I have not had to re-lube yet. There is a light coating that is still on the ball that did not wear away after my testing. I still cover the head with a plastic bag when hiking around, I figure there is no sense inviting dust and junk to get caught between uses.
I wonder myself about the time to re-lube and was thinking LSA oil, it was good enough for my M-16, but I best ask Sunway about their specific recommendations and add it to this thread when I get an answer. Oh, that LR adjustment wheel for the clamp is hard to move, I like that a lot, it is not going anywhere on it's own that's for sure....Show more →
Sounds good. So just to clarify, did you lube the head when you first bought it? If so, what did you use? I was thinking of trying WD-40 since I have that available, but not sure if i should get something else.
No, I did NOT lube the head. It was done in the factory.
WD-40 --- I would NOT EVER use this on anything other than what it was intended for, which was to help loosen old bolts on automobiles or old rusted bolts. WD-40 will eventually dry and cause damage. It is a cleaner FIRST and it drives moisture away. Case in point: Check out their website and see that the majority of the uses are to clean and remove moisture. Much like reading the label on a food product see what THEY list as doing the best first... even Ukrainians, who are kinda lazy about maintenance will only use it to clean and then apply proper greases or oils. I have never ever seen or considered WD-40 as a viable lube, it simply is to short term. I hate to get on a soap box about this :-(
Also, there is a Russian photographer in Siberia who has Sunwayfoto products, he lubed his lever clamp with WD-40, the clamp promptly froze, he was most distressed. I have been unable to contact him again to see what his solution was :-/
You are right, there is more, I can only go by what he said (though something may have been lost in translation). I have been unable to contact him to get specifics but as far as I can remember he said something like "very cold at -30 outside applied WD-40 went outside and clamp froze. Did not force for fear of breaking"
-30c is about -22f, it must have congealed and the clamp became difficult to operate. I suspect it was the only liquid he had, but why he felt he needed to do this is beyond me. In any case I would not go out when it is that cold to take photos unless I'm being paid. I must make a real effort to find him again to see exactly what the problem was, because so far, it was the only complaint I could find on the Sunway heads.
"MoS2 with particle sizes in the range of 1-100 µm is a common dry lubricant. Few alternatives exist that can confer the high lubricity and stability up to 350 °C in oxidizing environments. Sliding friction tests of MoS2 using a pin on disc tester at low loads (0.1-2 N) give friction coefficient values of <0.1
Molybdenum disulfide is often a component of blends and composites where low friction is sought. A variety of oils and greases are used, because they retain their lubricity even in cases of almost complete oil loss, thus finding a use in critical applications such as aircraft engines. When added to plastics, MoS2 forms a composite with improved strength as well as reduced friction. Polymers that have been filled with MoS2 include nylon (with the trade name Nylatron), Teflon, and Vespel. Self-lubricating composite coatings for high-temperature applications have been developed consisting of molybdenum disulfide and titanium nitride by chemical vapor deposition.
Specific uses:
MoS2 is often used in two-stroke engines; e.g., motorcycle engines. It is also used in CV and universal joints. MoS2-coatings allow bullets easier passage through the rifle barrel causing less barrel fouling allowing the barrel to retain ballistic accuracy much longer. This resistance to barrel fouling comes at a cost of lower muzzle velocity with the same load due to a decreased chamber pressure.MoS2 is applied to bearings in ultra-high vacuum applications up to 10−9 torr (at -226 to 399°C). The lubricant is applied by burnishing and the excess is wiped from the bearing surface.
MoS2 is also used in ski glide wax. Many ski wax manufacturers use it now to prevent static buildup in dry snow conditions and to add glide when sliding in dirty snow."
I have used it for many years as a grease in RC cars, with no side effects, just as a small high speed hobby instance on the bearings.
i see many things. i work on commercial aircraft and on the main gear truck bogey we actually had to replace one version for another type due to its failure under pressure. it actually would squeeze and chunk up. this was on the B777-200. this is what i do for a living. not all of the same lubes are the same. we really tend to be hard and products in my field. we refer to it as engineering change.
Well we are talking a max weight at take off of a B777-200 about 500,000 lbs, even empty is is around what 306,000 lbs. evenly distributed over all of the landing gear, that is considerably more pressure and stress than a motorcycle engine or even a simple ball head that holds 50 lbs. or less. Correct? Which is why I am suggesting a hobby grade moly, but I e-mailed Sunway to see what they recommend.
sjms wrote:
that last statement is the smartest thing to do.
as long as the the product you use is spec'd out for the use you have it should not be an issue. but Moly is not the cure all for everything.
Never said it was a cure all, that's what homemade vodka is for ....
But yeah I totally understand specs and uses for specifics. I think it is lunch time in China so we may get an answer soon. It is 2030 here. So maybe tomorrow my time, we'll see.
absolutely. many years ago my crew made the mistake of going out with the AN225 crew when it was here in the US doing an exposition post Chernobyl. BAD MISTAKE! it took some of them 2 days to return to work.
as to the 777 i forgot to add the ER designation. MTOW 656000lbs
We have an answer.
Also in regards to my statement about the clamp adjustment wheel being hard to move by thumb nail, Just tried it! Duh.... I R A Dork. It works easy peasy.
From Sunwayfoto:
On Apr 8, 2011, at 4:43 AM, [email protected] wrote:
"Hello John,
You can use WD-40 as a cleaner to clean your ballhead when it's dirty.
And after use it, you have to use a dry soft cloth to wipe up. But it can not be used as a lubricant.
All our ballheads and other products are lubricated before leaving our factory.
So they don't need any futher lubricated. Just to use a soft cloth to clean your products for daily maintenance.
And I notice that you mentioned that the LR adjustment wheel for the clamp is hard to move.
And actually it's not hard to adjust. Please see attached picture,
to hold the clamp and squeeze the jaws, then you can turn the Adjustment wheel easily.
But please not to unscrew the clamp jaw too far in case the Lever coming apart!
My wife tapped me for a new garage.... so I am a few months behind spending extra money. I thought the garage was big enough, but it appears she has "other plans", I hope it includes a cot to sleep on when I am in trouble. In about 2 more months I will be good to order. Using the ball head maybe 3 times a week, absolutely no complaints.
I have DYH-66 leveling Base it has a very good quality finish, my ony gripe is that you have to set up your T-pod and leveling base first before ataching the ballhead otherwise you can not see the level, this is workable if you do not have to move arround to much, but a pain having to remove the ballhead each time if you relocate, I am not sure why they did not have the level on the outside of the unit like the Novoflex unit.
