Posted by Jack Smith on March 24, 1999 at 01:09:59:
In Reply to: Death by turbine lube posted by David Sherman on March 23, 1999 at 20:26:12:
Dave,
The mil-7808 we had was called "cherry juice" due to its bright red color. It was redder than ATF. Two youngsters got it all over them, bare chests, arms, faces, etc, during a teardown. Apparently it acts like a nerve toxin, because the trouble began with seizures. It was a while before the medics connected it with the oil. The key thing I recall about it was the feel of it...if you rub a bit between your finger tips, it feels like room temperature butter, not oil. It magnifies the feeling of the whorls on your fingerprints. I know that's hard to imagine, but once you've felt it, you'll never forget it. I believe phosphated ester based oils are still used today in centrifugal air compressors, as well as turbines, due to its resistance to fire. You'll have to judge by what your subassembly comes from...if it is a high temperature aircraft gearbox, it's probably ester based oil. anyone else have any experience with this stuff?