68kMLA Classic Interface

This is a version of the 68kMLA forums for viewing on your favorite old mac. Visitors on modern platforms may prefer the main site.

Click here to select a new forum.

Auto inject floppy lubrication

Posted by: LaPorta on 2020-03-17 18:22:41 Finally, after months of searching, I found that the Sony OEM lubrication used on the metal and plastic floppy drive surfaces is something called Molykote EM-10L. EM-10L is no longer manufactured, so I contacted DuPont directly for a replacement. They told me that their currently made EM-30L should be a suitable replacement. It is available in small jars on Amazon for about $15. I just ordered one myself.

Posted by: Crutch on 2020-03-17 20:02:30 Nice sleuthing! How did you figure this out?

Posted by: Dog Cow on 2020-03-18 05:58:08 Great work!

Posted by: LaPorta on 2020-03-18 06:26:28 I finally found an earlier revision floppy drive manual (the 800k/1.4 MB auto inject drives appear to not have digital scanned copies of their manuals anywhere), and tracked down the Sony part number for lubricant to a site that supplies replacement parts for such equipment. The part number listing yielded the compound, and I cross-referenced this in the manual. From there, I found the compound listed on the DuPont site. Now we can all use what we know to be the real deal.

Posted by: olePigeon on 2020-03-18 07:26:21 @LaPorta Oh, perfect!  I'm going to order some.  I've tried both lithium grease (recommended) and silicon grease, and neither work.  The lithium grease works for a couple weeks, but then the floppy drive becomes difficult to use.  It'll be hard to inject a floppy, and sometimes it won't eject even though the motor and gears are good.

Posted by: LaPorta on 2020-03-18 07:46:16 I've had good success with lithium, though sometimes I get what you do. I have found that literally a tiny coating is the best. I have noticed that the drives that had barely any greae to start work better 30+ years later than those that had it coated thick. I would assume the same practice is best. I know others have said this but I am going to do a new video from start to finish with the auto injects.

Posted by: Unknown_K on 2020-03-18 12:49:13 You get dust trapped in the grease and it hardens.

Posted by: adb9001 on 2020-03-18 17:34:56 @LaPorta thank you for your sleuthing, looking forward to your video when you get some free time. Just ordered some EM-30L to replace my lithium grease. I am new to this Macintosh Compact refurbishing scene and on a steep learning curve the past 4 months. Thanks to this community...been invaluable and will hopefully contribute. I have refurbished 3 floppy drives (2 SuperDrives, 1 800k drive) and have 3 more to go.  Tips [1] pull together a kit of QTips, toothbrush, soaking tub, ISA (99%), DeOxit, Silicone, EM-30L, Phillips screwdriver [2] videos on how to disassemble a drive, clean/lubricate, and put back together  https://youtu.be/0pGhwtyFG2I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Vc3SdZJ2Y [3] optional replacement gear parts for motor drive https://imgur.com/gallery/MvGG6V0 (video showing gears working) https://www.shapeways.com/product/27DNUVPJA/replacement-floppy-drive-gear-for-macintosh-comput?optionId=148365838&li=marketplace (replacement parts)

Posted by: olePigeon on 2020-03-31 13:52:24 FYI:  I used the EM-30L grease on my recent floppy refurb, and it's WAY smoother than the lithium grease.  It's also ... I don't know ... fluffier?  It was more difficult to apply as it didn't want to stick to either the metal or the applicator, which I guess is a good thing.

Posted by: LaPorta on 2020-03-31 14:20:05 How did it work out overall? I am making a video using it in the next few days.

Posted by: olePigeon on 2020-03-31 19:03:00 @LaPorta It's like butter. 🙂   The mechanical action is super smooth.  Once you try it, you'll see what I mean.  It's completely different from lithium grease.

Posted by: adb9001 on 2020-04-07 12:49:46 Wow also impressed. Just got my EM-30L grease and went to work on an 800k floppy (Sony MFD-51W-10). Noticeable improvement. Thank you.

Posted by: LaPorta on 2020-04-10 05:26:18 Glad it worked well for you! I just made a video on it; it is quite long and more for beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLyzjHTukos

Posted by: olePigeon on 2020-04-10 22:22:03 By the way, I discovered that the motor, optical sensor, and even the read/write head are compatible with the SuperDrive.  So if you have a broken part on a SuperDrive, you can use the any of those three parts from an 800K drive.

Posted by: s_pupp on 2020-04-18 16:14:52 I'm very glad to read this post - through sheer coincidence, this is the stuff I've been using for the past couple years.  It is a plastic-safe lubricant.  I've been very pleased with it.

1