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Does Lubricating The Spring of Grippers Make Them Easier?


Onerepman

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Does lubricating the spring of a gripper with lithium grease (or some other lubricant) make it easier/smoother to close? Say you're working on closing a goal gripper, would the fact that it's not lubricated be making it more difficult to close?

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I'm going to guess Andrew Pantke has tried this with his calibration testing and can answer you.  My gut feeling is yes but degree is unknown.

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I would say yes, but that it's probably extremely small and grippers should always be lubricated. I would not use lithium grease tho, an occasional drop of oil is plenty. 

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The springs are drier than you’d think right out of the package. GHP is the only one (IMO) that has enough oil that you can even get it on your fingers. I believe IM puts something on the spring, but it’s not wet to the touch by the time it’s opened. (Side note that Randall has confirmed you CAN oil the spring on a cert gripper because that’s just recommended maintenance.)  All others are essentially dry.  

Oiling the spring can drop anything from 0 to 10 lbs off a brand new rating. Depends on how dry it was and if the spring binds it can really make a difference.  I’ve seen 20 lbs drop off a dirty/dry used spring.  

Also, Tettings are not polished springs and even brand new you can get a TON of grime off of them. With Baraban and HG it’s not uncommon to find the fine polishing medium in the spring grooves.  It is easily tooth-brushed off, but if you don’t then it amounts to basically having sand in there.  

The only way to hope for a repeatable rating is to take the rating on a clean/oiled spring and then keep the spring clean/oiled.  There is no way to replicate any amount of grime or dryness.  But clean and oiled is repeatable.

A spring that has been allowed to degrade may never return to its original rating.  You can usually steel wool off rust so you’re only left with discolorations (which cannot be felt) but it’s REALLY hard to get the rust out of the inside coils.  The spring effectively only touches itself around the bottom (settle down), where the coil starts and ends at the spring legs and between the two coils as viewed from the bottom (there are three coils as viewed from the top but those flex apart during a close).  Around the bottom where it touches are the hardest spots to return to fresh and clean. Really, the only defense is to not let it get bad.

As a final recommendation, I would oil with a product like 3-in-1.  Any actual oil.  In my experience, WD-40 is a good solvent for cleaning a dirty spring (you can even soak it overnight in a cup) but WD-40 dries tacky.  It’s more of a solvent.  It gets things moving by freeing them up, not by lubricating.  So I would add actual lubrication.  

Sorry, long post.  🤗

 

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2 minutes ago, Cannon said:

Sorry, long post

Actually, very informative; glad you took the time.

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6 minutes ago, Vinnie said:

Actually, very informative; glad you took the time.

It felt longer having typed it out on a mobile 😬

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I use 3-in-1. Fun fact: WD-40 is technically not a lubricant.

As far as cleaning in between the coils, a strip of notebook paper soaked in oil is what I've had the most success with.

Look closely at the spring as you squeeze a gripper, you'll see different spots open/close relative to adjacent coils, so you may need to squeeze a little to get in all the spots.

Then go over the outside of the coil with a paper towel or rag so you don't get oil everywhere.

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34 minutes ago, Tommy J. said:

Too cool! I will be refereeing a cert soon and this is good to know.

can i be lazy and ask for a link?..

I’m not even sure it was at this forum. Just double-check with IM when you’re setting up the cert. Also as far as I know, the cert doesn’t have to be the FIRST close on the gripper. You can oil it and get the creaks out.. get it going. Never mind that there is no limit for attempts or timeframe. 

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4 hours ago, wobbler said:

I use 3-in-1. Fun fact: WD-40 is technically not a lubricant.

As far as cleaning in between the coils, a strip of notebook paper soaked in oil is what I've had the most success with.

Look closely at the spring as you squeeze a gripper, you'll see different spots open/close relative to adjacent coils, so you may need to squeeze a little to get in all the spots.

Then go over the outside of the coil with a paper towel or rag so you don't get oil everywhere.

Why is it not a lubricant?

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25 minutes ago, Allen Heineck said:

Why is it not a lubricant?

Wd stands for water displacement. It was originally made to clean components in preparation for the application of lubricants. It's a solvent and is very volatile, so after a short amount of time very little material will remain on the part. Lubricants have to have a much higher viscosity and very low volatility to remain in place and serve their purpose. 

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6 minutes ago, Climber028 said:

Wd stands for water displacement. It was originally made to clean components in preparation for the application of lubricants. It's a solvent and is very volatile, so after a short amount of time very little material will remain on the part. Lubricants have to have a much higher viscosity and very low volatility to remain in place and serve their purpose. 

It was actually made to prevent rust.  It's MSDS indicates it contains solvents and petroleum based oils.  By definition it is a lubricant.  But I would agree there are better choices!

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It contains lubricants, but only a small amount. If it's major component is a solvent, I would call it a solvent. Might be good for cleaning a gripper but I just use an air gun, then a drop of oil, then do a bunch of close.

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