Joystick Grease / Lubrication

Tech Talk
61

hi all,

Done some ‘actual’ comparisions between the G-40M and G-30M and there’s really no difference whatsoever, at least for what we are using it for. You can either get a small amount of G-40M for $8 from Masturfader or a tube of G-30M for $20 from your local Honda dealer… Unless you have a valid reason to own an entire tube of silicone grease then just go for the cheaper $8 G-40M cos that is all you’ll ever need for a lifetime of lubing your joystick…

Just my snippet.

Thanks to Masturfader for providing this service… Shipping was very fast and i highly recommend just going with that !

62

Ok I also heard back from Sanwa about using the G-30M instead of G-40M (if any of you guys want to go down that route)

And here’s their reply

*Thank you for your inquiring.

This is Sato in Sanwa Denshi.

I answer to your question below.

It is not problem that you use G-30M instead of G-40M.

Sincerely

???:*

Well that just about sums that one up :smile:

63

That is a cool and short answer.
Laugh.

And I can use it on my Honda.

64

yeah i was kind of laughing at that one too… I think i was hoping (being Japanese) for an engineer to give me a run-down about operating temps, drop points and oil separation tests between the two and why they decided to go with the G-40M instead of the G-30M Clearly there is no difference though !

65

I am thinking about grabbing a tube of Shin-Etsu G-30M from my Honda dealer for the joystick and also for use on my Honda. Is this also the grease that keeps the washer in place on the JLF so it doesn’t come off and rub on the PCB while playing? I only ask because like a fool I rubbed off all the grease while cleaning the stick one day and the washer won’t stay in place anymore. Would I also need to apply a touch of grease to the washer so it stays in its little divet? Thanks for the help

66

Vaseline would work just the same as the more expensive Shin-Etsu stuff…

Were using it for lubrication and the grease won’t be subjected to intense heat/cold or high centrifugal forces… A joystick doesn’t even have any bearings…

I honestly think the expensive stuff for joysticks is just overkill.

Overtime all grease will harden, just scrape off the hard stuff and reapply with Vaseline when it does.

67

Man, Its like all you guys never heard of Orchard Supply or ACE Hardware. Suckers…

68

If it is true that petroleum ruins plastic then this would be a bad idea. I’ve heard that it will shorten the life of a joystick. That is why we are looking at silicone. I know petroleum based oils eat away at rubber.

I’ve also been to orchard and ace and the silicone sprays are too light and evaporate, and at orchard have synthetics based off petroleum.

69

I wouldnt put vaseline on my body let alone my stick

70

What material does vaseline come bottled in again?

:cybot:

You’re not using Vaseline on latex products, which is bad because oil based products ruin latex. You’re using it on plastic which is fine.

71

And jeenyus1 comes back with LOGIC! :nunchuck:

masturfader, if you’ve still got any containers left, I might order some off of you. I want to relube my Namco joystick since the pivot’s starting to squeak. :confused:

Good research here guys! Now if only I can find replacement stainless steel hex bolts for my Hori Real Arcade Pro 2 SA, I’ll be set for life!

72

Ive got a bunch!

73

Nice! Sending a PM right now.

74

Yeah plastic is fine for a storage container that you eventually throw away, but a mechanical pivot subject to friction that needs to keep a hemispherical shape well… isn’t something that i’d want to try.

My guess is that Plastic and Vaseline are made from the same base product, petroleum oil, so if they are rubbed together enough with pressure one might dissolve into the other. To be honest though you could be right, but i’d rather spend the $8 on proper silicone then if i’m wrong.

I’m also don’t like how vaseline has inconsistent viscosity due to temperature. If cold it is goopy and if warm it is like melted butter. (Don’t know how I know that :sweat:) I think silicone resists viscosity temperature change better than vaseline.

Also doesn’t oil attract more dirt than silicone? If so that is also why it is bad to use oil on plastics because the dirt particles become abrasive.

75

this stuff that i picked up from ace has been workin fine on my ls32’s

76

I would suggest Super Lube as i mentioned in an earlier post. Petroleum based greases and lubricants have the potential to attack certain plastic parts. Silicone is a good alternative, or any synthetic based lubricant.

77

Any silicone based lubricant works.

Petroleum based is bad. You can use vaseline though, if you don’t care about your pivot lasting through the rest of the year.

Superlube is good, the silicone or synthetic base.

For easy access to silicone based grease?..
Any auto parts store.

"Syl-Glide"
Small grey package. 99c each. about 10 applications per packet. Looks like a travel pack of asprin.

Guaranteed.

78

hey guys,
just wondering, is there any grease suggested for smoothing out the button presses on an arcade stick. I have a SF4 SE stick that the buttons aren’t very smooth on anymore, and would like to get it working better.

79

You dont lubricate buttons, you replace them.

SE stock buttons going bad after about a month or two sounds about right. I doubt adding lubrication will fix them, sounds more like spring or broken switch problem.

You proabably should get some 30mm snap in buttons, or screw in Seimitsus from:

Gamingnow.net
Lizardlick.com
modchipman.com

Do not try to take out the SE buttons until you have the replacemet buttons. Taking them out there is a 10% chance the buttons will break removing the quick disconnects. That is how shitty and fragile they are.

80

Alright, that’s what I figured. I’ll just leave it as is then, its a back-up/guest stick anyway.