Pledge on axles

[GravityX]

I went through the normal axle prep process of polishing before adding the Pledge to the axle. Once I had applied the Pledge I allowed it to stand for several minutes. I then wiped the axle down with a Selvyt cloth and then installed axle into the wheel bore. Wheel bore prep with RR polish and DD4H graphite.

Originally posted by Gravity X

Did you burnish in the graphite into the wheel bores and inner and outer hub contact areas after the Red Rocket dried.

Please respond,

Thanks

Yes...

 

[Quicktimederby]

The Orange and yellow cans of Pledge are for wiping down the track.

Come on 5kids, your pulling my leg right. I figured for sure you knew about this one. Obviously you all weren't looking very hard at some of John's Pics of his Bruce Lee car from the past. Notice the orange/Yellow can of Pledge.
"I'm not a smart man, but _____"

 

[tmeyer]

Joel, Which Pledge is for the axles?

 

[Quicktimederby]

Never done it. I don't use graphite any more.

 

[GravityX]

 

[tmeyer]

Thanks Gravity X.

Turns out we already have it in stock at home.

 

[Rocket car]

Thanks Gravity X.

Turns out we already have it in stock at home.

I hope so, I think its made in Racine, Wisconsin.

 

[1reason]

Thanks Gravity X.

Turns out we already have it in stock at home.

I hope so, I think its made in Racine, Wisconsin.

It has to be good if from Wisconsin!

My son and I are working on his car (typing this from my garage).

What we are doing is sanding 400, 600, 1K 1200, 1500, 2k 2.5k 5k using brasso as the liquid instead of water. We clean after each using a shop heavy duty paper towel and on some Isopropyrl alcohol.

Then I clean again with the shop heavy duty paper towel (is that a mistake) and finally spray pledge on the nail and it then goes into a medicine container to be stored until we're ready to place them on the car.

Should I polish it on and or buff it? I read from that I should lightly spray it on and then wipe it off leaving a thin film. right now they are sitting in the med bottle without being wiped off ( I figured I can always wipe off later).

Thanks in advance and have a great weekend

 

[GravityX]

I think this will answer your question 1reason.

I went through the normal axle prep process of polishing before adding the Pledge to the axle. Once I had applied the Pledge I allowed it to stand for several minutes. I then wiped the axle down with a Selvyt cloth and then installed axle into the wheel bore. Wheel bore prep with RR polish and DD4H graphite.

Thanks Gravity X.

Turns out we already have it in stock at home.

I hope so, I think its made in Racine, Wisconsin.

It has to be good if from Wisconsin!

My son and I are working on his car (typing this from my garage).

What we are doing is sanding 400, 600, 1K 1200, 1500, 2k 2.5k 5k using brasso as the liquid instead of water. We clean after each using a shop heavy duty paper towel and on some Isopropyrl alcohol.

Then I clean again with the shop heavy duty paper towel (is that a mistake) and finally spray pledge on the nail and it then goes into a medicine container to be stored until we're ready to place them on the car.

Should I polish it on and or buff it? I read from that I should lightly spray it on and then wipe it off leaving a thin film. right now they are sitting in the med bottle without being wiped off ( I figured I can always wipe off later).

Thanks in advance and have a great weekend

 

[Vitamin K]

How does using Pledge mesh with most Cub Scout Packs' "Graphite Only" rules. Are we considering the Pledge to be a final polishing step instead of a lubricant?

 

[Guest]

Vitamin K, The way I see it is the Pledge is completely dry, non shedding and covered by the graphite. It fits the bill of a dry lube perfectly. I just helped a friend build a graphite only car for a church race and using Pledge on the axles doesn't bother my conscience one bit. When we sprayed it on the axles it was viewed as a way to enhance the graphite not replace or work as a second lube.

Now that I'm on my soapbox, I have a real beef with wet vs. dry lube mentality. Oil being viewed as a wet lube is looked down upon because in the back of some minds wet is viewed as destructive. Water being the most destructive force on this planet reinforces this stereotype. At least oil stays where it's put- in the wheelbore. Graphite dust must enter the lungs and eyes from time to time, just look at Pledge as a way to minimize the airborne graphite particles and help save lungs and keep the facility cleaner.

 

[bracketracer]

How does using Pledge mesh with most Cub Scout Packs' "Graphite Only" rules. Are we considering the Pledge to be a final polishing step instead of a lubricant?

Our rules say you can use polish on the axles, Pledge is furniture polish, right?

 

[MLK Esq.]

Is it possible to over apply graphite in conjunction with using Pledge, or does the "more is better" still apply? Also, when using pledge and graphite together, for those of us who are without a test track, does the "wheel spin test" still apply, or will the wheels behave differently when compared to just graphite alone?

 

[plhiatt]

I don't know about others but when I have put in a lot of graphite my times are slower for the 3-4
runs. Also I have used the pledge thing a bit now and tested it....seems after 10-12 runs it slows down.
I may be doing something wrong, I have tried letting it sit and wiping right off, its the same.

Any one tried Jig/let dry on axles and then graphite?

 

[Rocket car]

I don't know about others but when I have put in a lot of graphite my times are slower for the 3-4
runs. Also I have used the pledge thing a bit now and tested it....seems after 10-12 runs it slows down.
I may be doing something wrong, I have tried letting it sit and wiping right off, its the same.

Any one tried Jig/let dry on axles and then graphite?

