LUBRICATION Last updated: 27 March 2007

Sent:	Sunday, March 25, 2007 22:00:39
From:	Bill Berglin (bberg100@comcast.net)
I own a variety of scopes, to include an original ETX 90 RA.  I have
tried several lubes without much success.  The lithium based lubes are
great, but weep out in hot weather.  Petroleum jelly gets stiff in cold
weather and run when it's warm.  I don't know what the manufactures use
for lube, but I've seen epoxy that was softer.

Over the last few years all of my scopes have been cleaned and re-lubed
with Pro-Gold.  It's a gun grease available through better gun shops and
online.  It's a marvel on my guns, but better yet, about three years ago
I cleaned and re-lubed my LX200.  Fed up with the lubes I had been
using, I tried the Pro-Gold.  It works great at minus zero degrees ( I
live in Colorado) and doesn't run out on hot days.  It is still running
flawlessly on a three year old lube job. I don't know why, maybe because
the original grease seemed "chunky", but there is less random periodic
error.

I re-lubed the ETX around two years ago.  It stays in the RV 365 days a
year.  I do drag it out in the yard once in a blue moon, otherwise it's
my camping scope.  Even with the extreme temp swings in the RV it still
runs as well as when I cleaned and lubed it.

I'm a Deputy Sheriff in my real life.  The only grease I use on my
autoloaders is Pro-Gold.  Oil and other greases run out when carried day
after day.  Pro-Gold stays in my guns without any problems.  Work as
well on my scopes.  A two ounce tub costs around $15, but the one I have
is over four years old and has re-lubed numerous scope mounts, plus
monthly cleaning on my guns.  A little bit goes a long ways.  I cut an
acid brush down to about 1/4 inch and just apply a thin film to scope
gears (or guns), not the globs the manufactures put on.

http://home.comcast.net/~bberg100/

Bill B.

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