Hasselblad Helicoid Grease Recommendations?

[kadir_kirisci]

Hello,

I repair Hasselblad lenses and bodies and I'm Self-taught. So, there are many things I'm just not aware of.

 

Hasselblad (C lenses) helicoid is one of them.

 

I have 8-9 different types of greases that I use on other cameras. All work just FINE, except the Hasselblad lenses.

 

After a long, long research I found 2 things.

 

Hasselblad C lenses used Losimol brand grease and it is petroleum based, looks like a peanut butter. The problem is, I cannot order from Losimol. They simply do not reply to my emails.

 

Whenever I use my other greases on Hasselblad helicoid's I get contact noise. Stuff I use isn't cheap or anything. Mostly made in Germany and such.

 

I had to experiment and mix my own, it works but takes so much time prepare, apply, clean and so on. I rather spent less time on this step.

 

Anyways,

 

Does anyone know a grease that I can use on Hasselblad C lenses and be happy with it?

I need to hear personal experiences since regular stuff basically does not work...

 

thanks

[Keith S in Arizona USA]

At AMAZON.COM, for around $7 in a one ounce tub (last time I bought it over a year ago), they have "HELIMAX-XP Optical and Instrument Helicoid Grease". It contains Lithium and PTFE, is white, NLGI #1, and is not supposed to creep or out-gas, and is good over a wide temperature range. If this does not do the trick I don't know of anything better to use.

 

Before application, you need too make certain that your helicoid threads are scrubbed completely clean. ANY debris particles are going to be felt as the threads are usually very tight-fitting with low tolerances -- or SHOULD be, anyway. And use it S-P-A-R-I-N-G-L-Y! The finest, thinnest amount you can possibly apply is ALL that you want to do when lubing anything such as lens helicoids. (Wipe off excess, if any, with a NON-LINT cloth.)

 

This stuff is pretty amazing.

[Keith S in Arizona USA]

At AMAZON.COM, for around $7 in a one ounce tub (last time I bought it over a year ago), they have "HELIMAX-XP Optical and Instrument Helicoid Grease". It contains Lithium and PTFE, is white, NLGI #1, and is not supposed to creep or out-gas, and is good over a wide temperature range. If this does not do the trick I don't know of anything better to use.

 

Before application, you need to make certain that your helicoid threads are scrubbed completely clean. ANY debris particles are going to be felt as the threads are usually very tight-fitting with low tolerances -- or SHOULD be, anyway. And use it S-P-A-R-I-N-G-L-Y! The finest, thinnest amount you can possibly apply is ALL that you want to do when lubing anything such as lens helicoids. (Wipe off excess, if any, with a NON-LINT cloth.)

 

This stuff is pretty amazing.

[Ed_Ingold]

It's a lot more than the right choice of grease. Hasselblad lenses have a double helicoid with a key and keyway to prevent rotation. There are, I believe, 4 threads in each helicoid, which means there are three wrong ways to reassemble them. You can't lubricate the inner helicoid without disassembly.

 

This is something done much better by a trained Hasselblad technician, and cleaner too (q.v., laminar flow HEPA hoods). No amount of service will make a C lens focus as smoothly as a CF or later version.

[Ed_Ingold]

It's a lot more than the right choice of grease. Hasselblad lenses have a double helicoid with a key and keyway to prevent rotation. There are, I believe, 4 threads in each helicoid, which means there are three wrong ways to reassemble them. You can't lubricate the inner helicoid without disassembly.

 

This is something done much better by a trained Hasselblad technician, and cleaner too (q.v., laminar flow HEPA hoods). No amount of service will make a C lens focus as smoothly as a CF or later version.

[Ed_Ingold]

It's a lot more than the right choice of grease. Hasselblad lenses have a double helicoid with a key and keyway to prevent rotation. There are, I believe, 4 threads in each helicoid, which means there are three wrong ways to reassemble them. You can't lubricate the inner helicoid without disassembly.

 

This is something done much better by a trained Hasselblad technician, and cleaner too (q.v., laminar flow HEPA hoods). No amount of servi

[Ed_Ingold]

It's a lot more than the right choice of grease. Hasselblad lenses have a double helicoid with a key and keyway to prevent rotation. There are, I believe, 4 threads in each helicoid, which means there are three wrong ways to reassemble them. You can't lubricate the inner helicoid without disassembly.

 

This is something done much better by a trained Hasselblad technician, and cleaner too (q.v., laminar flow HEPA hoods). No amount of servi

[Ed_Ingold]

Sorry for the repeated post. The Pnet web server did not seem to respond. I checked out while the little circle (Mac) was still spinning.

