Let's talk grease!

[DrewHammer]

Ok, I looked around a little bit and I didn't see a thread for this. There are as many kinds of grease as there are people in the world, some very good, some not so much. I'd like to get a discussion thread on this going.

It appears as though most are using a marine grade grease due to it being somewhat water proof although this may not be the best kind of grease out there for the application.

To my knowlege there are a handfull of methodologies behind grease depending on who manufactures it. It consistes of a pressure additive (lithium, molybdenum, or something else I don't know of) a thickener (polyurea, bentonite, or soaps) and mineral oils.

The industry I work is in very involved with lubrication of industrial equipment. If a gear reducer has brass gears in it we must ensure we utilize lubricants specifically tailored towards brass. If it's open we must use an open gear grease and bearing grease depends on manufacturer. My personal role with the company is in failure root cause analysis and remanufacturing. I inspect about 30 bearings daily that have all failed usually due to inadequate lubrication, improper lubrication, contamination and..... over lubrication (didn't know that was possible did you?)

What I'd actually like to discuss is the use of various greases and our success or failures with them in diffs, particularly on the ring and pinion gears.

I currently have only ever used the greases supplied with my kits in the past and re-order from the original source as required. I'd like to find the end all, be all grease for my rigs.

Is there any particular reason we don't use a moly based grease meant for extreme gear pressures? Yeah, these gears are small, but the forces they see aren't.

So far I have a can of Lubriplate EP moly grease and a can of Lubriplate X-357 I'm going to try. The X-357 is another EP moly grease from them with additional thickeners to allow it to stick better to open gears. Which may mean the grease stays where we want to and not flung up against the inside of our housings.

 

[Norton]

I use VP on most of my gears: RC Gear Grease rock lube

 

[DrewHammer]

I use VP on most of my gears: RC Gear Grease rock lube

But why? Because VP's name is on it? I checked it out and they don't state what kind of grease it is other than its "gear grease" nor do they state the manufacturer of the grease. From my personal experience, gear grease is not the same as bearing grease as they state. While there are decent general greases there are much better greases that are specialized for their purposes.

Just my $.02, after being enlightened a little about lubricants you couldn't pay me to spread that on my gears.

 

[Trainee]

I use Honda Moly 60 Paste on the gears of my Bully 65:1 axles. It's consistency is very thick; I apply a light coat with a soldering flux brush.

I originally purchased to use on the splines of my BMW 1200GS and was impressed with the results. After 5k miles, the grease was still intact on the splines and not flung around in the housing.

It does say on the packing not to use on plastic, as it erodes plastic, but my gear boxes are all metal, so if you do try it, beware.

 

[bigstu]

I use the VP grease, most of the time, but have also used Lucas Red and Tacky, Gear Science, and for shocks I used the AE Green Slime.
Why do I use the VP grease, because I saw it work. I watched a guy build a car with the VP grease, he drove the car, a XR10, for two COMPLETE season of crawling, pulled them apart and the stock gears looked as good as new.
And this wasn't the kind of guy that takes Sunday drives to church. He was VERY hard on his stuff.

Being a Reliability Engineer for a chemical company, I've sat in and ran several root cause analysis on mechanical failures related to lubrication break down or failure.
Here are a couple things I thought about when making a lubrication choice for my crawlers/racers...

#1. Service Duration. We run a 4 minute, or maybe 5 minute, course and then the truck sits. Mostly on the shelf.
Don't need a grease that can stand up to 20,000 hours of service duration.

#2. VERY low hp and torque motors. Simply put, parasitic drag from things like tight gears, worn out or tight bearings, bent shafts, and heavy lubricants will kill the motors (especially brushless) and electronics.
When compared to the industrial equipment you work with, these motors and electronics are nothing. The increased amp draw from parasitic drag will cause heat and ultimately a FAIL...
To fight the drag from heavy greases, I don't even use grease in my RC10B4.2 off road buggy. I use 60 wt shock oil. I drilled a small hole, that I can plug with a screw, in the transmission case.
Before a day of racing I put a couple drops of oil in, and off I go. Never had a failure and when I made the switch from grease to oil, my motor temps dropped about 10 degrees at the end of a race. That means lower drag some where.

