I use Lubri-Film Plus: http://www.chriscoffee.com/produc...oupparts/lubricant for greasing the threads on my Mazzers. $8 for a 4oz(113g) tube from CC but you can find it from $3-$5.50 on the web. No E61 levers to grease so I figure I have a life time supply with one tube. As for the greasy fingers I wear Nitrile gloves when I apply it.

mhoy wrote:Have you seen the electron microscope analysis of the grind from the espresso grinders yet....

Mark

No I haven't seen that one yet... but when/where does the information cross the line and become madness?

JohnB. wrote:I use Lubri-Film Plus: http://www.chriscoffee.com/produc...oupparts/lubricant for greasing the threads on my Mazzers.

Lubri film is good stuff as well, but the melting point is only about 200*F, not really meant for high heat applications. That much I do know.

Tom@Steve'sEspresso wrote:... but when/where does the information cross the line and become madness?

Where: Right on these pages.

When: A long, long time ago.

Since this question appears in the Lever Espresso Machines forum, we can assume the subject is piston-seal lubrication. This is an area exposed to high heat and elevated pressure, directly in the path of potable water. I would personally avoid "food-grade" lubricants rated for "incidental contact" and opt for NSF-61 (potable water) rated lubricant. You're exposing yourself to these substances typically several times a day over many months or years. Silicone may be silicone, but there are additives in the food-grade lubricants that are not meant to be ingested on a routine basis. I'm no chemist, but the combination of high temperature and elevated pressure may break down bonds and release some of these additives that might otherwise have remained encapsulated.

I think Timo888 raises a very important point. When I bought lubricant for my Europiccola last week I opted for 'potable water' lubricant instead of 'incidental contact with food' lubricant. The product I found here in the UK is called Rocol Aqua Sil. I think it's an alternative to Dow 111. It's silicone based and is rated to 200 C. There is a governing body that lists these 'potable water' lubricants on their website:

http://www.wras.co.uk/Directory/materia ... ction=5160

I thought this could be a good way to find alternatives to DOW 111.

oddly, most of them are marked as being good up to 85 C which I think is not strictly true. Molykote 111 (Dow 111 rebranded for the UK) is in this list as well as the Rocol lube stated above and they are marked as being good up to 85 C. It must be legislation of some type...