Tri flo lube turned to sludge

I wonder if it was really the heat that caused the Tri-Flow to congeal. It might have been some kind of reaction with a lube that was already there from previous use - perhaps the heat promoted a chemical reaction. Tri-flow was originally called Tri-Flon and was marketed for guns, which get way hotter than electric fans or toy trains. DuPont made them stop using the Tri-Flon name because it was too similar to Teflon (which is the active ingredient in Tri-Flow). I used to use the stuff in firearms and never had any trouble with it. 

Maybe the manufacturer changed the formula. Guns require a more heat resistant lube than bicycles. It could be that since they aren't pushing the product as a firearms lubricant, they cut the cost and as a result it's less heat resistant than it used to be. Break Free CLP is popular for firearms. It's also a Teflon based lube and it takes the heat from a belt fed machine gun without breaking down. I use it for everything from automatic weapons to toy trains to squeaky gate hinges. 

I wouldn't worry too much about the Tri-Flow on the old Hudson, but if you want to get it out, lubricate the Hudson with Kroil, run it for a little while, and then oil it with whatever you prefer. Kroil is a great penetrating lubricant and should dilute the Tri-Flow enough to get it out of there. It's too thin for long-term lubrication, but it's great for degunking. 

I thought Tri Flo was supposed to dry up. It was recommended years ago to lubricate motorcycle and other control cables. The carrier solvent would allow it to travel far in to the cable and leave the lubricant behind. 

Pete

You are probably OK having lubricated the drivers and siderods.

I don't think it would be a good idea to lubricate bearings with this stuff.

It wasn't the Tri-Flow. The Tri-Flow loosened and dissolved all of the old gunk. There is a spray, but it is not a dry product.

I found that I can't use it on axles, collectors or the ground contact. The PTFE is not electrically conductive. Side rods, it's a beautiful thing.

Tri-Flow

Tri-Flow^® Superior Lubricant Drip Bottle

Tri-Flow^® Superior Lubricant is the superior, light viscosity lube that allows for deep penetration into hard to reach moving parts. The drip bottle application, with a convenient straw, allows for deep penetration in hard to reach moving parts. High-grade petroleum oils provide optimum lubrication under extreme temperatures (-60 to 475°F) and humidity. Formulated solvents soften and remove dirt and contaminants, while special additives displace moisture and prevent rust and corrosion. Formulated with P.T.F.E.

Thanks for posting that. I hadn't realized Tri-Flow was petroleum based - I thought it was synthetic. Now I know. 

I've been using Break Free on collector rollers and it's been fine. It's also PTFE based but it doesn't seem to cause any problems with conductivity. I prefer to use the special conductive lubricant you get from the electronics store, but sometimes I don't have that stuff close to hand. 

Before reading the description about Tri-Flow, I was trying to figure out how the heat had turned it to a solid.  In the roundhouse I work in, we use it occasionally to shine up the jackets on our locomotive boilers and also use it as a rust preventer sometimes on our bare metal rods after we clean them.  All those applications involve heat.

I have no idea why it did this either. I don't randomly spray stuff around in fear of things like this happening. I was told by another guy offline he used it on weapons too. The fan motor was cleaned of dust and dirt with high pressure water (a few days before tri flow was put on) then left it to dry in the sun. After, it ran fine (pre tri-flow) and I used a fairly small amount. I do this maintenance to all my house fans once or twice a year. (my buddy garbage picks and cleans even more modern fans the same way. The majority come back to full life)(Ive cleaned mother boards for coin-op games in dishwashers too) My point being it was "clean metal". I even considered a hidden plastic washer or shim melting from heat or chemicals. But the fans twin has none.

Maybe it wasn't the heat, or a mix reaction. Maybe the motors electric field changed it?(and/or heat/chem.)  That, or my dishwasher has machine tuberculosis and coughed red gunk on the fan. 

My favorite non train lubes? Best spray dry lube ever is Boeings T-9 airplane aileron lube also w/Teflon. It did things I couldn't believe including initial penetration. And lasts a loooong time out in the weather. But 10+ years ago it was $25 a can. Now?

Aerocroil- (? on the spelling) Only a little more $ but really out does PB blaster and Liquid Wrench for penetrating. Ive only seen it in industrial supply outlets, but its been around a long time.

 Thanks everyone, the fan seems happy again so I think Ill just flush the Hudson and keep close watch. 

Jake, I'm still jealous you got in.... and yet happy for you. Ill be lookin for you at the shows on the south side of town. Be prepared for a (mild) punch in the arm   

Oh well it did happened and Ive warned you

I am thinking it was glue that gunked up the fan. It was the coating from the motor coil.

It may have just been a faulty motor that created excessive heat because of an internal short or component failure.

That fan was a freak incident. Move on and trust the Tri-Flow product.

Good one Moonman, but the still fan lives and centrifugal forze would carry it(insulation gunk) away from the shaft not to it. Wouldn't it? Dripping onto the shaft would be apparent too. The overall heat was not extreme even when it locked up. The housing was touchable. But I didn't poke the shaft with my finger in fear of a blister if it was hot. It heat as a cause was an assumption. I just wont use this product around electrical again, it does have other uses and does them well.

I've used Tri-Flow on my trains for years, no problems. It's a great lube!

Any postwar steamers?

I am not one to clean electric motors with a high-pressure washer using water or solvents. So, forgive me for reaching for a cause. Let's leave that to the unknown.

But, I can be relatively confident that the Tri-Flow product didn't gunk, it may have loosened existing gunk.

I personally use it for the shaft bearings or bushings very sparingly. I use other products for the contacts.

Aerocroil- (? on the spelling) Only a little more $ but really out does PB blaster and Liquid Wrench for penetrating. Ive only seen it in industrial supply outlets, but its been around a long time.

That would be Aerokroil, a version of Kroil. I've never used Aerokroil and I don't know what the difference is, but regular Kroil is the best penetrating oil I've ever used and it's also good as cutting oil. 

Aerokroil is Kroil in an aerosol can.