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Author Topic:  Steel Guitar Lubrication -- Is Tri-Flow Really the Best?
Don Mogle

 

From:
Round Rock, TX, USA
Post  Posted 11 Jan 2019 1:52 pm    
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Hi Everyone,

I came across this video put out by a locksmith who tested various brands of lubricants--Dupont Non-Stick Teflon, Tri-Flow Supperior Lubricant, WD-40, Lithium, etc. The locking mechanisms were put through this own simulated torture to include cold temperatures, snow, moisture, oppressive heat, and dirt. Afterwards, he tested the various products for how they performed with the locking mechanisms. Would a steel changer be any more complicated than a locking mechanism???

I was really interested in how Tri-Flow Superior Lubricant performed since I just lubed one of my steels with this and purchased some more to do two other guitars. Tri-Flow has been recommended by many of you for lubricating your instruments in previous Forum posts I've researched. I know there are many thoughts on what are the best lubricants to use--ATF, gun oil, 30-weight oil, aircraft engine oil, 3-in-1 oil, etc.

The results may surprise you as they did me. I know none of us in our right mind would put our instruments through this kind of abuse and torture. However, I think the results are interesting since many of you have written about oils collecting dust and dirt. Jim Sliff...I hope you have a chance to look at this video...it brings to mind some of your previous posts!

View this video and let me know what you think! The first video is the longer, more complete version, that shows the torture the locking mechanisms were put through along with results. The second one is the Readers Digest version w/ overall results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZaPWGo8TbE&t=130s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZLj1LVIiE8

Thanks.

Don


Last edited by Don Mogle on 11 Jan 2019 9:26 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Roger Crawford


From:
Griffin, GA USA
Post  Posted 11 Jan 2019 2:47 pm    
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Don’t forget about automatic transmission fluid.
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Don Mogle

 

From:
Round Rock, TX, USA
Post  Posted 11 Jan 2019 2:49 pm     Lube
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I would not use WD-40
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Jim Bob Sedgwick

 

From:
Clinton, Missouri USA
Post  Posted 11 Jan 2019 5:00 pm    
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WD 40 is a great cleaner. It is NOT a lubricant. I use it all the time to clean the changer. Then blow it out with a compressor to clear the changer. Now use your favorite lubrication. You'll have no more problems
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Bob Carlucci

 

From:
Candor, New York, USA
Post  Posted 11 Jan 2019 8:40 pm    
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Roger Crawford wrote:
Don’t forget about automatic transmission fluid.

Correct.. Nothing is more complex with more tiny moving parts alongside big moving parts with high temps, and a tone of friction than an automatic tranmission, and they last for many years, and many thousands of hours og high heat, and high friction.. Many would disagree, because dry lubricants are all the rage, but 1 qt of plain old ATF will last you and all the steels you will buy for the rest of your life..
I apply it to every metal to metal point, every rotational part/joint, on the changer and even under the plain strings.. No wear problems on my steels and they have always played soft... Plain old ATF, or motor oil is just fine for lubing any pedal steel.... bob
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Pete Burak

 

From:
Portland, OR USA
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2019 8:15 am    
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I am looking at a bottle of Tri-Flow...
I don't like the smell of it. It is pretty smelly.
But it works for the little steel things I need it for occassionaly.
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2019 8:34 am    
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You don't need a bottle full.
They make a little squeeze tube with a needle applicator that works really well. Very Happy
Erv

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Jack Ritter

 

From:
Enid, Oklahoma, USA
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2019 8:38 am    
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I have used Singer sewing machine oil for years and dobbed it on with a small artist paint brush.
Can reach tight places and not overlube them.
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2019 4:07 pm    
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Lot's of lubricant's work really well, or appear to on a totally dry un-lubricated guitar. Tri-Flow has worked well for me on both brand new and used guitars with no reapplication needed in over 10 years.

I think a lot of people think WD-40 is a great lubricant because after apply it to a totally dry or gunked up guitar, the guitar begins to play so much easier for a while. The difference after applying WD-40 to such a guitar is dramatic at first. Of course it's not a lubricant and that effect won't last. I have used WD-40 to free up mechanical devices and followed that with Tri-Flow, lithium grease, gun oil, sewiing machine oil, transmission oil, synthetic clock oil and they all work quite well. The teflon that's suspended in the Tri-Flow light oil is about as slick as can be and the needle applicator is awesome for applying just the right amount in the right places.
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Tom Gorr

 

From:
Three Hills, Alberta
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2019 4:59 pm    
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I used 3 in 1 silicone. That citric acid smell is brutal


i have often thought Hammond organ lube oil might be the answer. geting hard to find tho.
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2019 5:13 pm    
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Old timer here, been playing over 50 years. And...I played the same guitar for 29 years! (Probably close to 10,000 gigs.) I used oil, and used it very sparsely...maybe once every one or two years. The guitar never failed, and did not require any other maintenance, other than replacing strings and tightening some screws every decade or so.

You can all worry or vex about a little dust and grime on the outside of a changer (if you want). I've got far more important things to do.

