Hi folks,

I met a guy who claims to be a machinery trader yesterday while I was 
looking for some JCB parts. I don't believe him, though. I think he's 
effectively a scrap dealer. He showed me a Mark I JCB 3C which he bought 
last week for £800. A nice machine which has clearly been looked after. 
The cab was a bit tatty, but that was the only major problem it had. Ran 
really well. He says he's going to scrap it so that he can get just over 
£1000. I feel this is obscenely wasteful.

If I was a bit richer, I'd buy the machine to save it, but I already 
have a rarer Fordson-based 3C, and I can only cope with one battle at a 
time. He also told me that he'd recently scrapped a JCB 4D. That is 
tragic, as the 4D is probably the rarest and most impressive JCB ever 
made. If I had visited when the 4D was in his yard, I don't think I'd 
have been able to resist buying it.

I guess you can blame China to some extent for driving up scrap metal 
prices (for some light-hearted mockery of China, take a look at this: 
http://www.dickipedia.org/dick.php?title=China). But the brunt of the 
blame lies with scrap dealers who take advantage of generous sellers and 
feel no guilt about scrapping good machines just to make a modest 
profit. I'm not saying I'm against people making money. I'm just against 
people making money through unacceptably wasteful and destructive means. 
It's not just one guy either. There are plenty of these guys out there 
destroying our industrial heritage. In my view, their behaviour is 
wholly unacceptable, on a level with that of pimps and loan sharks. It's 
a pity that there isn't a law which prevents this kind of thing.

If anyone in the Shropshire/Cheshire/North Wales area wants a Mark I JCB 
3C (or the Nuffield engine, which is a great runner), drop me an e-mail 
(cdt22 AT cantabgold DOT net) and I'll give you the guy's number. You'll 
need to be quick, though, as he says he's scrapping it on Monday morning.

If there's one lesson we can learn from this, it's that if you can't 
keep a machine and yet you want to safeguard its future, you should know 
the scrap value of the machine and make sure that you set your price 
above it.

Best wishes,

Chris

Anyone suggest a suitable lubricant for slow moving gearing exposed to the 
elements?

Cheers

Nick H

On Jun 7, 8:38 pm, "Nick H"  wrote:
> Anyone suggest a suitable lubricant for slow moving gearing exposed to the> elements?
>
> Cheers
>
> Nick H

I would think some sort of grease that is used on wire ropes,very
thick and black,can't think of a name though.

R D Gravy wrote:
> On Jun 7, 8:38 pm, "Nick H"  wrote:
> 
>>Anyone suggest a suitable lubricant for slow moving gearing exposed to the
>>elements?
>>
>>Cheers
>>
>>Nick H
> 
> 
> I would think some sort of grease that is used on wire ropes,very
> thick and black,can't think of a name though.

I can't think of the name of it either, but it sounds like the right 
stuff. It's the grease that gave the name to the "Black Hand Gang" on 
the Welsh Highland Railway project. But any thick grease should do. 
Thick grease won't evaporate so easily.

Best wishes,

Chris

On Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:00:53 +0000, Christopher Tidy wrote:

> But any thick grease should do. Thick grease won't evaporate so easily.

This will sound silly but it also needs to be waterproof so it doesn't 
wash off in the rain.

http://marinestore.co.uk/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_code=M
D370126&Category_code=misc--oils-and-greases

http://marinestore.co.uk/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_code=S
SSCX6007&Category_code=misc--oils-and-greases

http://www.redler.com/products/autogrease/greases.htm (a couple there, 
including an "open gear" grease and a waterproof one)

-- 
Cheers
Dave.

"Christopher Tidy"  wrote in message 
news:484B0515.40604@cantabgold.net...
>R D Gravy wrote:
>> On Jun 7, 8:38 pm, "Nick H"  wrote:
>>
>>>Anyone suggest a suitable lubricant for slow moving gearing 
>>>exposed to the
>>>elements?
>>>
>>>Cheers
>>>
>>>Nick H
>>
>>
>> I would think some sort of grease that is used on wire 
>> ropes,very
>> thick and black,can't think of a name though.
>
> I can't think of the name of it either, but it sounds like the 
> right stuff...

Molybdenum grease, perhaps? Or perhaps Graphite grease?

-- 
MatSav

On Jun 7, 8:38 pm, "Nick H"  wrote:
> Anyone suggest a suitable lubricant for slow moving gearing exposed to the> elements?
>
> Cheers
>
> Nick H

Google " "open gear" lubrication" for a number of answers.
You can either use very thick grease or dry film lubricant depending
on the application.
An easy option that's cheap in small quantities is motorcycle chain
lube. It now comes in the inevitable aerosol can. with a thin tube so
you can stick it just where you want.

John

Nick,

You should have put this up last Friday, I have a very large tub of the 
stuff in the garage and I would have given you some. Will look on tin 
tomorrow for spec, just got out of bath so not getting dirty anymore today 
:-))

Martin P

"John"  wrote in message 
news:b89ae909-78f0-43e5-be5e-6bfd7a8e26e2@m45g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
On Jun 7, 8:38 pm, "Nick H"  wrote:
> Anyone suggest a suitable lubricant for slow moving gearing exposed to the
> elements?
>
> Cheers
>
> Nick H

Google " "open gear" lubrication" for a number of answers.
You can either use very thick grease or dry film lubricant depending
on the application.
An easy option that's cheap in small quantities is motorcycle chain
lube. It now comes in the inevitable aerosol can. with a thin tube so
you can stick it just where you want.

John

Thanks for all the advice, I had been thinking in terms of stern tube 
grease as it presumably has water resistant properties and is probably 
available from the canal-side chandlers just up the road (lazy!). But 
the wire rope stuff sounds a better bet and clearly, had I bothered to 
google 'exposed gearing' I would have found that there is stuff 
specifically for the purpose (luffing gear on Lacey Green windmill BTW - 
the drums of ex WD gloop have finally run out!). I shall investigate 
price and availability.

Thanks again

Nick H