I’m working on a Fatar TP/8SK keybed and was curious about the white grease used on the rubber key stop bushings (the thick, creamy stuff where the key bottoms out, see pictures)
I’ve gone through a bunch of threads here and elsewhere, and there seems to be a lot of back and forth, mostly pointing toward silicone/dielectric grease (or Super Lube O-ring grease) but I haven’t really seen a clear consensus on what’s closest to the original.
Has anyone come across the actual factory grease (or an exact match, if there is one)?
If not, what have people had the best results with in terms of keeping the original feel?
Not trying to overthink it, just figured I’d ask before experimenting too much.
You have hit the secret sore spot of the repair industry.
The grease used by the big names are all proprietary and require bulk orders, the manufacturers of that are not interested in single orders. Once the initial product offerings ran out, the synth companies didn’t restock it. Fatar I don’t believe lubed their keyboards, and it was up to end customer to do that or supply them with the Lube to use.
I have searched for years to find something, but everything for me came back to a white lithium grease. Silicon grease seems to spread everywhere and eventually coat surfaces not intended for contamination. Silicon grease also prevents some plastics from being repaired / reglued.
A non-sticky white synthetic grease used in the firearms and aviation industry TW25B is becoming more popular, and now available on amazon. Its a bit expensive, but its specifications are amazing.
If you find something else let the community know.
Fatar keybeds are ABS plastic, and you want to put the lubrication on the moveable joints, not the rubber components. Putting lubricant on a hard impact surface or the rubber bumper at the other end will only collect debris over time, smear, compact, cause sticking, or reduce the cushion effect.
As said, there is no perfect lubricant, and everything is a compromise. Synthetic lubricants are the best product so far, but if you find some Yamaha 1066 grease somewhere, that’s not time expired, or some other Molykote product, or find something better, let us know.
And again as said, its nothing against you or your question, this is a sore sport for the repair industry because the synth manufacturers and keyboard manufacturers have left us all hanging on this.
I’ve used Molycote 44 for several years. It is silicone based but so long as you don’t go nuts with it, it doesn’t migrate. It’s designed for high temps so it’s very stable. A little goes a long way. Beds I did a a couple years ago are just as sleek as the day I applied it. But you need to remove all of the old grease first. Use soapy water, IPA if necessary, q-tips, brushes whatever is needed to get everything shiny clean.