[Keith S in Arizona USA]

kadir_kirisci -

 

If you do somehow mess up and have problems with reassembly / helicoid indexing or any other servicing, David Odess of Randolph, Massachusetts (USA) can fix it all up for you. He is a factory trained Hasselblad technician and he does it all from bodies to lenses. He is also reasonably priced and very communicative too.

[kadir_kirisci]

I can take apart a blad lens and a body completely and put it back. those aren't my problems.

 

HELIMAX-XP is a very LOW-quality grease that I don't even consider using that on anything.

 

As I said on the first post, I want some PERSONAL EXPERIENCES.

 

I have no problem repairing the gear, I just have problems finding grease for the helicoids. that is it.

 

If anyone has personal experience with this, and want to share what they use, that be great.

 

I do not need repairing tips unless you are a camera repairman.

---

kadir_kirisci -

 

If you do somehow mess up and have problems with reassembly / helicoid indexing or any other servicing, David Odess of Randolph, Massachusetts (USA) can fix it all up for you. He is a factory trained Hasselblad technician and he does it all from bodies to lenses. He is also reasonably priced and very communicative too.

 

 

The only Hasselblad equipment that I cannot repair fully is the F/FE series lenses. My question isn't experience or skill based. I just do not have an access to grease that hasselblad uses. I'm just asking for an alternative.

[kadir_kirisci]

It's a lot more than the right choice of grease. Hasselblad lenses have a double helicoid with a key and keyway to prevent rotation. There are, I believe, 4 threads in each helicoid, which means there are three wrong ways to reassemble them. You can't lubricate the inner helicoid without disassembly.

 

This is something done much better by a trained Hasselblad technician, and cleaner too (q.v., laminar flow HEPA hoods). No amount of servi

 

 

Hasselblad has one of the simplest and smartest helicoid design ever. I find Nikon's more complicated.

[mwmcbroom]

For years, I've simply used molybdenum disulfide grease, which can be found at auto supply stores. In my experience (over 25 years) it doesn't creep or run. I have a tub of the stuff I bought over 25 years ago and it is just as stable now as it was when I bought it. Keith S is correct when he states that you use the stuff sparingly. Just the finest of films is all that is required. I've never used it on a Hasselblad lens, but a focusing helical is a focusing helical. They all work the same way and have pretty much equally tight tolerances, even the double ones designed so the front element stays fixed.

 

I'm not necessarily recommending moly disulfide grease -- just mentioning that I've used it for years with good success. I note that there are several sellers on eBay who sell a variety of helical greases. Perhaps one of these will suffice for your needs.

[conrad_hoffman]

I only have intimate knowledge on the double helical Micro Nikkor lenses, where grease viscosity is critical. The inners seem to work best with Superlube oil with PTFE. It's a PAO synthetic with little tendency to outgas or creep. Only the smallest amount is needed. If I need something thicker I use Molykote PG-30L (EM-30). It's also a PAO based grease, NLGI #1 and does not contain moly. Interestingly, molybdenum disulfide is known to increase wear and corrosion when added to grease. One has to trade that off with the EP benefit. I've used moly greases with no discernable problem. #2 greases are usually too heavy for helicals.

 

Factory grease from Nikon seems to have a lot of fibrous content and gives lenses a smooth but undamped feel, with no creep whatsoever. I've no idea what they use, but it's unlike any grease I've found to be commonly available.

[paul ron]

dampening grease is what is used for focusing mechanisms. its not the same as lubricating grease.... do not substitute one for the other.

 

look up nye grease.... microtools carries a variety of dampening grease.

 

https://shop.newgatesimms.com/damping-grease/

Edited February 4, 2018 by paul ron

[conrad_hoffman]

I keep some Nye and other damping greases around and they're way too viscous for precision helical focusing mechanisms. No doubt they sell something far more fluid, but you have to be careful that they don't encourage focus drift. Most factory greases I've seen, at least in Nikon stuff, are not true damping greases.

[paul ron]

dampening grease comes in many different viscosities. nye has a small kit in tubes. depending on the lens, I use different ones. its not only for cameras.

[mwmcbroom]

Interestingly, molybdenum disulfide is known to increase wear and corrosion when added to grease.

Huh, that's rather ironic, considering that -- I think at least -- the moly disulfide grease I have is sold as a bearing grease. I guess it must be the -disulfide ion breaking down into some sort of sulfur acid (sulfuric? sulfurous?) when exposed to moisture.

[arthur_gottschalk]

The OP seems kinda uptight....

[conrad_hoffman]

On the moly, yeah, I was sort of shocked when I read about the problems. I've used a lot of it and it works like nothing else in some applications. I don't think CV joints would function without it. That said, do some searches on molybdenum and corrosion/wear. There are military studies and others that point out the problems. The wear issue with aluminum isn't surprising since aluminum is soft. Moly excels as an EP additive, but one will never have EP with aluminum.