Shop and farm name for water-stabilized calcium soap grease, the cheap, buttery product that goes into screw-down grease cups on line shafts, pumps and farm machinery. It resists water well but has a low dropping point, around 90 to 100 C, because its soap structure depends on a little bound water that boils off. The name turns up in pump and farm machinery manuals and on hardware-store shelves.
Old manual says cup grease for the water pump, any decent lithium complex will outlast it.
Also heard as
- lime soap grease
- calcium grease
Related terms
Grease
Semi-solid lubricant made of oil held in a thickener sponge, usually with additives.
Thickener
Solid structure in a grease, usually a metal soap or polyurea, that holds the base oil like a sponge.
Dropping point
Temperature at which a heated grease turns fluid enough to drip from a test cup.
Zerk
Everyday name for the small ball-check grease fitting that a grease gun coupler snaps onto.