Board Thread:General Nerf discussion/@comment-29970843-20171007171133/@comment-27306930-20171009025104

There are three main types of lube you can use safely with Nerf blasters - silicone grease, white lithium, and  silicone   spray. I'd avoid that "silicon" grease Flat's been using. I hear it can be very sandy  😉

Silicone grease is often translucent and gooey. It's especially good for plunger tubes and other applications that incorporate O-rings. It was specifically designed for rubber gaskets and rings that can't be exposed to petroleum based lubricants. But its extra viscosity also fills gaps very nicely, and prevents bits of lube from spewing out the barrel. Win-win !

Lithium grease (aka White Lithium) is almost always white and has the consistency of toothpaste. It's a great all-around lubricant, good on plastics and metal. Some folks say Lithium grease attracts more dust and dirt. But it might be that it's bright white, and any contamination is immediately visible. Because of that, you probably don't want to use lithium on exposed or semi-exposed parts since it looks terrible.

Silicone spray, like WD-40, is an extremely dilute version of silicone grease. It's great for cleaning and prepping parts, and light duty uses. It's very thin and evaporates in a couple weeks/months when exposed. So it's not a great long term lubricant.

Silicone and lithium grease are both water resistant, have excellent longevity, and are safe with the ABS that our Nerf blasters are made of. Personally, stick with silicone for plunger tubes and triggers, and white lithium everywhere else. Otherwise just slather everything in Silicone. Who says too much of a good thing is bad ?