Nylon as a slip washer

[Dornfelderliebe]

Morning all
In a recent post PTFE was discussed as a suitable material for slip washer but not Nylon.
What do tuners and engineers think about it.
I have found and ordered some 1mm thick washers which I intend to double up at the spring guide on Meteors but will experiment with a G79 so I'm not intending to use them in a powerful gun.
Q1 Nylon is supposed to swell but would a small excess (1/2 mm) on the I.D / spring guide be alright?
Q2 If people believe it not to be strong enough would a top steel washer then the slip washer be good?
Delrin is not all it's cracked up to be. I have one which only lasted a hundred or so shots before snapping.

Not all of us have access to lathes so have to scour the bay for parts.

[maximus]

I have used delrin and more recently acetal for years as slip washers, top hats and guides with no issues. Acetal machines much nicer than delrin. Regards Max

[Born Again]

Nylon is not as slippery as many plastics, and it does swell but usually from absorbing water.

Are you looking to simply reduce friction on the end face of a top hat ? If so, it might be worth considering using UHMWPE tape, it's commonly sold as "glide tape" by 3M amongst others. It's extremely abrasion resistant and nearly as slippery as PTFE.

I haven't used the tape myself, Delrin (acetal homopolymer) or plain acetal copolymer have worked well enough for my tinkering.

[Dornfelderliebe]

I have already used nylon on the piston end without a top hat but these washers (when they arrive ) seem to be almost perfect for the other end.
I wish to reduce metal to metal contact, yes to reduce friction for a smoother feel.

[trajectory]

Wondered what suggestions there might be for using a tape type of product, would it be best to wrap a washer, steel or engineering polymer with a couple of windings & use it like that? With the possibility of some rotational movement between components would it be prone to 'bunching up' or even being scoured away with use? Ultra high molecular weight tape might be good but nylon comes in many grades so maybe it's still be a suitable candidate. Delrin is funny stuff to machine but it can be cut cleanly but as you say not everyone has a lathe & off the shelf components are the way to go.

[TonyL]

I have already used nylon on the piston end without a top hat but these washers (when they arrive ) seem to be almost perfect for the other end.
I wish to reduce metal to metal contact, yes to reduce friction for a smoother feel.

I can envisage no issues with nylon washers, although my preferred material of choice would be polished steel ones with a little moly grease. Acetal / Delrin also fine.

[Born Again]

Wondered what suggestions there might be for using a tape type of product, would it be best to wrap a washer, steel or engineering polymer with a couple of windings & use it like that? With the possibility of some rotational movement between components would it be prone to 'bunching up' or even being scoured away with use? Ultra high molecular weight tape might be good but nylon comes in many grades so maybe it's still be a suitable candidate. Delrin is funny stuff to machine but it can be cut cleanly but as you say not everyone has a lathe & off the shelf components are the way to go.

The tape is quite rigid, best to cut to the correct shape and use it flat.

[trajectory]

The tape is quite rigid, best to cut to the correct shape and use it flat.

Cheers, I've only come across HDPE in sheet form, never used UHMWPE so hadn't got a feel for its flexibility v thickness.

[Born Again]

I've just bought a load of UHMWPE tape, quality 3M brand type 5423. It's 25mm wide.

https://www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/p/dc/v000074901/

https://www.finecal.co.uk/products/3...film-tape-5423

It's a strange feeling tape, when you rub two surfaces of it together is doesn't feel that slippery, but when you add a load of pressure to the surfaces it feels just the same, then you push the surfaces together as hard as you can and it still slips just the same.

Anyway, I've got a load of it for making jigs for my new workshop, if any airgun tuners, who have posted on the subject, would like a few inches for the price of postage send me a pm. You can send me a stamped addressed envelope and I'll send you six inches back, until I run out of spare.

No rush, it will be here for a while. Please share your experience for the benefit of other tweakers.

[Dornfelderliebe]

I've just bought a load of UHMWPE tape, quality 3M brand type 5423. It's 25mm wide.

https://www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/p/dc/v000074901/

https://www.finecal.co.uk/products/3...film-tape-5423

It's a strange feeling tape, when you rub two surfaces of it together is doesn't feel that slippery, but when you add a load of pressure to the surfaces it feels just the same, then you push the surfaces together as hard as you can and it still slips just the same.

Anyway, I've got a load of it for making jigs for my new workshop, if any airgun tuners, who have posted on the subject, would like a few inches for the price of postage send me a pm. You can send me a stamped addressed envelope and I'll send you six inches back, until I run out of spare.

No rush, it will be here for a while. Please share your experience for the benefit of other tweakers.

Hello Born again I'd be interested PM incoming thanks

[Born Again]

PM received. There is a typo on the website I linked, the tape is 0.25mm thick not 0.025mm.

[xbow]

Delrin is Acetal, it’s just a trade name.

Lots of plastics out there. Most of them will absorb moisture to some degree so could swell a small amount if moisture is present.

PTFE is too soft for some applications and will readily deform. There are several useful lubricated Nylons like Nylatron or Oilon.
My favourite though is a hard plastic with PTFE fibres in it called Ertalyte TX. It is nice to machine and has a low coefficient of friction.


https://www.theplasticshop.co.uk/ert...-rod-tube.html

[TonyL]

Delrin is Acetal, it’s just a trade name.

Lots of plastics out there. Most of them will absorb moisture to some degree so could swell a small amount if moisture is present.

PTFE is too soft for some applications and will readily deform. There are several useful lubricated Nylons like Nylatron or Oilon.
My favourite though is a hard plastic with PTFE fibres in it called Ertalyte TX. It is nice to machine and has a low coefficient of friction.


https://www.theplasticshop.co.uk/ert...-rod-tube.html

Yep.

And the plastics site I've always looked on and used (in fact one of my bike customers works there), is the Direct Plastics at Sheffield one.