What brand O-Ring lube are you using?

[N2 Welding]

I’m looking to stock up on O-Rings and lube to keep the O-Rings in good shape.

I see Grainger carries an off brand with a hypertherm part number on it for a few dollars cheaper.

https://www.grainger.com/product/AMERIC ... ase-41R591

7557C9AD-9A96-4A86-A764-338CDD924F26.png

[djreiswig]

Dielectric grease from the auto parts store. It's silicone grease just like what you get from Hypertherm. I think it's Permatex brand.

[N2 Welding]

I did see dialectic grease show up in the search results when googling TD, Hypertherm plasma o ring lube. Can anyone else confirm this is acceptable?

Going to google dialectric grease properties now.

[acourtjester]

N2 in the past I have bought a bunch (100 each) of the "O" rings for the Hypertherm torch, and offered some free to members.
viewtopic.php?f=60&t=35633&p=227021&hil ... gs#p227021

[N2 Welding]

N2 in the past I have bought a bunch (100 each) of the "O" rings for the Hypertherm torch, and offered some free to members.
viewtopic.php?f=60&t=35633&p=227021&hil ... gs#p227021

That was very nice of you

Not sure how they would apply to my Thermal Dynamics torch. Good info in that thread none the less.

[N2 Welding]

Dielectric grease from the auto parts store. It's silicone grease just like what you get from Hypertherm. I think it's Permatex brand.

The google search revealed the following with regards to dialectic grease and contact with o2 under high psi.

Silicon greases contain carbon based ingredients which, if brought into contact with O2 under pressure, could lead to an O2 flash explosion. This however is not possible with components which contain O2 not under pressure.

Resource link:
https://www.ccrexplorers.com/community/ ... ses.15592/

[N2 Welding]

While down the Rabbit hole of Dialectric grease usage I discovered Craig Deoxit. https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/the- ... t-11642003

Take this as you will, no relation to me.

As written by Wayne Orwig, MGNOC Georgia State Rep.

Using Dielectric Grease on connectors.

A lot of people use dielectric grease on connectors. Some people mistakenly believe that dieletric grease is a conductor. In fact, it is just the opposite; it is an insulator. Dielectric grease is typically made of silicone grease.

As an insulator, dielectric grease is good for use on spark plug boots. This was one of the original applications on vehicles when the high-energy ignition systems came out. It can help insulate the connector and, in particular on a motorcycle where it can get wet, it waterproofs the spark plug boot. And, because it is silicone, it is fairly stable at high temperatures and won't affect the rubber and plastics.

So why would you put an insulator on a connector? The idea is that you use a thin layer. When you push the connector together the grease is pushed out of the way enough to get a connection and the surrounding grease then keeps out water and oxygen. The connector will be protected from the environment and less likely to corrode. Plus, the silicone is safe for the plastics and PVC insulation.

That sounds good, so far; so why not smear it on everything? Well there are a number of good reasons.

First, silicone grease outgases constantly. If the silicone gas gets near a connector or a contact, such as a relay, and there is a spark, the spark at the contact can create silicon dioxide. Some people even suggest that the silicone gas from dielectric grease can travel many feet through the unsulation on a wire and damage a contact on the other end. Omron states that even their sealed switches can be damaged by nearby silicone grease outgassing. Reference the following links for more info:

http://www.omron.com/ecb/products/pdf/en-d2vw.pdf

http://machinedesign.com/article/lubric ... tches-1025

Second, it is an insulator. It can prevent contacts from touching. If you do use it, use a very thin layer.

Third, if you have a corroded connection, silicone grease will not help. In fact, it may make it worse. It can never improve anything. Dielectric grease will never make a poor connection better.

Fourth, it attracts dust and dirt and it hardens over time. This means that if you smear a lot of silicone grease on connectors you may see nearby relays, switches, or points fail later on. Since silicone grease does nothing at all to improve the connection and, in fact, may insulate the contacts in the connector increasing the resistance the connector may still fail.

So what do you do? Look for a contact enhancer/lube. While most contact cleaners are simple solvents that just wash the connector off there are contact enhancers that deoxidize the contact surface and actually work to lower the contact resistance (make a better connection). Most contact enhancers leave a lubricant behind that protects the metal and continue to deoxidize the metal and improve the connection. They can work to lower the resistance and make a better contact as time goes by. The best you can hope for from dielectric grease is that it seals it enough to not get worse. I have used Caig Deoxit on my bikes for a few years now. I first found out about this on my job when I had to correct an issue in a connector system that could not tolerate even 5 thousandths of an ohm of resistance drift. We had a connector in the field that had been improperly plated and was starting to drift, mostly in warm humid areas like Florida. Our testing showed that the Caig Deoxit could be a good long-term fix. We ended up using the Deoxit to stabilize the bad units until we could get corrected wiring harnesses built with the correct connectors. We also put a layer of Deoxit on the new parts to protect and keep them clean over their lifetime. This solved the drift issue that we had.

I still use a small amount of silicone grease on my spark plug caps. It helps to waterproof them and makes it easier to pull the cap off, but I use it in very small amounts and never near a relay or switch.

[SegoMan DeSigns]

Al o-rings have an industry part # (check any O-Ring site for dimensions / part no's) You can buy O-rings from the mfr''s of the torch but you will find out that for the price of a few you can buy 100 from an O ring site. O-Ring site's will have a compatibility chart of what material for it's application. Like you posted O-rings for O/A torches can only have certain lube applied to them. That does not apply to a plaz torch unless you have a mixing console with O2 piped into it.

Here is another thread on O-rings:

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=35414&p=224708&hil ... gs#p224708


The CAIG DeoxIT is a very good contact cleaner / enhancer I use it on all critical connections prior to assembly and seal them with the die electric silicone available at home depot / parts store ect. States with roads salts or near the ocean it is a must for sealing connectors. I use it on connections that may get a splash from the water table. The arguments on D E S is a bit redundant as the contacts will scrape off any excess. if a contact is arcing you got bigger problems to deal with (sometimes a slight twist of the pins will cure that) The D E S on the plaz torch O-rings will keep them soft and pliable like your spark plug boots. (all products used with moderation of coarse).

As a welder another product you might be interested in is call Noalox it is an Anti-oxidant compound that conducts electricity. it is a paste that can be used for grease on the bearings in your welder's lead wind up reals if you are running current through them.

[N2 Welding]

Information overload now my head is going to explode :p

Thanks Sego