fl. oz. (12 ml) syringe. $6.95 Click here for Hi Slip Grease

Joe Mize has used Dow # 33 (see below)

DOW Corning Synthetic Grease,

No. 33 Extreme Low-Temperature Grease, -100° to +355° F, (Light consistency).

McMaster-Carr part number "1252K12", 5.3oz $14.20US. Click here for Dow #33