#3. Removing the grease from tiny parts and shafts with big fingers. If you put a very waxy/tacky grease on gears or bearings, you end up using a solvent and a brush to get old stuff off. Not only is that a pain in the butt, it's messy.
The VP grease, will stick to the gears and make a pressure barrier, yet is easily cleaned off the gears with a little WD-40 and a towel/rag...

The grease conversation has gone on multiple times here. Ultimately, it is what you think works the best and what you need a vehicle to do.
In my MOA trucks, the gear cases get VP grease. Nothing else. After filing and polishing the gear teeth on my Berg gears and using the VP grease, I've had guys tell me my car is quieter than any other car they have ever heard.
For my shafty trucks. The transmissions get VP blue inside. The spur/pinion gears get nothing. Plastic spurs are cheap and I don't want to attract the dirt. The diffs in the axles get a little dab of gear grease, to provide some lubrication and shock load protection.

This is just my $.02 worth, and some days it isn't even worth that much...

 

[ittybitty]

Gear Science! Best grease I've ever used.

I've tried normal "bearing grease" from automotive stores of different brands and types. I've also used the VP Star Lube described above. My problem with the VP grease is that it's fairly thin and ends up being slung around in the diff case making a huge mess. Does it stay on the gears too...yes...somewhat anyway.

Gear Science on the other hand stays where you put it...on the gears. I no longer have to clean my gear cases every time I pull them apart, nor do I end up with grease all over myself.

 

[C*H*U*D]

I won a tube of the grease Team3Six was selling, and I liked it enough to buy more. His web store is closed, and I can't find it in the vendor's section so he may not be selling it anymore.

When I run out, I plan to buy some of the Black and Tacky. I see it in two different places, so I'm not sure which to buy from but I am partial to chicklet's avatar.

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/tool...orks-black-n-tacky-gear-lube***-stock***.html

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/tools-supplies/385448-***wheelworks-black-n-tacky-gear-oil***.html

And if you ask me why, it's because I like to support vendors here on RCC. If others have tried it, tested it and liked it then that's good enough for me.

 

[Ohioskills]

i use tom-pac bearing gel tp-2557

water resistant
non melting and high temp

its very soft and silky plus thick but works GREAT

 

[Erik D_lux]

I am very interested in the subject as I would believe there are greases that are better for what we do than others. The problem is that I dont think my advice would be any better than youre going to get from 99.9% of people on here that is just like a lot of them are saying above..... "here is what I run, its awesome!" with no real data to back it up.

I think the first step would be to figure out how to correctly judge a grease and get some facts.

In my Berg cases, the Bergs just kinda ran. What I mean is that they could have fresh grease, bad mesh on the pinion, no grease etc,. and they pretty much ran the same IMO. On my new super lite cases, they can run ultra, silky smooth but if one thing goes south such as the mesh or grease, they then run like my Berg did. I find myself looking closer at these things now that I am able to feel them out. I dont know where to run on the grease since every type seems to have somebody that likes them but most I have tried seem the same to me so far.

I have tried:

Lucas Red N' Tacky - I use this often as I have quite a bit of it but, I am not impressed. It seems to fling off really easy after some use and discolors. I am not sure what the dis coloring indicates?

Gear Science - Nice and sticky is its claim to fame and it does that well. I had to give this up though as when temps dropped, it solidified. Seems that there could be a lot of drag too? I am not sure if drag is a problem as long as its lubing. I am not trying to go 100mph and I am not sure it would hold be back torque wise?

Mobil 1 bearing grease - This acts about the same as the Lucas above. Not too impressed.

 

[monkeyracing]

Not sure if I'm doing right or wrong, but in my truck gearbox I've used a white lithium grease. It's from, work, so its branded as an Audi part no. Doesn't stick well, but does leave a thin coating. I currently use Tamiya or 3Racing anti wear grease. Very thick, tacky and designed for high pressures. Just use a dab, as it sticks very well. In the diff, I use either the above mentioned AW grease or some red stuff from Racers Edge.

On a possibly unrelated note, in my main race vehicle (Tamiya M03) the gearbox is run dry, save for a tiny spritz of spray silicone once or twice a season.

 

[Ohioskills]

Not sure if I'm doing right or wrong, but in my truck gearbox I've used a white lithium grease. It's from, work, so its branded as an Audi part no. Doesn't stick well, but does leave a thin coating. I currently use Tamiya or 3Racing anti wear grease. Very thick, tacky and designed for high pressures. Just use a dab, as it sticks very well. In the diff, I use either the above mentioned AW grease or some red stuff from Racers Edge.