(This message brought to you by oh-eye-el.) Cool
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Dan Behringer

 

From:
Jerseyville, Illinois
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2019 8:29 pm    
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From my training and 38 years of experience as a Marine Engineer…..Open mechanisms are best lubricated with a good quality grease. Now if you don’t believe that, then go out and wash the grease out of your cars front wheel bearings and replace it with whatever fancy smancy lubricant you think is best. I’m sure in no time you’ll understand what I’m getting at.
With that being said, I don’t mean you should lubricate everything on you pedal steel with grease. Most of the mechanisms are just too difficult to grease. I do however use grease on the cross shaft of the changer. Every year or two during a string change I’ll use a drift to push the cross shaft out, then clean and apply a very thin film of grease. I then use the cross shaft to push the drift back out (as it was still in the changer) and then re-string.
Most people get carried away with using grease and that’s what really creates the mess. A light film is all that’s required. As Donny implied above, some dirt accumulating in excess lubricant is just the price of being “well lubricated”.
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Dave Mudgett


From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2019 10:13 pm    
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From the video's description:
Quote:
We put them all to the test here! Fill up lock cylinders with lubricant and them heat them up to 450 Degrees F for a couple hours them dump them is snow and water. Then Bake them again and freez them. Run it all though a shopvac full of dirt and see what is inside!

Tell ya' what - next time I plan to heat up my steel guitars to 450 degF for a few hours, then dump 'em in snow and water, repeat this cycle, and then blow a bunch of dirt from a shopvac all over them, I'll be sure to use something besides Tri Flow. Until then, it's been working fine for my guitars and steels that are kept generally clean and at room temperature 99.99999% of the time.

The dry Teflon lube at the top of his list is probably a good product also, never have tried it. But the proof is in how it works on a guitar or steel, not a lock subjected to a torture test like this. And I agree about small amounts of machine or transmission oil. The issues arise from over-lubricating, IMO. WD-40? No thanks.
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Stu Schulman


From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2019 5:41 am    
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My experience with Tri-Flow is bringing back to life A Hammond M-3 organ ,The drive shaft had frozen and wouldn't turn at all,So I found a guy when I was living in Anchorage Alaska who was a Hammond organ repair guy so he sprained a bunch of Tri-Flow and then tied some material around the organs drive shaft we let it setup for about an hour, then while he pulled on the material I went around front and hit run+start all of a sudden the Bendix kicked in and very slowly the mighty Hammond came back to life,I let it run for about 10 hours.I used this Hammond in my anchorage studio for years...if not for Tri-Flow it would've remained dead,However I've never used it on steel guitar.
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Tom Gorr

 

From:
Three Hills, Alberta
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2019 2:27 pm    
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Stu Schulman wrote:
My experience with Tri-Flow is bringing back to life A Hammond M-3


Back when I researched Hammond lube, the big concern was that other oils breakdown or deposit additives - they gunk up and eventually seize the tonewheel whereas the original Hammond oil doesnt allow gunk to build up because it is pure..

Dont know whether it is Hammond Snake Oil or truth.


Last edited by Tom Gorr on 14 Jan 2019 5:37 am; edited 1 time in total
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Lee Baucum


From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2019 2:59 pm    
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Dave Mudgett wrote:
From the video's description:
Quote:
We put them all to the test here! Fill up lock cylinders with lubricant and them heat them up to 450 Degrees F for a couple hours them dump them is snow and water. Then Bake them again and freez them. Run it all though a shopvac full of dirt and see what is inside!

Tell ya' what - next time I plan to heat up my steel guitars to 450 deg F for a few hours, then dump 'em in snow and water, repeat this cycle, and then blow a bunch of dirt from a shopvac all over them, I'll be sure to use something besides Tri Flow. Until then, it's been working fine for my guitars and steels that are kept generally clean and at room temperature 99.99999% of the time. WD-40? No thanks.


Agreed!
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Mark Hepler

 

From:
Virginia, USA
Post  Posted 14 Jan 2019 11:08 am     Break-Free
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Got back into steel a few years ago after a 20-year layoff (surprised my chops came back & I have gigs...go figure).

I freed my seized-up Emmons with Break-Free CLP. Great stuff: at first, old gunk oozed out; now I use a few drops every year or two. It is made of synthetic oil, a smidgen of Teflon, and a pinch of their secret sauce.

The military uses a version of it on guns.
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 14 Jan 2019 11:53 am    
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Mark,
I did the same to free up the changer on an Emmons.
Erv

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Mark Hepler

 

From:
Virginia, USA
Post  Posted 14 Jan 2019 12:47 pm    
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Erv,

Bob Dunlap recommended Break-Free in an old gunsmith video--how to field strip a Luger or some such--where I got the idea. He said Break-Free's Teflon works itself into metal's pores and that champ shooters use it.

I like its lubrication qualities, and it doesn't draw dust.

Good to know you used it too!

Mark
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Mike Schwartzman

 

From:
Maryland, USA
Post  Posted 14 Jan 2019 8:09 pm    
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Is Tri-Flow really the best lubricant? I don't know, but at the suggestion of people here before me (some replying on this thread now), I've used Tri-Flow for over 10 years on my PSG's and as the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke...etc." A little goes a long way and no messy build up on PP and All Pull.
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Tony Glassman


From:
The Great Northwest
Post  Posted 14 Jan 2019 8:54 pm    
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I use Break Free too.
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jan 2019 7:40 am    
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Mark,
Yes, it was recommended to me by a shotgun shooter.
He used it to clean gunpowder from his shotgun.
I know it sure worked on the Emmons changer. Very Happy
Erv
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Charley Bond


From:
Inola, OK, USA
Post  Posted 16 Jan 2019 11:29 am     Lubrication
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My friend Len Amaral gave me some Brain Lube... it works great. Maybe Lennie can tell us what the stuff is...
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Bud Angelotti


From:
Larryville, NJ, USA
Post  Posted 16 Jan 2019 4:57 pm    
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What about graphite?
I just found a brand new bottle in my dad's old stuff. It's got to be at least about 50 years old, but brand new.
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Lee Baucum


From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
Post  Posted 16 Jan 2019 6:11 pm    
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No graphite! No! Don't do it!
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