NeoLube

[Arnie_C]

Some years back, i read about using NeoLube to chemically blacken / darken the drivers, wheels and running gear on steam locomotives.  Has anyone tried using good ol' brake fluid to accomplish that task? Would there be downsides to using that as an alternative to NeoLube?

[BigDaddy]

Brake fluid will take the paint off your loco faster than you can say the ch in choo choo

Neolube is graphite in alcohol.  Graphite is conductive and can be a lubricant of sorts.  It is nothing like brake fluid.  For those that have used it, what keeps it sticking to the loco rods? 

to the forum.   Your post was delayed because of moderation (and the moderator was off for a couple days)  Moderation does away after you rack up a few posts.

[SeeYou190]

I would never bring Brake Fluid anywhere near a plastic model. It will attack the paint as mentioned above, but it wall also attack a lot of platics used in our models.

The only use for Brake Fluid in modeling is as a paint remover for brass models. Even then, it does not discolor the brass.

-Kevin

[gmpullman]

I have something close to Neo-Lube, called "Slip-Plate" a graphite solution* that does work well to give metal a "patina" however — I don't use it anywhere near metal parts that have to be insulated. This includes wheel hubs, locomotive tires and switch point areas.

I have used Micro-Engineering weathering solution on side rods but the effect is more like a gray tint rather than a solid color.

https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/micro-engineering-49-104-rail-weathering-solution-16-fl-oz/

After several applications the metal takes on a darker finish which, to me, is OK for main and side rods which were never painted but did take on a grimy, dusty look after a while.

*I had a can of the aerosol that lost all the propellant and I decanted the liquid into smaller bottles. It is available as a non-aerosol as well.

 

Good Luck, Ed

 

[mlehman]

Yeah, stay away from the brake fluid unless you WANT to strip paint off the model.

Yes, narriowgaugers have been using Neo Lube for a long time to get a suitable color on running gear on locos. Works well for that...

HOWEVER, do not get it where you don't want electricity to conduct. The main oplace where it can be a problem is on yor drivers from the insulated side of the loco, usually the left side. If the Neo Lube gets into the insulation between the driver center and the driver's tire, bridgngt the gap that it provides, it can be difficult to undo and then you're in a fix. You really don't want to have to tear apart your drivetrain, dismount the tries from the centers and reinsulate, then put it all back together.

[G Paine]

Neolube is available from MicroMark

https://www.micromark.com/Neolube-2-fl-oz-

 

[OT Dean]

gmpullman

I have something close to Neo-Lube, called "Slip-Plate" a graphite solution* that does work well to give metal a "patina" however — I don't use it anywhere near metal parts that have to be insulated. This includes wheel hubs, locomotive tires and switch point areas.

I have used Micro-Engineering weathering solution on side rods but the effect is more like a gray tint rather than a solid color.

https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/micro-engineering-49-104-rail-weathering-solution-16-fl-oz/

After several applications the metal takes on a darker finish which, to me, is OK for main and side rods which were never painted but did take on a grimy, dusty look after a while.

*I had a can of the aerosol that lost all the propellant and I decanted the liquid into smaller bottles. It is available as a non-aerosol as well.

 

Good Luck, Ed

 

 

Ed, those who pointed out that NeoLube will bridge electrical gaps are correct.  I looked at it when it first appeared in the Micro-Mark catalog, having in mind that same thing as you: blackening steam loco drive wheels.  But the instant I saw it was a graphite solution, I quit reading the description.  Back in my HO days, in the '70s and '80s, I was particularly fond of the MDC/Roundhouse "Old-timer" 2-8-0s and 2-6-0s, which were perfect for my proposed Potomac & Ohio dream pike, "Proto-lancing" the B&O of 1904 or so, as i might have developed without being in receivership to the Pennsylvania.  New B&O locos around the turn of the 20th century were standard designs of the Pennsy, Belpaire fireboxes, cabs, and all, so I developed a roster, using MDC loco parts to build locos as though the Pennsy receivership didn't happen to the Potomac & Ohio.  The MDC 52" and 63" diameter drivers, with square end counterweights, were particularly nice, except for the brass driver tires.  I polished them to get rid of the oxide, then applied Birchwood Casey's gun bluing, which for some reason came out looking vaguely like steel.  The same treatment on Zamak produced various shades of grey, from mottled light to dirty-looking black--and didn't short out the rim insulation of the drivers.  Maybe other guys can steer you to proprietary blackening products, but Casey's used to work well.  And, by the way, I used it on brass truck wheelsets too, and presented no problems with electrical pickup, same as the drivers.

Happy railroadin'!

Deano