The mobil vactra oil is very difficult for me to get my hands on, while I can easily get (and currenyl have some) Super Lube that C3D recommends. I’m just wondering how necessary it is to use the mobil stuff specifically, and what the consequences may or may not be if I just use the Super Lube on all rails and screws. Is there anywhere I shouldn’t use it? What would happen? I really need to lubricate my z-axis rails and maybe the lead screw.
If I really do need mobil vactra, does anyone know of a suitable alternative that’s available in Canada? Surely we have something here that will work just fine.
There has been a lot of discussion of alternatives on other forums (Practical Machinist comes to mind), which has included mention of an ISO standard which some claim can be used to identify alternatives.
That said, it includes tackifiers to keep it on the vertical surfaces, and other lubricants won’t, and other lubricants may not be chemically compatible.
I don’t have a Shapeoko, I have the forgotten little brother Nomad. And anyway Carbide products all come from the States and end up costing me quite a lot in shipping and fees, so something from the C3D store is really not what I’m looking for at the moment.
It sounds to me like the Super Lube will just wear off faster than the Vactra, is that the issue? Compatibility shouldn’t be an issue if I only ever use one type of lubricant, or am I missing something? I’m perfectly fine just lubing the machine more often if that’s the only problem. Much easier than spending the time and energy becoming an expert in lubricants.
…great. I emailed sales to see if I can just buy that and nothing else off from C3D. My next best option is Ebay, where I can spend $65 + an unpredictable dollar amount for duties and/or taxes, to get a bottle of Vactra that comes bundled with another oil that I don’t need. Other than that, I can’t only find it in 1 gallon buckets for over $100.
It is only necessary if you dont want your bearings to wear out. The Mobil Vactra #2 was developed for Bridgeport lathes surfaces that require lubrication. For the machines with linear rails and the Z-Plus and HDZ Z axis all have linear rails with bearings. The bearings will slowly dry out and the Z axis will get harder and harder to run up and down. You will have to look at the maintenance manual but I think the recommendation is once a year to lubricate directly into the bearing blocks. This requires you to remove the Z axis so you can get access to the bottom bearings oiling hole.
Again, Mobil Vactra #2 is only necessary if you want to keep your Shapeoko/Nomad running.
I bought a quart bottle on ebay.com that is likely a lifetime supply. Others have said they have a hard time getting it in countries other than USA. Unfortunately you may have to bite the bitter pill and pay the cost to get some. It should only be a one time cost that will last for a long time.
I did find this cross reference but likely C3D will not recommend the equivalents.
Chevron Way Oil VISTAC ISO 68
Phillips 66 Multiway Oil HD 68
Sunoco Way Lube 1180
Not sure whre you are but have you looked up to see if there is a local machine shop that might have the Mobil Vactra #2 they might give/sell to you.
You’re right about about biting the bitter pill. It’s just a cost I’m going to have to deal with, especially now that my whole operation is at a standstill. I’ve reached out to carbide’s sales team as well as some local machine shops - they’re probably my best bet for getting it quickly, which is my current priority. I don’t think I want to mess with alternatives unless I can find a trustworthy source saying that it’s safe. This machine is too valuable to me to be messing around with.
I’m usually better at staying on top of this kind of thing and having backups handy, but sometimes you fail to see how necessary something is until you’re frantically in need of it. At least my X and Y rails are taken care of. Sigh.
I’m in Canada and Mobil Vactra 2 is almost impossible to find at a reasonable price. I have a friend with a metal fabrication shop and he hooked be up with a jar of the way lube they use, not sure the brand. I’ve been using it on the linear rails of my pro xl without any issue so far. If you have some local metal shops in your area, im sure you can find someone who will help you out
Hi, I use this grease that Hiwin recommends called Mobile Mobilux EP1 on my Chinese linear rails.
I didn’t have a grease hole so took the block off carefully and squirted some of this into the bearings using a syringe. Worked great, doesn’t run.
Here is a list of Hiwin Recommended greases.
HIWIN G05
Klüber Klüberlub GL-261
Mobil Mobilux EP1
Fuchs Lubritech Lagermeister BF2
Lubcon TURMOGREASE CAK 2502
Maybe the grease will be easier to find.
Boss Laser also uses the Mobilux EP1 on their Hiwin rails.
I hope Carbide starts adding small bottles of Vactra 2 oil with all linear rail machine sales even if it’s at an up charge. They can source a few 55 gallon drums and small bottles saving their customers an extra headache.
I got lucky and got 2 quarts for $25.00 shipped 2 months ago on Amazon in anticipation of needing it in the future but it was way more than I’ll need and if there were a 6-8oz option at Carbide I would have added it to my order.
I did end up needing it way earlier than expected.
I have a first or second pre-order batch HDM that I just started to really use after the tedious enclosure build, wiring, setup, and fixture plate mounting. I only have about 12-14 hours on it and all 4 X axis bearing blocks started leaving the rail dry and needed to be filled. I had my friend fill both upper Z blocks as well and will have someone remove the Y guards and top those off too so I know 100% they are good to go.
I assume those blocks were supposed to be filled by the block manufacturer and they only put a small amount in. I remember reading someone else had to add oil early to their machine. It sucks I already had to have it done but I’m glad I wipe down and check my rails after every cycle and caught it early.
Update: according to Carbide, it’s not necessary to use Mobil Vactra - Super Lube will work just fine. Apparently that’s what they themselves use when assembling the Nomad. Good to know for anyone stumbling across this in the future. And a huge relief for me!
Please check in w/ the folks at support again — be sure to let them know that you have a Nomad 3 — my understanding is that it requires two lubricants:
Is there any chance we could get this “officially” stated? Telling everybody to write to support individually means that a) everybody has to do it individually, b) support has to reply individually, and this wastes time all around.
I am also confused as to what I should use on my Nomad 3, as I’ve only been using the teflon superlube. I’d also like a carefully weighted “reasonable” reply — I get that in an ideal world there is an ideal set of lubricants to use, but for those of us in the EU or anywhere else in the world that is not the US, some of those ideal lubricants are really hard to get.
Perhaps we could have a pinned post, a web page, or anything else that is reasonably permanent, with an up to date official answer by Carbide3D?
I found the super lube in a tube on Amazon UK, but I’ve not seen it anywhere else.
I’ve not used it though, as having purchased it I then found out that changing lubricant from oil to grease (or vice-versa) in a linear rail block was a bad idea if you don’t want to strip the whole thing down and rebuild it.
The manufactures of my other gizmos recommend a variety of lubricants based on use case, feed and rapid rates. I’ve got Hiwin, THK, ISEL bearings, nuts, and screws. When I’ve asked the service engineers about lubricant selection I was told not to over think it. I use commonly available grease on everything, same stuff I’d use when assembling a diesel.
