OT low temp lubrication

Nicholas_23

Guy at work gave me a pop up style ice shack for free , but it did need some work . Long story short , I replaced the two poles that had broke. After I set it up I studied the design a little bit and figured out that when you collapse the shack ( it folds in on itself ) that the ball and socket joints kind of bind up, and Im sure get worse when things get ice build up even though the joints are inside of the shack. The ball sockets are made of nylon plastic type of material. My thought was to lube those sockets with something . Do any of you know of a low temp lube that will stay viscous in low temp weather ( 0 degrees and below)? Thought about maybe graphite ? 

jr@mac

If it is nylon on nylon, there are very few things that will make it more slippery. Nylon is considered self-lubricating, which is why it is commonly used in applications like this. If it is damaged, however - the only thing that will create more ease of use is to try and repair or replace.

If it is constructed something like aluminum on nylon, you could inspect the aluminum for signs of galling or other deformation.

You could try inspecting for mechanical binding within the entire assembly, as well. 

Otherwise, avoid any petroleum or primarily petroleum based or petroleum like lubricants - stick with vegetable oil (really) or WD-40. 

jr@mac

I should add that might be Delrin, which is an amazing material for many purposes. It is fairly particularly solvent-resistant, however - but it can be broken down by common chemicals and heat. 

jhollander

My advice is to see why the sockets are binding.  Might be a plastic molding line that need to be trimmed and smoothed.

Nicholas_23

Ill try and set it up again tonight after work and get a couple picture of the setup . The hub portion that the poles swivel in is made up of aluminum or some type of pot metal . I can test that tonight when I get home. I guess this model was only made for a couple years before they pulled the plug on it. Sounds like it was a bad design and ALOT of people broke the poles when they put them up or took them down. Im not complaining , shit , for ten bucks in parts seems to work pretty good for now. 

https://www.amazon.com/Ap-Outdoors-Xtreme-Ice-Xi3/dp/B003VURN8I

Nicholas_23

One of the poles , tough to say what this is made of. I would think regular ol plastic would break in freezing temps but I could be wrong. Thought about it a little more and wonder if a wax might not work to decrease friction?

jr@mac

Try to remove casting line there, and yes - wax is a good choice.

Nicholas_23

Went with the wax , found some as Ace .

jhollander

That pot metal looks like it's eating up the nylon.  

Nicholas_23

There is some wear for sure , if the wind dies down some, Im going to try it out later on a walleye trophy lake near by