On a possibly unrelated note, in my main race vehicle (Tamiya M03) the gearbox is run dry, save for a tiny spritz of spray silicone once or twice a season.

i stuff trany, t-case and axles

 

[adamargue]

There is a thread on this in the xr10 section. I don't use rc specific grease. I don't believe there really is such a thing. Its all pretty similar no grease will last forever.

I use Lucas oil red and tacky. A tube is $5 and that is enough to last you years.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Dostradamas]

I used this in my axles & tranny

Sticky & stinky, so far I am happy.

 

[Danyen]

DrewHammer is asking great questions and his practical experience in what he does every day is invaluable. He is absolutely correct in his comment that there as many greases out there as there are people. What everyone needs to know is how to spec the proper lube for the application and read through the marketing B.S…

So as this is my first ever posting, I will refrain from being a an old gray hair Mech. Engineer windbag…I will try to bring some valuable info into this thread based on science, experience and no B.S.!
In my everyday job I am currently formulating very high performance greases and oils for specialty markets…for everything from fishing reels to off road heavy equipment. (I will respect this forum and not disclose our company’s name at this time or make a sales pitch…just info)…we have looked at and reverse engineered many lubricants that were marketed into the cycling, fishing, motorcycling and DIY markets…and yes, we have done the same with RC lubrication products. I will not disclose our findings, as I don’t want to generate a lawsuit or catfight…but we know who is who, and what is what as far as hype and actual performance of their products.

There are a few “good guy’s” out there and my hats off to them for doing a great job…but when you have access to a state of the art lubrication analysis lab and a spectral analysis system that can reverse engineer a lube product’s elements down to one part per million…you get some really interesting data.

I am currently working in complex “soaps” and nano-technology based lubricants which brings in a whole new science into lubrication products. But will still have to buy our grease oil bases, thickeners and additives from the same companies that the “big boy’s” do…and build our grease formulations one step at a time. And anyone who markets lubrication products can either build a product for performance or for profit…you would be surprised on what goes on out there. The performance oriented products usually are 3-4 time the cost, or more, than the “off the shelf” retail grease products.

I also have to deal with many people who don’t have any knowledge of grease formulations or what is a grease…so I have taken a bunch of time and put together a “grease primer” document…I have added it to this post….sorry for the length…but it helps dispel any wrong information early on. So getting to the meat of this thread…

1. A high percentage of greases available at retail in all markets are basically repackaged formulations of what is available from lubrication formulators…there is some customization of the base product additives and packaging is the real differentiator. You really have to be a majorly large company to “cook” and formulate your own grease in house…think Mobil. Texaco, etc.
2. A single batch of grease thickener or “soap” usually runs between 10,000 and 25,000 pounds per single batch…most of the “specialty” grease companies have to buy, including mine, have to have either a great relationship with the manufacture and be able to buy smaller amounts, or know someone in the business who has an excess in the warehouse they want to sell off.
3. Everyone in the lubrication business buys their oil base, “soap” and additives from the same suppliers…it’s all how you mix them together for the intended use is the differentiator.
4. Greases are dyed many different colors and in some cases fragrances are added to mask some really awfully smelling stuff…so color has nothing to do with performance, cost, intended use, etc…its just marketing.
5. Learn how to read the grease “recipe” info on the packaging and it will help you select the correct grease for your application. If its not there , don’t buy it!

Anyway, here is the grease primer that I give out…I take no credit as to its authorship as all of this info is out on the web if you know where to look for it.


The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) defines lubricating grease as: "A solid to semifluid product of dispersion of a thickening agent in liquid lubricant. Other ingredients imparting special properties may be included" (ASTM D 288, Standard Definitions of Terms Relating to Petroleum).

Grease Anatomy
As this definition indicates, there are three components that form lubricating grease. These components are oil, thickener and additives. The base oil and additive package are the major components in grease formulations, and as such, exert considerable influence on the behavior of the grease. The thickener is often referred to as a sponge that holds the lubricant (base oil plus additives).


Base Oil
Most greases produced today use mineral oil as their fluid components. These mineral oil-based greases typically provide satisfactory performance in most industrial applications. In temperature extremes (low or high), a grease that utilizes a synthetic base oil will provide better stability.

