Originally Posted by
J Miller
You can use the Tri-Flow on oilable motors, but I don't, and here's why. The Tri-Flow oil label says it's fortified with P.T.F.E. or Teflon. Sewing machine and small motors usually have bronze bushings for bearings. The bronze bushings are porous and most times have a felt wick surrounding them. I'm not sure how that P.T.F.E would work with the porous bushings. Will it pass through or will it plug the microscopic holes? So that's why I don't use it on motors.
Joe
Wow Joe,... thanks for this bit of information! With Singer Lube being so difficult to find here, (my huge order from SMS is arriving today, but they found their inventory to be wrong with the Lube, so it's back-ordered, so it's another month away) I was thinking of taking a SM motor to an electrical motor shop and seeing what they recommended (after they stopped giggling at the size of the motor). I didn't know about the porous bronze...
BTW, I asked the supplier for the Singer Lube in Canada where I could buy a tube or two while I'm waiting for their stock to come in. They looked in their database and said there's 1 account in all of Alberta that -used- to buy it, but the account closed 3 months ago. Something stinks here... what are the shops using when they get a machine in? I know not a LOT of vintage machines hit the service places, but there will be a couple, no?