Shock wiper seal lube

[BRZED]

Are the wiper seals on suspension forks resistant to mineral oil? Out of what material are those seals made? Feels like silicone to me. I am tempted to try Ballistol, which I have in considerable quantities since I clean my firearms and bikes with it. I would wipe the stanchions before every ride and apply one small drop of lube to each wiper seal. From the Ballistol website:

Ballistol will not negatively affect plastic materials or paints which are chemically resistant to oils. Specifically, Ballistol will not adversely affect PVC, high pressure Polyethylenes, mipolam, teflon-derivatives or hostaflon-derivatives... As a rule of thumb, it may be safely assumed that all plastic materials, polymers, paints, lacquers, or varnishes that are chemically neutral toward technical oils will not be adversely affect by Ballistol either. The same holds true of rubber objects. All those types of rubber, which are chemically resistant against mineral oils, will also remain unaffected by Ballistol. Rubbers that are not resistant against mineral oils may become brittle if exposed to Ballistol for an extended period of time and/or under higher than ambient temperatures. If applied thinly Ballistol is suitable for maintaining and cleaning any sort of rubber without damage.

 

[BRZED]

Ballistol is mostly unchlorinated mineral oil. As for the wiper seals, I don't know the material. These are the elastomers that withstand mineral oil very well:

nitrile
polyacrylate
viton
polyurethane
fluorosilicone
perfluoroelastomer (Kalrez)

 

[buck91]

Originally Posted By: BRZED
Are the wiper seals on suspension forks resistant to mineral oil? Out of what material are those seals made? Feels like silicone to me. I am tempted to try Ballistol, which I have in considerable quantities since I clean my firearms and bikes with it. I would wipe the stanchions before every ride and apply one small drop of lube to each wiper seal. From the Ballistol website:

Ballistol will not negatively affect plastic materials or paints which are chemically resistant to oils. Specifically, Ballistol will not adversely affect PVC, high pressure Polyethylenes, mipolam, teflon-derivatives or hostaflon-derivatives... As a rule of thumb, it may be safely assumed that all plastic materials, polymers, paints, lacquers, or varnishes that are chemically neutral toward technical oils will not be adversely affect by Ballistol either. The same holds true of rubber objects. All those types of rubber, which are chemically resistant against mineral oils, will also remain unaffected by Ballistol. Rubbers that are not resistant against mineral oils may become brittle if exposed to Ballistol for an extended period of time and/or under higher than ambient temperatures. If applied thinly Ballistol is suitable for maintaining and cleaning any sort of rubber without damage.




What fork do you have and are they original, OEM replacements or aftermarket seals? I've used Triflow oil for a long time and never had an issue. If you want "the best" you can look at the Finish Line Stanchion Fluoro lube. I have used their "Extreme Fluoro" grease and it is very good stuff so I would expect this is, also.

 

[BRZED]

It's a Marzocchi air fork. They suggest a silicone or Teflon spray lube. I rarely stick with the recommended product. Other than Ballistol I do have pure silicone oil that I could use.

 

[buck91]

Other than hearing about ballistol online I don't know much about it. I would use a very thin, slick oil. Maybe go pick up a $2 aerosol can of silicone spray?

 

[BRZED]

I'm allergic to silicone. I have to handle it very carefully and spraying it is out of the question. I'll try the Ballistol. If it ruins he seals, I'll replace them. The lube is really only needed to reduce stiction. I know many guys who don't lube their air fork stanchions at all. They just wipe them clean.

 

[buck91]

I doubt ballistol will ruin them, let us know how it works out over time.

 

[BRZED]

This morning I went for a one-hour ride on a dusty trail. Before the ride I wiped the stanchions clean and applied one drop of Ballistol to each wiper seal. Compared to a proper stanchion lube, I didn't notice any difference as far as stiction goes. The stanchinos were about as dusty as they always are after a ride. I don't see any scuff marks and of course it's too early to tell whether or not the lube is harming the seals. Was a truly beautiful morning out there. I saw two roadrunners.

 

[BRZED]

Second ride with Ballistol-lubed stanchions. No problems yet. I'm beginning to feel like Wylie Coyote, because I came again across a roadrunner who cut me off on the trail. I hear they taste like pheasant, but I doubt I can catch one. "Beep-Beep!" *10-ton weight drops on me*

 

[BRZED]

My bike has been sitting until recently with a light Ballistol coating on the stanchions for two months without seeing any usage. Should be called stankions now, but other than the odor I am unable to discern any detrimental effect of the lube on the wiper seals. The seals do not look swollen and there's no deterioration as far as I can tell. I'll keep using Ballistol for now. I will service the fork in the fall and then I'll R&R the seals anyway.