Triflow

[Hockeymender]

Seeing that TriFlow has been brought up in another thread as a lubricant for sewing machines, I'm just wondering how well it fairs in doing that task? If those that have experience could comment on how it compares to the clear or "white" oil many of us use. Having done a little research on the subject, I mixed a little STP in with my sewing machine oil and that has produced some very good results.

Having never considered TriFlow as a lubricant, hope those that use it can enlighten.

[gottaknow]

Triflow is a great teflon based lube. I do use it in the factory, just not on anything that even comes close to fabric, (rules out all the sewing machines). It, like most other lubes out there, stain. The best thing about Triflow, is the smell. Bananas.

The other issues when running machines at high speeds, is that lubes that are thinner, blow past shaft seals meant to contain sewing machine oil. On a slow moving leather machine, this is probably not an issue. On a machine running at high speed, it'd be everywhere except in the machine. Stuff is really slick.

As an aside, we use a really lightweight (3 oz) deer suede on Lycra equestrian pants. Even the sewing machine oil stains it and we have to replace it, so the machines in that line are wiped down twice a day.

Regards, Eric

[TinkerTailor]

I think tri flow is the best lube out there for use when bringing machines back to life. It will wick into anywhere and free up alot of stuck stuff. It is too thin however to stay inside things. It also may be thin enough that it cant be pumped by pumps with loose tolerances or wear. Plus its got nasty chemicals in it that you probably shouldn't get on your skin. I believe its designed with solvents to increase the wicking of the product, leaving thicker oil behind after the solvent evaporates. On the msds, it says it has parrafinic oils, i'm not a chemist but this sounds like parrafin oil. This stuff probably breaks down into wax again, or worse and could lead to gumming up over the long term. Just a thought. I wonder what 20 years of teflon buildup in a machine looks like?

[Hockeymender]

Thanks for the info. So it sounds like TriFlow is not something that would be ideal for just basic machine lubrication. My machines operate at a very slow speed, so I'm just curious how often would the TriFlow need to be applied to maintain the proper level of lubrication? I guess my main interest is would using TriFlow in a slow speed machine extend it's life as opposed to using standard sewing machine oil?

[smirak]

Not machinery or leather related, but triflow is all I use on my tri bike as well as my road bike. I've used it in all conditions from rain, snow, sleet, mud, hot sun, etc and it hasn't let me down yet!

[gottaknow]

You wouldn't use sewing machine oil in your car, so why try and use something different in your sewing machine other than what was meant for it?

Regards, Eric

[TinkerTailor]

Not machinery or leather related, but triflow is all I use on my tri bike as well as my road bike. I've used it in all conditions from rain, snow, sleet, mud, hot sun, etc and it hasn't let me down yet!

Yeah, I found it in the bike world as well. I meantioned in another thread that is is alot more reasonable in the gallon jugs if you use it frequently. I know a gallon is a whole lot, but its good stuff and then you wont run out. Plus you can sell refills of the little bottles to your buddies for half price and still not lose money.....

You wouldn't use sewing machine oil in your car, so why try and use something different in your sewing machine other than what was meant for it?

Regards, Eric

In your position, i wouldn't experiment either, however alot of "industry specific" products are really just re-labeled generic product with a jacked up price. In the bike world, they sell these little tubes of spoke prep for building wheels. Its like 30 bucks for an ounce or two. Active ingredient? Linseed oil.... Lava flow bike chain oil? Straight up chainsaw chain oil. Tandy blue nitrile gloves for leatherwork - 6 for 5 bux, at the drug/hardware store 100 for 10 bux.... Most rusty bolt removers are mostly kerosene.

Also, bearings are bearings. Auto engines are pretty similar inside mechanically to sewing machines, bunch of cranks and rods and cam followers, and big v8s generally run in the same rpm ranges a sewing machine. Car engines and motorcycle engines use pump, splash and rarely wicking oil systems as well. I am willing to bet that there has been waaaayyyy more money put into developing better engine lubricants than better sewing machine oils in the last century. The new synthetic lubes may be the cats ass for sewing machines, who knows? I would actually be interested to know if the automotve synthetic oils can be removed from fabric easier than dino oil with your dry cleaning methods.

Edited May 11, 2015 by TinkerTailor

[Hockeymender]

Tinker,

You have hit on the general premise of this whole thread, is there something that can do a better job of lubricating my machines? In a factory environment I can see where you stick with something that does the job for machines running flat out all day, everyday. However that said, it does not necessarily mean there is not something out there that may well be "the cats ass" for machines like mine. I have used Balistol in the past and have found it to work very well. Does a great job cleaning the running gears of older machines as well as lubing them. Wondered if TriFlow fit in there as well. Guess I'm just trying to think outside the box.

[Sonydaze]

Triflow is a great lubricant. It gets in everywhere and the teflon remains and lasts for a long time to keep lubricating. Years ago a friend used to distribute it and did demos with a chainsaw. They ran saws with no chain oil, just sprayed the bar with Triflow. You could use the saw for quite awhile without the bar getting hot. I think it would be excellent for manual lube sewing machines but wouldn't work with reservoirs or pumps as the the teflon would settle out and not go through the machine. Any drips could stain your work.

[gottaknow]

The reason nothing much has evolved in sewing machine lubrication is simple. There's been no demand to justify the R&D expense because what the industry worldwide is using still works.

