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MicroLubrol™ HELIMAX-XP™ Camera Lens Telescope Optical Instrument Focusing Helicoid Grease w/ PTFE 1oz 28g


Price: $12.95
In Stock
- CONTAINS LITHIUM AND PTFE! HELIMAX-XP Contains Lithium Stearate (Lithium "Soap") and sub-micronized PTFE for superb lubrication of metal components. PTFE is the generic name for Teflon and other brands of Polytetrafluoroethylene polymer. Considered to be the "slipperiest substance known to man" (and woman too!), it is so slippery it is the only material a gecko lizard cannot stick to! HELIMAX-XP™ shares the same excellent proven lubricating properties of the best heavy duty industrial greases but in a light and clean formulation perfect for helicoid service.

- NO MIGRATION! Grease migration caused by oil separation can contaminate aperture blades and other components. HELIMAX-XP™, unlike conventional refined petroleum based greases, contains a fully synthetic oil base. Synthetic oils are of more uniform composition and do not contain the lighter fraction impurities that conventional refined petroleum based oils do. This means that HELIMAX-XP™ has low seepage so it does not migrate and stays in place better than other greases that tend to separate, especially at higher temperatures.

- BUTTERY SMOOTHNESS! Great for warm muffins... and helicoids too! The consistency of HELIMAX-XP™ is NLGI 1 (National Lubricating Grease Institute Grade #1), and its consistency is like that of room temperature butter. It spreads easily, it will easily go where other greases can't, and stay there. Simply put, it goes on smooth and stays where you put it!

- WHAT A DRAG! Most standard industrial, automotive, hobby and sport equipment greases have NLGI 2 or higher consistency and are too thick for helicoid service because they cause excessive drag and even some hysteresis (the tendency of an object after being moved to return to its previous position) when adjusting the instrument. Other very useful but heavy silicone greases like the popular Dow Corning 111 (NLGI 3) and Dow Corning High Vacuum Grease (NLGI 4-4+) have very stiff consistency and offer even worse drag characteristices. Because of its NLGI 1 consistency, HELIMAX-XP™ provides excellent service in helicoid applications since it provides maximum lubrication with minimal drag.

- FROM ANTARCTICA TO ZIMBABWE! HELIMAX-XP™ has a service temperature range of -40ºF to +300ºF (-40ºC to +149ºC). HELIMAX-XP™ will perform as well under the bright Kalahari Desert sun (Yes, part of it is in Zimbabwe!) as under the full moon outside McMurdo Station in the Antarctic (Mean daily minimun temperature in the dead of their Winter in August: -25.2ºF / -31.8ºC). Heat or cold, HELIMAX-XP™ performs.

- A CLEAN MACHINE! HELIMAX-XP™ is an excellent choice for instruments where cleanliness is required. It is bright white and spreads virtually colorless. Any residue can easily be cleaned from unwanted places, or parts can be cleaned prior to reapplication with a cotton rag (as you know, paper towels shred!) and rubbing alcohol.

- NO ODOR = NO OUTGASSING! HELIMAX-XP™ is a light grease, but with the advantage of a fully synthetic base oil that makes it virtually odorless. Lighter greases with conventional refined petroleum based oils have lighter, more volatile fraction impurities. Basically, if you can smell it, you are smelling volatile fractions. In optical instruments, even room temperature can cause undesirable outgassing and evaporation of these lighter fractions that lead to deposition onto lens elements. The synthetic oil in HELIMAX-XP™ has much lower volatility than conventional petroleum refined oils to avoid outgassing.

- VERSATILE AND SAFE FOR YOUR EQUIPMENT... ALL OF IT! Greases with conventional refined petroleum based oils can affect and degrade plastic components. The fully synthetic oil base in HELIMAX-XP™ has been designed for use in service with plastic/plastic and plastic/metal contact parts and is compatible with most plastics and rubbers as well as all metal parts. And because of its superior lubricity HELIMAX-XP™ can also be effectively used with metal-metal contact components.

- LONG SERVICE LIFE! HELIMAX-XP™ will NOT gum up, thicken up, wax up or harden with long term use. It also protects metal components against corrosion, receiving the highest standardized anti-corrosion test score of "1A." Years and years from now, the HELIMAX-XP™ you use today will still retain its consistency and lubricating properties.

- NO "CREEPY" SILICONES! HELIMAX-XP™ does not contain silicones or polysiloxane oils. Silicone based greases are excellent for many applications, but not as good for fine optical instruments. Helicoids demand a lighter consistency grease, but light silicone based greases do not stay in place as well since the base silicone oil can bleed. In order to get a silicone based grease to so light a consistency as NLGI #1, it needs a higher quantity of polysiloxane oil which tends to separate and bleed more as the percentage of it increases in the grease, and "creeps" or migrates where you do not want it.

- NO MESSY MOLY! HELIMAX-XP™ Does not contain "Moly." Moly (Molybdenum Disulfide) greases are excellent for high pressure metal-to-metal contact applications such as the bearings in huge earth moving equipment, but not so great on optical instruments. Molybdenum disulfide is actually a solid particle that is "suspended" in the grease and it can in many cases separate and migrate. Moly greases are also just plain ugly and MESSY! Any grease that is so messy to use and so hard to clean from everything surely can't be a great choice for fine optical instruments!

- BUT... is Krytox BETTER? You may have heard of DuPont Krytox as being the best grease available. Krytox is a superb (and superbly expensive!) grease and it is the grease of choice for many applications, but it is not recommended for alumimun parts. For some reason, perhaps the softness of aluminum, Krytox is not the best performing grease for that metal. If your helicoid, as many do, has or can be in contact with aluminum components (or you are not sure if it does or not), Krytox may not be a good choice. In addition to it not being as suitable because of its NLGI 2 consistency which can cause some drag, Krytox is also virtually impossible to completely remove from a surface without a special fluorocarbon solvent sold by DuPont. If getting your helicoid completely clean between regreasing is a must, or if you are afraid that some of it may come in contact with the lens or other parts in your instrument that do not need lubrication, Krytox may not be the best choice of grease.

Item Number: MLH-XP-1
Manufacturer: MicroLubrol
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