The best part is when you back hand hurled the tube of 'Graphite Lube' out of the garage. Lol!! Great stuff Dale. Dust works and everyone finds their own method over time.
I learned the hard way with that stuff. Contaminated my entire stash. It slowed my modded cars down for about 1/3 of a year before I realized what was going on. But you are right, everybody will develop their own way of doing it. Time is the key.
Graphite as a lube has been around long before I used it in the Cub Scout pinewood derby back in the early 1980's. The first couple minutes make me think that people just discovered it. Old lube, new use.
Mix 91% isopropyl and graphite 2:1 in the same bottle - it's a faster process, easier, and way less messy. The iso evaporates quickly and it'll even coat the axle inside the chassis. I have a video on my channel if you're interested.
@@dxpdiecastracing - I wanted to see what would help cover the axles with graphite and tried liquid silicone first, then tried iso. It works great! No tapping the wheel, just one drop of the mixture seeps into every spot and like I said it helps lube free-spinning axles by coating the axle channel.
@@FeralPatrick I actually don’t run into many free spinning axles. The metal bases usually grip with enough strength to prevent much turning and what turning there is has friction due to the clips. Plastic bases are more loose but still have the friction due to the clips. Best results usually involve the axle no movement with only the wheel spinning. I know there is some debate on that but most hardcore racers prefer no movement of the axle. Interesting with the alcohol delivery though. I have heard some did do that especially on JL’s which can be harder to lube. Hey, if it works it works, right. I may try that just to see what the results are. Thanks for the tip.
@@dxpdiecastracing - If the cars aren't disassembled and you spin one wheel, if the opposite wheel spins the axle is free-spinning (as I'm sure you know), so it works well for that. It also helps coat the inner hub of the wheel where it contacts the chassis. I lock down all of my axles if the track allows mods, but for stock racing if you can lube the free-spinning axles you'll likely improve your odds.
Good info DXP! Thanks for sharing your technique and showing some of the graphite too use. The micro-oiler bottles are a good idea! Thanks for all the hard work!
As feral art productions mention alcohol and graphite mix...but there are graphite sprays what about decanting some and use your bottle to apply a drop into the axle... By they way love your track setup...and subbed.
My father helped me with my pinewood derby car one time and we made a 32 roadster and I didn’t win the races but I won best in show. I felt bad because my dad cut it out and I did the sanding and paint and decals but I was so proud of that trophy and I think my old man was too.
I have been asked this a lot. In my limited testing, graphite performs better. I also go by the pinewood derby guys, they use graphite as well. Some say liquid lubes do better but I haven’t seen that be the case. Jury is still out I guess.
There are a few local clubs scattered throughout the country that do. Best to consult Redline Derby, that directory can point you to almost every race around. It’s a great resource.
@@dxpdiecastracing Awesome, will look there. Thank you! A group of us at work have started a local exclusive race right now but it's getting out of hand. We're getting more colleagues involved and the hunt for the fastest hot wheels haha.
I think you should be able to work on your car mechanically to make it go faster but not with lube etc.. if it had a engine maybe but this is just me. I think it's cool, but this is die-cast, man, not NASCAR! LOL, I HAVE worked hard on getting mine faster but never with stuff like that. I think I could actually beat a graphite car in a mechanical way.
