Tremolo knife edge lubricant

Infms

I'm changing the strings on my Ibanez S540ltd and I thought I'd give the tremolo a quick service while I'm at it.

Can anyone recommend a lubricant to use on the tremolo knife edges?

I've heard PTFE (Teflon) lubricant or silicone grease is best but haven't managed to find any locally.

Thanks!

AlanRatcliffe

Find a grease with PTFE. Avoid any silicon products like the plague. Use sparingly. Can't help with local bands I'm afraid.

I've always believed that a good condition post and knife edge should need no lubricant (as the manufacturer's make 'em), but many believe it slows down wear and tear. Lubricants pick up dirt and some, like silicon, penetrate everywhere and can cause problems with woods, finishes and glue (and if you ever see someone approaching a guitar with a can of WD-40, just shoot them then and there). So I prefer to go dry and reprofile edges once or twice before replacing them.

However, if anyone with solid engineering knowledge wishes to change my mind, feel free... ?

Gearhead

Here's my take on it: knife edges have no place in mechanical engineering at all except for cutting purposes. The tremolo edge will approximate a radius rolling over a larger radius. If both sides are the same material, lubricant would be advisable because same metal tends to eat both sides. When lubricating, the choice in general is between grease and oil; the former is for slow movement and low heat generation while oil is for everything else. In this case I would use as little as possible teflon grease, wiping excess because it collects dirt. In some cases particles can be abrasive and bad news for the wearing surfaces. The quality of teflon (PTFE) grease can be guessed from the colour; teflon itself is white so high amounts of teflon in the grease will always make it white.

Infms

Awesome info, Alan & Gearhead. Thanks!

I'll see what eBay has in terms of PTFE grease. Unfortunately my local car shops and hardware stores have never heard of the stuff.

Cheers and have a great week.

Infms

I've managed to find some locally produced grease which contains 5% PTFE:

Omega 22 Super PTFE Grease

Would it do the job?

Thanks!

Gearhead

Infms wrote: Would it do the job?

Fine, imho

Frank_BV

i might be late but what if i just wrap the bridge screw with teflon tape where the knife edge sits?