Graphite's best runs are between 2 and 7 runs usually. If you tap the wheels after application. After that first 7-8 runs it wears out.

 

[Guest]

Personally I like DD4H philosophy in his article “How to easily win a cub scout district race.” He says “I am shocked to hear anyone complain that a car would look clean and complain that there was no graphite. If the rules say dry lube only then I will run my oil process every time. It appears dry at race time and meets the wording of the rules.” I agree with this and after our district race they pull the axle out to check them. We have been lucky enough to win district 3 times and not one time have I ever been questioned of why there was no graphite all over the place.

 

[Vitamin K]

This kind of bugs me. I think if the race rules say "graphite only" you should run with graphite only. I am going to pass on using Pledge, because our rules say only graphite or powdered teflon for lubricants. You can argue that Pledge is not a lube, but I think in actuality, it is (it's the silicon). And I don't like the idea of using oil when the rules say "dry lube". Yes, it isn't dripping, and it isn't a danger to the track, but I don't imagine that the race organizers would agree to you using oil if you explained what you were doing.

The justification that it seems to me like I'm seeing is "This fits the letter of the rules, in my interpretation, and they're not able to to detect it as otherwise."

In my opinion, we should strive to abide by both the spirit /and/ the letter of the rules.

Personally I like DD4H philosophy in his article “How to easily win a cub scout district race.” He says “I am shocked to hear anyone complain that a car would look clean and complain that there was no graphite. If the rules say dry lube only then I will run my oil process every time. It appears dry at race time and meets the wording of the rules.” I agree with this and after our district race they pull the axle out to check them. We have been lucky enough to win district 3 times and not one time have I ever been questioned of why there was no graphite all over the place.

 

[MLK Esq.]

Not sure we would be that fortunate Dropzone. But I agree with the theory. This is the rule this year..."Only dry lubricants are allowed. No liquid lubricants are alowed." Kit wheels and axles too... which is where we got questioned last year. They DQ'd a car last year because he had orange wheels from the scout shop which were the BSA ones, not China made, because they were not "from the kit". They did however allow him to race after changing to black BSA wheels. We too were scrutinized last year over our own wheels and axles right before the final round that I hate to risk being DQ'd by following the DD4H theory. Are they the kit ones, why are your wheels that color, and so shiny? Are you using oil? etc. I took out my graphite and smudged it on a spare wheel and said "That answer your question?" Which it did. It has a very shiny silvery color to it.

For the last two years "dry lube only" we have run consitent 2.5_ times on I think is a 35 ft 2-lane track using graphite alone. Last year's best was the third race with a 2.53 and the worst was the final race with a 2.564. The year before it was best of 2.5 in race #1 and a worst of 2.549 in race #7. The final race was a 2.526--probably got shaken a little getting set on the track. These times were good enough for first both years, but last year was close as they ran what was to be the race for "all the marbles" three times...I don't think they wanted us to have the marbles. There is no district race here either.

We have a new 8 lane track that is sight unseen this year. I think it is aluminum, but do not know the length. I am intrigued by the pledge and am tempted. When I experimented very unscientifically with pledge last week, it seemed great at first with just a wheel spin, but then seemed to slow the next day. Hence my question about over applying.

 

[Guest]

Not sure we would be that fortunate Dropzone. But I agree with the theory. This is the rule this year..."Only dry lubricants are allowed. No liquid lubricants are alowed." Kit wheels and axles too... which is where we got questioned last year. They DQ'd a car last year because he had orange wheels from the scout shop which were the BSA ones, not China made, because they were not "from the kit". They did however allow him to race after changing to black BSA wheels. We too were scrutinized last year over our own wheels and axles right before the final round that I hate to risk being DQ'd by following the DD4H theory. Are they the kit ones, why are your wheels that color, and so shiny? Are you using oil? etc. I took out my graphite and smudged it on a spare wheel and said "That answer your question?" Which it did. It has a very shiny silvery color to it.

For the last two years "dry lube only" we have run consitent 2.5_ times on I think is a 35 ft 2-lane track using graphite alone. Last year's best was the third race with a 2.53 and the worst was the final race with a 2.564. The year before it was best of 2.5 in race #1 and a worst of 2.549 in race #7. The final race was a 2.526--probably got shaken a little getting set on the track. These times were good enough for first both years, but last year was close as they ran what was to be the race for "all the marbles" three times...I don't think they wanted us to have the marbles. There is no district race here either.

We have a new 8 lane track that is sight unseen this year. I think it is aluminum, but do not know the length. I am intrigued by the pledge and am tempted. When I experimented very unscientifically with pledge last week, it seemed great at first with just a wheel spin, but then seemed to slow the next day. Hence my question about over applying.

I realize that in every set of rules there will be gray areas that could be argued by both sides and it sounds like your judges are really watching those and trying to make it a lot more black and white. And that is not necessarily a bad thing and I totally respect you guys for wanting to stay within those rules.

As for as your question about how much pledge I really don’t know because I have never tried it. But if it is like oil a little bit is better. When we apply the oil we only use two drops and run the wheel on it for a little bit then wipe it off. Wish you guys the best of luck!

 

[MLK Esq.]

I also have a "dry lube" mil spec gun lube (originally purchased for that purpose) that showed some some promise in spin testing without the addition of graphite. Graphite seemed to slow it down. However it could be different in race conditions.