The Myth that is Noalox

[skenzer]

I contacted Ideal, the makers of Noalox and had a discussion with one of their customer service reps regarding Noalox and the use of it on materials used in our mech mods. Basically, according to the CS rep, Noalox is useless when used on most mechanical mods. The only time it really does much good at all is if the mod is made of aluminum and applied to threads where aluminum comes in contact with aluminum. Otherwise, it is NOT a lubricant or grease of any kind nor does it encourage better electrical conductivity between other metals.
I know this is going to upset some people and I'm certain some will swear that it is super awesome and makes a huge difference. Heck, I used to use it as well and could swear by it. But then, after speaking to Ideal and doing some unscientific testing it became apparent that Noalox on the majority of mech mods does absolutely nothing.
I'm not telling anyone not to use it. Go ahead and use it if you really believe it helps. I'm just letting you know what the rep from Ideal told me and my personal experience.
Here's what is going to produce the best performance for your mech mods:

1) Keeping everything CLEAN. The cleaner the better
2) If you want to use some type of grease or "enhancer" try using Permatex Dielectric Grease. At least you will be using a product that is actually designed for what you're trying to achieve.

I've tried Permatex Dielectric Grease, in fact I'm currently using it in a couple of my copper mods right now. At this point, I don't believe it's doing a damn thing either but it was cheap and worth trying. The biggest improvement I have ever seen in performance gains (lower voltage drop) has been after I gave a mech mod a thorough cleaning. That cleaning helped improve the performance of that mod FAR more then any "magic juju grease" ever has and most likely ever will.

The benefits of Noalox has been a myth propagated in the vaping community for quite some time now. I believe it started when some mod manufacturer included some with their mod when you purchased it. Ever since, everybody and their brother believe that it is a miracle additive.

Don't believe me? That's ok, it won't hurt my feelings. Do your own research. Contact Ideal Corp like I did and ask them about Noalox and what it's used for and what benefits it provides under what conditions and with what materials. I personally have NEVER had Noalox make any kind of difference in my vaping experience. If it did, i would use it no matter what Ideal Corp told me it was for. But since I can't tell a difference with or without it and my observations were confirmed by discussing it with Ideal then I'm confident in saying that it's nothing more then hype.

 

[Lefty]

I use NO-OX-ID-"A SPECIAL" myself.
http://www.illumn.com/no-ox-id-a-special-electrical-grade-conductive-grease-2oz.html
Does it actually do everything it claims? IDK. The one purchase will last me forever and I've given half of it away.

 

[Ellipsis]

its an anti oxidant and anti sieze compound for aluminum, the zinc helps to slow down aluminum oxide from forming...
its meant for pressure type connections and service entrance boxes...
the miniscule current flowing through the mods its placed on do not affectively make use of the added current paths provided by the compound...
kinda been chuckling about the vapers swearing by it for years...

 

[Midniteoyl]

Yep, kinda do the 'roll eyes' thing about using it, myself

 

[MKPM]

I use snot

 

[Cloudy Peak Vapes]

I don't doubt that it makes no conductive improvement, if it did, it would be too negligible to discern by how hard the mod hits. I personally like it, and use it, as it has in my experience helped to preserve threading. It's cheap as shit and will last forever, so unless it's detrimental I'll keep using it. Your post doesn't suggest it's a bad thing to use, correct? I'm all for switching up if it isn't a wise thing to do. Otherwise, I'll keep using it.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Well, could be bad depending on what the mod is made of.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

 

[Cloudy Peak Vapes]

Well, could be bad depending on what the mod is made of.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

So using it on copper to copper seems it would be ok. Correct?

 

[Midniteoyl]

You have aluminum and some zinc(?) on your copper, no?

Noalox is for aluminum electrical connections.. Its use on copper connections is prohibited.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Corrosion is the unwanted breakdown and weakening of a material due to chemical reactions. Copper resists corrosion from moisture, humidity, industrial pollution, and other atmospheric influences. However, any corrosion oxides, chlorides, and sulfides that do form on copper are conductive. Therefore, copper connections and terminations will not overheat from corrosion. Aluminum corrosion products, on the other hand, are resistive and therefore can cause unwanted heat. To prevent corrosion and protect joints, special surface preparations or oxide-inhibiting pastes are applied to aluminum. Copper connections do not require these preparations and their associated additional costs.

 

[Cloudy Peak Vapes]

I know it intended for aluminum to other metals, I use it on an all copper mod. Have been for a while. The reading I did prior suggested as you said that it wouldn't do more than lubricate, which I find it does. It doesn't seem to have any negatives. It does have zinc particles in it, correct? Just curious, it seems to be helpful, but if there's a better lubricant I could use I'm all ears. It gets at least weekly cleaning, or sooner if needed, threading and all contacts. I take good care of my mods.

I've never heard it's prohibited on copper.

