I got it for $50 and some change with shipping and tax for a 2 ounce tube. It's called Krytox. After I replaced my window weather stripping on my 75 Delta convertible, the windows were hard to roll up because the weather strip would bind when the windows would roll down. The windows roll up smoothly now. I figure it was a small price to pay instead of paying for new window motors after they fail from all the pressure exerted from the weather strip binding.

 

Wow - that is costly... Does it leave an oily residue on the glass? If not it might be worth the cost. My windows bind like that, and I know a silicone stuff would help, but it leaves a nasty film on the glas,, which gets smeared all over later.

 

No, it doesn't leave a residue. It's originally formulated to lubricate window weather stripping, but I hear it's used for other applications as well other than automotive. It's a non silicone, non petroleum, and water based formula . It's pricey, but it's better than having my motors wear out.

 

Why not just get a $4 can of silicone spray. It does exactly the same thing.

 

I tried the silicone - lubes well but leaves an oily mess on the glass that eventually gets smeared all over.

 

I tried that the first time I replaced the weather stripping. It left residue and eventually dried out and the window was still binding. Krytox is application specific, meaning it was designed to lubricate weather stripping without leaving residue. The cost to develop it is the reason for the high price.

 

Krytox is what alot of Corvette guys use on all of their weatherstriping.

I use it on the weatherstriping of all my cars. Use a small amount on a warm day and spead it as thin as you can get it. The Krytox will last for years on the weatherstriping when applied this way.

 

They've been selling that stuff for 50 years, must have been some high development costs.
Dupont own the patent and makes and sells it exclusively.
It's like a pharmaceutical drug and there's no generic equivalent.
They say it's a lot like liquid Teflon, ever try Pam cooking spray on rubber seals??

 

I had a similar problem when I was helping my brother in law with leaky t-tops on an mr2. I was directed by an mr2 guru to the Honda dealer to purchase a tube of Shin-Etsu. Honda developed this to keep the weatherstripping on odyssey minivans from having problems. It worked great. It was only 12 bucks and no more leaks. I have also read where people have had good luck using dieletric grease on weatherstripping. Might be a little messy though.

 

Visited Newmarket Honda dealer today to get some Shin-Etsu grease. Was informed by parts guy that he can't sell this stuff to the general public. Is it contagious?

 

https://www.alldiscountparts.com/oem...EaAnmbEALw_wcB

 

I'm surprised I didn't see this thread the first time. Now that it's been unearthed from the crypt, I'll add that the Krytox talked about in the first post is space-qualified vacuum grease. It has essentially no volatiles. It does not outgas, ever. We use this on mechanisms for satellites and launch vehicles. That's why it costs so much. I suspect that price also gets you a full set of quality assurance paperwork, lot certification, etc, which is frequently more than the cost of the actual materials.

 

Gummi Pflege works well, maybe not as well as Krytox but it's $12.99.

 

This bucket should last awhile.

 

The property which yields Krytox inert is the substitution of F for H - yielding a basic perfluorinated (PFC) compound as opposed to a basic hydrocarbon compound. Linkage (polymerization) of PFC chains provides for the commonly known PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) compound (Teflon). Via several substitutions and appropriate linkage of the O atom yields PFPE (Perfluoropolyether) Krytox.

Perfluoropolyether (PFPE) is nearly identical to PTFE (Teflon). PFPE is essentially a "liquid" PTFE (Teflon).

PFPE Lubricants in Aerospace Applications

 

Used old school graphite powder on my 56 F100. That is what the window seal manufacturer recommended. Works great and after a good wipe of window edges no mess. I have never thought of using it on my Olds, But I think I'll try it. I bought some tubes off ebay. It is a little hard to find- not used much anymore.

 

You are correct in that the paperwork supporting certification is likely the main reason for the price. Plus the quality of the product itself. Although the MIL-SPEC version stuff probably has the most paperwork involved thus the higher price even than the stuff you would normally buy retail. GM used to have 3634770 weatherstrip lube that was excellent, but if I had to bet, it may have been Krytox 105 with a GM label on it.

All Krytox is not created exactly the same, though. GPL205 grease or GPL105 oil works for most leather to leather interior rubs and weatherstrip lube applications. The Krytox line has all sorts of different lubes for differing applications, though. A little goes a long way.

 

I wonder if this krytox is the same krytox used in some vacuum pumps? I think yes but cant check right now.

to add i picked up a can of RV window lubricant ( may just be silicone i didnt check). That worked well to allow windows to move easily. I did not encounter any residue on the window after but i sprayed the tracks.

 

Cool stuff, Norm. We also use Braycote, which is a competing PFPE product.

 

The price of the raw products (fluorspar, HCl, CHCl₃ & H2O) required to formulate PFC compounds (e.g. PTFE, PFPE, etc.) are inexpensive to extract & produce. As stated (where I stole the sentence):

SOURCE: PFPE Lubricants in Aerospace Applications

Paraphrasing, on my part - the capital-intensive aspect in the production of PFC products resides in the chemistry required to produce the end-product. PFPE products are exceedingly expensive to produce via the chemistry required to: (1) substitute a F atom for a H atom; (2) creation & isolation of the resulting PFC molecules; and, (3) the polymerization required to produce the afforded yield. Each step along these pathways requires meticulous chemical assays involving normal HPLC phase separation, reverse HPLC phase separation, Ion-Exchange HPLC, thin-layer chromatography & Gas Chromatography. This level of analysis is not likened to the industrial production of your basic hydrocarbon (e.g. petroleum) products.

You're correct, not all Krytox (or their competitors) products are created equally (not exactly the same); however, what determines the cost of the end-product (IMO) is the requirement for specific chemical analyses of the products produced. The analysis required to "certify" the product is what the manufacturer states is expensive. Albeit, yes - there is a very stringent & select requirement for the paperwork required to certify any of the PFC products produced in the PFPE supply chain. But, that paperwork is absolutely critical to the certification of the end-product.