Aerosol lubricant mystery

[JuneBug]

I recently started using Grafco Aerosil spray lubricant on certain instruments that seemed to need a little something extra beyond the regular instrument milk. It was working really well for a while, but in the last two weeks I've had the most bizarre experience with it totally freezing up two Allis forceps. I sprayed the box lock, and as I was moving the handles back and forth to work the lube in, the instrument got stiffer and stiffer and then simply stopped moving. I'm completely baffled and am now afraid to use the lubricant on anything else. Does anyone know why this happened? The ingredients listed on the can are isobutane, propane, and dimethylpolysiloxane.

The clinic I work for is extremely budget conscious, and many of our instruments are quite long in the tooth. I'm trying to get the most out of them and keep them functional, so I would really like to use a good quality spray lubricant on an as-needed basis. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

[allis]

I recently started using Grafco Aerosil spray lubricant on certain instruments that seemed to need a little something extra beyond the regular instrument milk. It was working really well for a while, but in the last two weeks I've had the most bizarre experience with it totally freezing up two Allis forceps. I sprayed the box lock, and as I was moving the handles back and forth to work the lube in, the instrument got stiffer and stiffer and then simply stopped moving. I'm completely baffled and am now afraid to use the lubricant on anything else. Does anyone know why this happened? The ingredients listed on the can are isobutane, propane, and dimethylpolysiloxane.

The clinic I work for is extremely budget conscious, and many of our instruments are quite long in the tooth. I'm trying to get the most out of them and keep them functional, so I would really like to use a good quality spray lubricant on an as-needed basis. Any recommendations would be appreciated.


Could we assume that some ingredients in the spray caused the metal to dilate? I doubt it! Does that happen only with Allis clamps or other instruments also? Another explanation: If the box lock is held together by a screw (It's very unfamiliar to see an Allis with a scew!), when opening and closing the clamp, you might be tightening the screw until the clamp stops moving like you said!
Keep us posted on your findings. I am really curious about that!

[lcox]

The instrument freezing up is simply due to over exposure to the aerosol. If you look, you can see actual frost on the instrument, and if you let it set for a few minutes it will thaw and then you can work the instrument to finish distributing the lubricant.