If the industry standard oil can keep this two needle chainstitch running 8 hours a day since 1974, at 3000 stitches per minute then why bother? This machine fells 100 yards of cotton for flag stripes without stopping. It takes less than a minute to change rolls and restart. The machine is a Union Special 56400 P. It is entirely lubricated by a violent splash system that can easily throw oil 3 feet high with the top cover removed.

Regards, Eric

[TinkerTailor]

Will it also be the best oil if the machine is run too slow on an occasional basis, with less scheduled and thourough lube schedules than you may have? You have said yourself that the factory machines are a different ball of wax when it comes to how close to the duty cycle they are run, perhaps the conditions on the home users machine could benefit from lube with different parameters.

And, holy smokes that thing throws thread......

[gottaknow]

Will it also be the best oil if the machine is run too slow on an occasional basis, with less scheduled and thourough lube schedules than you may have? You have said yourself that the factory machines are a different ball of wax when it comes to how close to the duty cycle they are run, perhaps the conditions on the home users machine could benefit from lube with different parameters.

And, holy smokes that thing throws thread......

I totally agree that home users could perhaps benefit from different lubes. They could also benefit from actually using the oil that came with their machine more than once every 5 years. I've used TriFlow on home portables that I get conned into fixing. I can tell if the unit has been oiled, if not I figure some TriFlow can keep the machine looser over time, but I can't prove it or discount it because the builders of the machine want you to use oil, so there's no R&D to look at.

The best system for slow machines is the wick. The Singer 211 class has a decent wick system. Your wicks provides oil as the machine needs it, fast or slow. The 211's have a decent size oil well on top of the machine. They do have a little ingenious oil booster that uses the laws of cohesion to make the oil head into the wicks. It simply is a weight on a spring that vibrates with the machine. The oil is pulled up into the gap between the weight and a curved plate. The faster you sew, the more the weight moves and the more oil the wicks get. It's also gravity fed, so there's no mechanical pump that can fail. The only thing I have operators do is put a drop of oil in the bobbin basket race 1 or 2 times a day. It simply makes the hooks last longer. The 211 hook shafts do have a screw type pump milled into them. They do pull oil up to the hook, but it never makes it to the bobbin race.

Juki is now using a thin grease on their new lockstitch models in some areas. They are claiming there is less oil in the head, so less oil to clean. Time will tell, the jury will be out for a while. I've got 10 new ones in use, so we'll see. Btw, if that chainstitch machine is even a little out of adjustment, you know it right away....

Regards, Eric

[Hansons Carriage]

I've used it in aircraft for over 30 years. Nothing lubes any better for metal to metal contact in my opinion. They used to do demos with it, using a small electric motor and a torque wrench on the end of a lever across the shaft. They'd try quite a few different lubes, showing how little torque needed to be applied to the torque wrench to slow the motor...the triflow was far superior...even after it was wiped off the mandrel! I agree that it wouldn't be what I'd choose for a splash lube system or anything with seals either, but for basic metal to metal surfaces, it can be sprayed on and wiped off with the lube qualities staying for quite some time! I've never seen it build up appreciably in any of the aircraft I've used it on.

John

[Hockeymender]

I got some TriFlow a couple weeks back and have found it to be an excellent choice for machines that are manually lubed. Gave the necessary spots a genorous spray and it has seemingly done a great job providing the required protection. That said, keep in mind that my machines are not being run hard all day long. A happy TriFlow user....so far.

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

We are convinced here that Triflow has magical properties.

[Art]

Dritz stainless oil, when JoAnn's has it on one of those 50% off sales. Mineral oil will work in a pinch, and you can mix a little hydraulic fluid with the mineral oil if you want to be exotic. Dritz or mineral oil because they don't stain the work. For those machines with automatic oilers, manually oil them anyway, they are made to work at high speed and don't pump squat at slow speeds. If there is any adage you should follow, it is to keep your wick wet.

Art

[Ferg]

I know nothing about Tri-Flow.

I use a product in my truck and automobiles called "Motor-Kote". It is not an additive. We add two ounces per quart of oil to the engine about every three oil changes. That said:

I have a large sliding table saw in our shop. Metal to metal although it has bearings on one side. I sprayed the Motor-Kote on both the bearings and the slide three years ago and haven't lubed it since. It glides as though it isn't even touching anything. Slow movement compared to sewing machine.

I have given a spray can of the stuff to friends and family. They have used it on everything from snow blowers to electric car antenna.

I know, I'm getting to it..... I used the Motor-Kote on surfaces of a Singer 29k I have, to loosen it up. Have never sprayed the areas again but I do oil it regularly with the white oil. Have not used it on my Consew or Seiko nor the skiving machine. You can allow it to "set" for a few hours, wipe it off to make sure there is no dripping and go about your business of sewing etc.

Just my .02

BTW: I would go along with anything Eric says about a sewing machine and their maintenance.

ferg

[TinkerTailor]

BTW: I would go along with anything Eric says about a sewing machine and their maintenance.

ferg

I totally agree with this he is an amazing resource and very gracious to share his knowledge, however in these types of threads, playing devils advocate can really lead to interesting discussions. Sometimes i will raise an odd question, solution, or scenario in order to foster discussion, and to perhaps lead to collectively finding better ways of doing things. Experts are to be respected, but not unconditionally and without valid questions. At one time all the experts thought the world was flat......Until someone questioned that.

just payin the interest on fergs $.02

Edited June 1, 2015 by TinkerTailor

[Ferg]

Could that be "Paying it Forward? lol

ferg