 

[Cloudy Peak Vapes]

As long as it's doing no harm, which it seems to be helpful in lubrication, I'll continue it's use, though clearly it's unnecessary.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Ya, a good lube does good. The aluminum in it, however, doesnt. Remember those 'aluminum wire fires'? Ya, from corroding aluminum to aluminum and aluminum to copper connections.

 

[Warhawk-AVG]

Noalox is also for weatherproofing threads on items that must be able to be removed, such as electrical or RF cabling. I use silicon grease from lowes, it works great and doesn't goop up over time

Posted from NARFatalk!!

 

[Cloudy Peak Vapes]

So I take it I should cease using it... Silicon grease, then?

 

[Midniteoyl]

Sure... Permatex tune-up grease works too..

To be clear, for those just reading and unsure, a bare contact is usually the best for electrical conductivity. Grease is NOT conductive, particles or no particles. That said, a little grease on the copper or brass threads will help keep them from galling. A little grease. Too much and it wont be able to squeeze out quickly enough and can interfere with the metal to metal contact and could actually deform the threads itself. Dont dab it on. It should be thin thin thin.

 

[Cloudy Peak Vapes]

Cool. I use tiny amounts, and usually wipe most off after. So am I really damaging my mods using this? Just curious. I'll pick up some of the other grease, just wanna know if I'm truly doing appreciable damage. Thanks man!

 

[Midniteoyl]

Prolly not really seeing as you clean them. Its just 'not doing them any good'.

 

[Cloudy Peak Vapes]

Prolly not really seeing as you clean them. Its just 'not doing them any good'.

Cool, I'll still switch things up. Thanks for all the help. My reading prior to using it already suggested that any conductivity was bullshit, but I was not aware it could be potentially damaging.

 

[70414]

Vicks Vapor Rub works well and saves diy'rs the trouble of adding menthol or koolada to their mixes.

 

[P1NkY]

Good post, skenzer!

Nothing will improve conductivity between 2 components more than clean connections.
Clean, tight connections with more contact surface area between components with the least amount of connections between battery and coil is what you want.
A single tube will have better conductivity than a tube with threaded sections for different sized batteries, for example, even if the threaded sections are spotlessly clean.
The threaded portions will inevitably have tiny air gaps in many areas which will be the equivalent of having a thinner conductor.
A thinner conductor will have more inherent resistance than a thicker one of the same metal.
Contaminants will get into these air gaps (ejuice, dirt, sweat, acids, Noalox!) and contribute their insulating properties to the threads as they are loosened/tightened. Oxygen will also add a layer of oxidation to the metal itself, adding even more resistance.

Aluminum is light, but is soft and subject to galling, which is what Noalox prevents or retards. Untreated aluminum threads stick together and get ripped apart with use, eventually rendering them useless.

Copper mods look cool and offer low resistance, but they oxidize quickly in our slightly acidic hands.
Copper is also a pretty soft metal, so a single drop of a threaded part on a hard surface can permanently ruin a copper mod.
Plus, copper stinks and leaches into our skin, turning it green. Copper is not good for you. Google copper toxicity.

Manufacturers should focus more on tighter tolerances between threaded connections and larger surface areas of switch contacts than what metal the mod is made of.

As you all may have guessed by now, I prefer stainless steel mods. Just keep them and their contacts very clean and tight (with nothing in between) and they'll probably even outlast you.

 

[mkhilario]

Brass mods would seem the ideal compromise. Considerable jump in conductivity over SS. I had a telescoping SS tube and unless I kept the threads between the SS telescoping sections super clean, they would get warm. Having said that, my SS SMPL clone is one of my favorite tubes. Depends on the efficacy of the design in the end.

 

[dry_hit]

 

[robot zombie]

Haha, resurrection aside, I have some experience with noalox, though it mostly just sits tucked away in a drawer nowadays.

I never noticed any change in how my mods hit when I used it. I'm thinking the difference in conductivity is negligible. I will say that I can tell when my threads are really dirty by how the mod hits, so maybe that's saying something.

My experience with it was that in small amounts, it very noticeably smoothed the turning action on the threads. It also attracted buildup, even when applying the thinnest layer I could manage. My threads would go from being buttery-smooth at the beginning of the day to locking-up by the end of it.

I think it's probably best to just make a habit out of cleaning your threads regularly. Makes all of the difference. If your threads are lower-quality, there's no way around that. The only way to ensure smooth action, better performance, and longevity is to take care of them.

 

[mkhilario]

I was looking for a solution for some crusty threads on my aluminum mech box battery slots. After finding this thread, I decided to go with a tiny amount of silicone grease. It's still hitting fine with the grease, for now.

I put too much silicone grease once on the threads of one of my steel body dive flashlights and I thought it was broken. After cleaning out the threads with alcohol I found it worked fine. Now I keep the grease on the o-rings only.

 

[vap3r]

NO-OX-ID A-Special is great stuff. Doesn't get all over the place like NOALOX does. Keeps threads buttery smooth, including aluminum to aluminum ones. If you have a few dollars to spare, MG Chemicals Silver Conductive Grease is also an option.