Thickener (called "soap" in the industry)
The thickener is a material that, in combination with the selected lubricant, will produce the solid to semifluid structure. The primary type of thickener used in current grease is metallic soap. These soaps include lithium, aluminum, clay, polyurea, sodium and calcium. Lately, complex thickener-type greases are gaining popularity. They are being selected because of their high dropping points and excellent load-carrying abilities.
Complex greases are made by combining the conventional metallic soap with a complexing agent. The most widely used complex grease is lithium based. These are made with a combination of conventional lithium soap and a low- molecular-weight organic acid as the complexing agent.
Nonsoap thickeners are also gaining popularity in special applications such as high-temperature environments. Bentonite and silica aerogel are two examples of thickeners that do not melt at high temperatures. There is a misconception, however, that even though the thickener may be able to withstand the high temperatures, the base oil will oxidize quickly at elevated temperatures, thus requiring a frequent relube interval.

Additives
Additives can play several roles in lubricating grease. These primarily include enhancing the existing desirable properties, suppressing the existing undesirable properties, and imparting new properties. The most common additives are oxidation and rust inhibitors, extreme pressure, anti-wear, and friction-reducing agents.
In addition to these additives, boundary lubricants such as molybdenum disulfide (moly) or graphite may be suspended in the grease to reduce friction and wear without adverse chemical reactions to the metal surfaces during heavy loading and slow speeds.

 

[Danyen]

Re: Let's talk grease! Part 2

My first post was too long so here is the second part ...


Table 1. NLGI Consistency
Function
The function of grease is to remain in contact with and lubricate moving surfaces without leaking out under the force of gravity, centrifugal action or being squeezed out under pressure. Its major practical requirement is that it retains its properties under shear forces at all temperatures it experiences during use.
Applications Suitable for Grease
Grease and oil are not interchangeable. Grease is used when it is not practical or convenient to use oil. The lubricant choice for a specific application is determined by matching the machinery design and operating conditions with desired lubricant characteristics. Grease is generally used for:
1. Machinery that runs intermittently or is in storage for an extended period of time. Because grease remains in place, a lubricating film can instantly form.
2. Machinery that is not easily accessible for frequent lubrication. High-quality greases can lubricate isolated or relatively inaccessible components for extended periods of time without frequent replenishing. These greases are also used in sealed-for-life applications such as some electrical motors and gearboxes.
3. Machinery operating under extreme conditions such as high temperatures and pressures, shock loads or slow speed under heavy load.
4. Worn components. Grease maintains thicker films in clearances enlarged by wear and can extend the life of worn parts that were previously lubricated by oil.
Functional Properties of Grease
1. Grease functions as a sealant to minimize leakage and to keep out contaminants. Because of its consistency, grease acts as a sealant to prevent lubricant leakage and also to prevent entrance of corrosive contaminants and foreign materials. It also acts to keep deteriorated seals effective.
2. Grease is easier to contain than oil. Oil lubrication can require an expensive system of circulating equipment and complex retention devices. In comparison, grease, by virtue of its rigidity, is easily confined with simplified, less costly retention devices.
3. Grease holds solid lubricants in suspension. Finely ground solid lubricants, such as molybdenum disulfide (moly) and graphite, are mixed with grease in high-temperature service or in extreme high-pressure applications. Grease holds solids in suspension while solids will settle out of oils.
4. Fluid level does not have to be controlled and monitored.
Characteristics
As with oil, grease displays its own set of characteristics that must be considered when being chosen for an application. The characteristics commonly found on product data sheets include the following:
Pumpability.
Pumpability is the ability of a grease to be pumped or pushed through a system. More practically, pumpability is the ease with which a pressurized grease can flow through lines, nozzles and fittings of grease-dispensing systems.
Water resistance.
This is the ability of a grease to withstand the effects of water with no change in its ability to lubricate. A soap/water lather may suspend the oil in the grease, forming an emulsion that can wash away or, to a lesser extent, reduce lubricity by diluting and changing grease consistency and texture.
Consistency.
Grease consistency depends on the type and amount of thickener used and the viscosity of its base oil. A grease's consistency is its resistance to deformation by an applied force. The measure of consistency is called penetration. Penetration depends on whether the consistency has been altered by handling or working. ASTM D 217 and D 1403 methods measure penetration of unworked and worked greases. To measure penetration, a cone of given weight is allowed to sink into a grease for five seconds at a standard temperature of 25°C (77°F).
The depth, in tenths of a millimeter, to which the cone sinks into the grease is the penetration. A penetration of 100 would represent a solid grease while a penetration of 450 would be semifluid. The NLGI has established consistency numbers or grade numbers, ranging from 000 to 6, corresponding to specified ranges of penetration numbers. Table 1 lists the NLGI grease classifications along with a description of the consistency of how it relates to common semifluids.
Dropping point.
Dropping point is an indicator of the heat resistance of grease. As grease temperature increases, penetration increases until the grease liquefies and the desired consistency is lost. The dropping point is the temperature at which a grease becomes fluid enough to drip. The dropping point indicates the upper temperature limit at which a grease retains its structure, not the maximum temperature at which a grease may be used.
Oxidation stability.
This is the ability of a grease to resist a chemical union with oxygen. The reaction of grease with oxygen produces insoluble gum, sludges and lacquer-like deposits that cause sluggish operation, increased wear and reduction of clearances. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures accelerates oxidation in greases.
High-temperature effects.
High temperatures harm greases more than they harm oils. Grease, by its nature, cannot dissipate heat by convection like a circulating oil. Consequently, without the ability to transfer away heat, excessive temperatures result in accelerated oxidation or even carbonization where grease hardens or forms a crust.
Effective grease lubrication depends on the grease's consistency. High temperatures induce softening and bleeding, causing grease to flow away from needed areas. The mineral oil in grease can flash, burn or evaporate at temperatures greater than 177°C (350°F).
Low-temperature effects.
If the temperature of a grease is lowered enough, it will become so viscous that it can be classified as a hard grease. Pumpability suffers and machinery operation may become impossible due to torque limitations and power requirements. As a guideline, the base oil's pour point is considered the low-temperature limit of a grease.

