Thanks for the tip about silicone's carrier solvents causing damage.
I've taken to spraying the silicone into a small bottle, leaving it uncapped for a day or two, and THEN using it, but I'm not sure that this method removes the carrier solvents, really.
Hobie sells a (McNett) silicone spray in a pump container (not aerosol):
(McNett) Dry silicone spray for sail luffs, cleats and bearings
5106 Silicone 8oz
Perhaps the pump does not contain the damaging carrier solvents...not sure...I just sent an email to McNett to ask them about this. I'll post the answer here.
Here is McNett's answer:
"...Our pump silicone contains no propellants or solvents. Additionally, the spray silicone product we make is specifically formulated so as not to harm plastics and both the propellant and the solvent used in the formulation are safe on plastics. There are other general purpose aerosol silicone products on the market that use different solvents that are harmful to plastics, and that may unfortunately be what the other gentleman is referring to, but our products are entirely safe in that regard."
We hope this helps in regards to the forum questions. If there is any additional information we can provide, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Regards,
Customer Service
McNett Corporation
1411 Meador Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98229-5845
Ph: 360.671.2227 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 360.671.2227 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 360.671.2227 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: 360.671.4521
http://www.mcnett.com---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JimL wrote:
As I've mentioned....be VERY careful with some of the spray lubes (especially silicone) as I've broken plastic parts on my sailboards due to the carrier solvents causing de-plasticizing and shrinkage. Also....NEVER try cleaning up any of your metal with something like Naval Jelly or MagWheel cleaner or CLR. The acids are death on the harder plastics.
Thanks for all the good lube info....using WD40 with good luck (in clean water and not beaching the boats).
JimL[/quote]