Help me identify this goo!

[Poita (Peter)]

Damping grease?

I haven't heard of that. Would that be packed into bearings or??

[DavidU (Dave)]

It stuffens the feel of mechanical things like potentiometers (and focusers)
http://www.rocol.com/products/kilopo...damping-grease

Originally Posted by Poita

Damping grease?

I haven't heard of that. Would that be packed into bearings or??

[Hzadbhat (Brandon)]

Go to your local auto one and ask for a can of carby cleaner.
Make sure thebrand name is power plus.
I use this to clean even more expensive gear at work and have never come across a substance it can't handle.
This will dissolve your goo and then just wipe up.
But be careful, your best bet is to spray it directly into a tall thin container and then use a lint free cloth. Wipe once, discard cloth and repeat as often as necessary.
It has never harmed anything electrical I've squirmed it on.

[tilbrook@rbe.ne (Justin Tilbrook)]

Sounds like silicone grease to me.

Here's a link about removal.

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...ilicon-grease/

Cheers,

Justin.

[Poita (Peter)]

I actually have a can of that exact carby cleaner from supercheap.
It doesn't remove or dissolve the goo.

Looking at various 'damping grease' datasheets now, it appears to be thickened with polymers or silica generally. Looks like it is going to be a bugger to remove, and it is all over *everything*.

[Baddad (Marty)]

A solution when absolutely desperate.

Sodium hydroxide. It is available at Woolworths and Coles. Its cheap.

It is dangerous stuff.

Using caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) (CS)must be done in small quantities at first. It will react with water and become hot. Add it to water in small amounts. Make up a small amount, fairly concentrated. Place a small amount on the "blob" and examine the result.

Be very careful to only use a small amount in case a strong reaction happens. CS will damage clothing and many organic substances. Its great for removing hardened grease from pans. If the blob is on any paper, cloth etc its not advisable to use CS. It usually does not harm metals but aluminium may discolour or react, depending on the alloy.

When I use CS for cleaning pots etc in the kitchen I have a running water tap on hand just in case something goes wrong. CS washes easily away with water. I've been using it for years and maintain a healthy respect for it. It is also the main ingredient in Draino.

Cheers

[PeterM]

Originally Posted by Baddad

When I use CS for cleaning pots etc in the kitchen I have a running water tap on hand just in case something goes wrong. CS washes easily away with water.

Cheers

Just be careful even with a sink nearby.............
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW6maJgzk7E

[noeyedeer (Matt)]

is there trees overhanging your workplace and sap is seeping in somehow?

[sjastro]

The presence of gas bubbles in the goo assuming it is a grease can be significant.

It can be caused by air entrained in the grease, silicone greases generally don't suffer this problem as the silicone base oil is an effective anti foaming agent. I can't see a roller assembly as providing such an environment.

Could be another mechanism which explains the bubbles, high viscosity, and difficulty in removing....... are there any copper components the grease comes in contact with?

Regards

Steven

[Poita (Peter)]

Originally Posted by sjastro

The presence of gas bubbles in the goo assuming it is a grease can be significant.

It can be caused by air entrained in the grease, silicone greases generally don't suffer this problem as the silicone base oil is an effective anti foaming agent. I can't see a roller assembly as providing such an environment.

Could be another mechanism which explains the bubbles, high viscosity, and difficulty in removing....... are there any copper components the grease comes in contact with?

Regards

Steven

There are no bubbles in the 'grease' where it is dripped into the machine. These photos are of the grease I removed and scraped onto a clear piece of plastic, sorry for the confusion.
It dripped through the machine whilst in transit from Korea, it appears (from the drip-flow) to have started up near the top of the machine, perhaps from the Particle Transfer Rollers.
http://nfsa.gov.au/preservation/hand...nsfer-rollers/

It is without bubbles inside the machine, it is also, unfortunately gumming up everything. It pooled on a shelf in the bottom of the machine.
I'm amazed it did, it seems too viscous to go anywhere.

[Poita (Peter)]

I'm guessing after some more reading that the PTRs are 'viscous damped rollers', which means this was probably the damping grease that has escaped from them somehow.
So not only will I have to remove it all, but replace it!

[Irish stargazer (John)]

Might be a polyisobutylene if used for damping and its tacky. This stuff will cold flow if given a chance and make blobs of itself on a surface. Soluble in hexane or heptane with a bit of effort. Trade names are Vistanex or Oppanol if you want to Google for a cleaner.

[sjastro]

Originally Posted by Poita

There are no bubbles in the 'grease' where it is dripped into the machine. These photos are of the grease I removed and scraped onto a clear piece of plastic, sorry for the confusion.
It dripped through the machine whilst in transit from Korea, it appears (from the drip-flow) to have started up near the top of the machine, perhaps from the Particle Transfer Rollers.
http://nfsa.gov.au/preservation/hand...nsfer-rollers/

It is without bubbles inside the machine, it is also, unfortunately gumming up everything. It pooled on a shelf in the bottom of the machine.
I'm amazed it did, it seems too viscous to go anywhere.

Bubbles aside then its possible the grease has undergone some oxidization/polymerization after it has flowed out of the PTRs.
Symptoms of oxidation/polymerization are an increase in viscosity and solvent resistance. It explains the difficulty in removing.
The yellow colour is also a sign of antioxidants at work.
Why the grease should react in the first place is a puzzle which is why I suggested the presence of copper. Copper is a good catalyst to kick off such reactions.
Alternatively the increase in viscosity could have been caused by a volatile base oil, not possible however if it is a silicone.

As far as removal I would try hot water and detergent after manually removing as much of the grease as possible.

Regards

Steven

[Poita (Peter)]

Thanks guys, I will give it a go. One of the damping grease manufacturers recommended low odour kerosene, so I'll try that first.

Have already tried copious amounts of hot water and detergent but no result.
There is no copper anywhere that I can see.
If the kero doesn't work I'll try to find some hexane.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Scanner eh ? What sort of lighting system does it use ? The 'goo' sounds like the stuff they use in flourescent ballast transformers for potting. I'd be investigating where it is coming from first, there must be a drip trail source somewhere above the stuff.

It also could be residue from some sorts of paper or print medium. On photocopiers we used to sometimes get gooey deposits if high quality papers or card was used due to the whiteners and other compounds used in making the paper shiny and smooth. Agains track back to the source location.

Is the area above it hot during use ? Rollers ? Condensation from water outgassed from media carrying compounds.

[OICURMT]

Originally Posted by Lee

xylene as another option....

Care should be exercised when using this product. Levels above 100ppm can cause short-term health problems.

Use in a well ventilated area.

[rat156]

And Petrol is 7-10% xylenes, but you use that everyday without thinking of it ...

Cheers
Stuart

[Lee]

Xylene smells nice though.... remember the good old nikko pen at school?

[sjastro]

Originally Posted by Poita

Thanks guys, I will give it a go. One of the damping grease manufacturers recommended low odour kerosene, so I'll try that first.

Have already tried copious amounts of hot water and detergent but no result.
There is no copper anywhere that I can see.
If the kero doesn't work I'll try to find some hexane.

How long did you leave the water and detergent on the surface?
Detergents take time to bond to the grease.

Regards

Steven

[OICURMT]

Originally Posted by rat156

And Petrol is 7-10% xylenes, but you use that everyday without thinking of it ...

Cheers
Stuart

I work in the Petroleum industry, your assumption is incorrect.