NLGI consistency (thickness) numbers with food analog

NLGI number Appearance Consistency food analog
000 fluid cooking oil
00 semi-fluid apple sauce
0 very soft brown mustard
1 soft tomato paste
2 "normal"grease peanut butter
3 firm vegetable shortening
4 very firm frozen yogurt
5 hard smooth pate
6 very hard cheddar cheese

NATIONAL LUBRICATING GREASE INSTITUTE CONSISTENCY GRADES NLGI ($=separator)
"Grade" $Worked Penetration at 77°F (25°C) mm/10 $ Description

"000" 445 to 475$ Softest grease. Just enough thickener to keep the oil from running out. Gear case lubricant.

"00" 400 to 430$ Gear case lubricant.

"0" 355 to 385$ Low temperature handling in centralized lubrication systems.

"1" 310 to 340$ Needle and multiple row roller bearings. Number 0 and 1
greases generally are used for low temperature operation in
centralized lubrication systems.

"2" 265 to 295$ Ball and roller bearings, moderately loaded and medium
speed applications. Most common grease grade. Generally
applied by gun.

"3" 220 to 250$ Wheel bearings, precision and high speed use. Prelubed ball
bearings, double-sealed and double-shielded type.

"4" 175 to 205$ High speed, lightly loaded applications. Water-pump grease.

"5" 130 to 160$ Very stiff grease. Also used in high-speed applications.
Rarely seen in modern equipment.

"6" 85 to 115$ Solid-type grease. Pillow-block lubrication. Rarely seen in
modern equipment.

 

[C*H*U*D]

Re: Let's talk grease! Part 2

My first post was too long so here is the second part ...

You lost me on your first post.

Contrary to the OP's first statement, there is actually is a lot of grease talk here. I know he said he searched, but I find that hard to believe...just going back through my own sketchy memory, I can think of dozens of threads on this subject.

I totally respect your background on the subject of lubrication, but honestly these are toy trucks. We aren't launching them into space, or going for a win at Indianapolis. Yes, some lubricants will perform better than others for our applications, but we are dealing with very loose tolerances and for the most part, low quality materials.

 

[DrewHammer]

Thank you Danyen for the informative post on basic grease information, this will possibly help enlighten some others as to what I'm talking about. This was a very informative post and even filled in some of the knowledge gaps I have on grease types. You also confirmed for me that most suppliers are blending chemicals from a handfull of manufacturers.

