grease for bearings

[georgebarr]

I have THK bearings (SR25 type) and need to add grease to them. For now, I used a general automotive grease "STA LUBE high temperature bearing grease" which is very thick and black. I find this grease will work but will dramtically slow the speed of the bearings as it slides back and forth as well as require more force to move the bearings since the grease is the very thick kind. I am looking for an appropriate grease that is light and will not slow down the bearings movement. Can someone recommend a quality grease appropriate for THK bearings. There is a Home Depot and Lowes hardware store nearby so I can pick one up there, but what kind of grease should I ask for?

Thanks,

[Ken_Shea]

STA LUBE high temperature bearing grease" which is very thick and black

Man that stuff sounds like it is from the first part of the 20th century EDIT: Not that I would personally remember of course.

Lube is like oil, everyone has their favorite but IMHO, the newer synthetic, hi pressure, hi-temperature would be perfect. Marathon makes a good one. You might ask THK for there personal favorite.

Another Dang Edit,
Some grease is not compatible with other types/brands so it would be a good idea to clean the bearings first or look into the compatibility issue.

[georgebarr]

Ken_Shea,
How would I go about removing the grease already on the bearings before putting on new/better grease? Would I have to use a degreaser to completely remove the old grease off?

Thanks,

[Ken_Shea]

Actually George since this is not turning RPM's I would think it would be acceptable to just grease the heck out of them, run them a bit and re-grease, do this for a few cycles and just purge the old grease out. I know what these bearings are but having never had them off the rails not sure if you can get into trouble removing them from the rail for normal cleaning. If it is no big deal then kerosene would clean fine and a good cleaning first would be best.

I know others here have experience with these so they will I am sure reply as well.

Ken

[balsaman]

I run mine dry.

E

[pack rat]

I do not have any experiance with those bearings. Excessive amount of grease causes balls to have a hard time rolling, they have to push trough grease and move it out of the way. You only need microscopic film of oil for lubrication. Syntethic are better because they do not dri-up same way as organic grease. Grease attracts dust and the balls have to deal with it as a result they have hard time rolling and overheat on higher RPM. You might be better off running them dry (Balsaman) or add powder graphite. You can always blow air to get rid of debris. My 2c