graphite yarn

[John galloParticipant @johngallo38006]

Has any one had any success making graphite yarn? I cannot find it in the U.S. and importing it from the U.K. is very expensive.

It seems like some combination of cotton yarn, graphite and grease would do it, but I am not sure of which grease to use. Thanks, John.

[John galloParticipant @johngallo38006]

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I think the original stuff used tallow which is a rendered animal fat rather than grease, certainly smells like it.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Some people make a substitute by winding strands of teflon plumbing tape together.

Neil

[John ReeseParticipant @johnreese12848]

Check eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-footof-Twisted-2mm-PTFE-Graphite-Valve-Pump-Packing-Maintainance-Seal-/151143830855?hash=item2330dfd547:g:H8YAAOxyZwpSXKkH

[John ReeseParticipant @johnreese12848]

Another link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GRAPHITE-STRING-PACKING-BY-PASCO-2290-/331945394689?hash=item4d497cc201:g:0YMAAOSwq7JUELGC

[I.M. OUTAHEREParticipant @i-m-outahere]

I wonder if heating up some moly grease until it melts and then soaking some twine in it and allowing it to cool would work ?

Probably the messiest thing on earth to play with though !

You can get tallow , it is what soap is made of , maybe the same thing could be done with this stuff as above but using graphite powder ?

kieth appleton on his youtube channel mentione he un picked some larger diameter graphite sealing material to get the thinner twine to use in model steam engines , i never followed it up but if you could get the right stuff cheap it may be worthwhile fiddling around un picking the strands .

The stuff in my stuart kit looks a lot like a piece of yo yo string with graphite in it .

[Bob YouldonParticipant @bobyouldon45599]

John,

You don't say what size or amount you require; I have what amounts to .093" diameter made up from three strands and I've yards of the stuff, the genuine stuff, it's ideal for valve spindles etc. Let me know that you are looking for, send me a PM with your details and I'll pop some in the post.

Regards,

Bob Youldon

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

The last time I got some graphite yarn, it was quite bulky, so I had to break it down, it was then I found that it had wire woven into it, and it ended up mostly unusable. I went with the system of Teflon plumbers tape, rolled in some graphite powder.

Ian S C

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

A good source of graphite in grease is Zebo stove polish, intended for coating cast iron stoves and giving them a nice grey shininess. I expect it is available anywhere where old-fashioned wood stoves are used, but under different names. It comes in a toothpaste-type tube so is not too messy.

Cheers, Tim

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

A small bag of powdered graphite available now on Ebay mixed with some lanolin can be larded round around your choice of string or silk yarn (not synthetic) and will do the job nicely. I used this once many years ago as a piston ring and stuffing box gland sealant and it is is still in the model and doing what it is supposed to do

Rik

[julian atkinsParticipant @julianatkins58923]

Hi John,

Like Bob Youldon I have a considerable amount of old asbestos impregnated graphite yarn. The square braided stuff of asbestos type crops up on ebay from time to time though is banned from supply these days by the UK ME suppliers.

I have tried the new stuff supplied. Quickly consigned to the bin as useless.

Rather than twirl up PTFE tape (which can easily get eaten up and cause all manner of problems) turn up PTFE bushes or split bushes.

You can soak hemp in tallow but tallow doesnt like gunmetal or brass. Far better to try and buy the proper stuff or accept Bob's very generous and kind offer. There is a bit of a trick to fitting it in miniature of which perhaps more anon.

Cheers,

Julian

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