Thanks as well to everyone else for providing input on this discussion

C*H*U*D, go ahead and chastise me if you'd like, I found a few threads but they only contained opinion IMO. There seems to be a lot of snake oil salesmen in the rc industry pushing the newest trend in whatever product they're selling. When it comes to lubricants, many of you are right in that 99% of rc trucks won't ever have a problem with just about any grease they use. There are however a few of us that are experiencing problems or are not happy with the products we are using. I gladly support vendors on here, I just want to make sure my rigs get the best available to them.

I have not pulled any datalogs yet from my wraith but since it's pushing 15+lbs with a 550 size 4 pole I know I'm putting significant power and torque through my drivetrain. From my past teardowns, regardless of bushings or bearings supporting my gears and with proper shimming of my pinions I am experiencing what I would consider accelerated wear of my ring and pinion gears. I do not think that after only 1hr of driving that I should have significant burnishing of the surfaces, if my grease is doing what I'm asking of it. Had I seen any galling or spalting of the gear teeth this would have confimed my suspicions even more. As an example, my exo, which was my fastest rig was clocked at 93mph with a MMP and a castle 1415. From the data logs I could see it was drawing well over 1400watts. If you do that math on it, that's almost 2hp! Most of the industrial drives I deal with every day are only in the 2-10hp range, and while they produce a signifiant ammount of torque more than an RC motor, their gear contact patches are also orders of magnitude larger.

Erik, if you experienced some immediate discoloration of the lucas grease in your axles it sounds to me like the grease is either A.) not compatable with your housings or gears causing them to errode or B.) Not sufficient for your application causing accelerated gear wear. If you noticed the discoloration quickly and changed it out your problem may be immeasureable through any cost effective means so determining root cause may be impossible.

Most of the greases I am used to using are lithium complex or "extreme pressure" with MDS solids suspended. The resiliance of the EP MDS greases is honestly what made me even want to get a discussion started. I have not personally seen any RC "specific" greases that are geared towards this application and I can't figure out why. From what I can tell there may be a market for this in the future. The extreme top shelf builds get even more extreme as time goes on.

 

[C*H*U*D]

C*H*U*D, go ahead and chastise me if you'd like...

I'm not trying to chastise you...sorry if I made you feel that way. I actually like threads like this, and information is always the best thing for any forum.

I'm just saying that many times, people overthink things. Is there a "best" grease for us? Probably, but the gray area is very broad...quite often, any grease at all is better than nothing.

Then again, is it? Nabil runs no grease in his transmission and it worked well enough for a 2.2s Championship. Go figure.

This is all I meant when I said there are many threads like this. You can easily burn out looking for the best grease. Or you can do like I do...if someone here says they have used a particular grease, and it worked well for them, then give it a try. Chances are, it will work well for you too.

 

[winnerone23]

I won a tube of the grease Team3Six was selling, and I liked it enough to buy more. His web store is closed, and I can't find it in the vendor's section so he may not be selling it anymore.

When I run out, I plan to buy some of the Black and Tacky. I see it in two different places, so I'm not sure which to buy from but I am partial to chicklet's avatar.

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/tool...orks-black-n-tacky-gear-lube***-stock***.html

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/tools-supplies/385448-***wheelworks-black-n-tacky-gear-oil***.html

And if you ask me why, it's because I like to support vendors here on RCC. If others have tried it, tested it and liked it then that's good enough for me.

C*H*U*D.. Do it! You won't be let down! I won a bottle when they came out with it. After lubing Everything with it! Ax, XR, scx, wraith, mrc, right down to my vvd's, and MIP universals.. it stays, lubes, even penetrates an lubes bearings, without making a mess of everything..

It lasts on what you put it on an cleans off easily when its time for fresh(like on the parts exposed. Ie: vvd's or MIP universals in ur driveshafts)

It seems to be a never ending bottle at that.. 3/4-7/8 left. I have used it on door hinges an my pocket knifes. I like it!

 

[monkeyracing]

Seeing how we have a few experts on hand, can anyone give me an idea about what Tamiya AW grease is made of? If you're not familiar, it's VERY sticky, quite thick and has an almost sparkly silver sheen to it. It's great stuff, but the retail pricing on it is insane. I've heard that its the same thing as one product or another, but have never found a match for it.