Question: Stuffing box--moldable packing

[tmsc]

Stay away from it, and the Graphite impregnated stuff. If there is any doubt just check where Graphite is on the Cathodic/Galvanic Scale. That's my two cents.

[Paul D.]

I've been using the 1/4" PFTE flax packing

http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?pa ... &id=685545

for 12 years. So far so good. Every couple of years I pull it out and repack with some synth lube goop and adjust to drip. Still no play in the shaft and just a minimal amount of water comes in to the pan.

[MFC]

How many rings are you getting in there Paul? Any secrets? What is your approach to tightening?
TIA -- hope your are still having some good sailing up there!
Matt

[Paul D.]

Matt,

Haven't been up since Labour Day due to work schedule. Ughhhh. Best time of year on Western Lake Superior, though winter is kind of coming early this year they reckon.

I use a 2" drywall screw and vise grips to extract the old packing. I've used the corkscrew on my swiss army knife too. It is not the most elegant solution but it has always worked. The $8 extraction tools like like a good value but if I ever get around to it I would fashion some sort of flexible shaft screw you could dig into the packing gland and turn at a different angle, like a universal joint socket wrench.

I get three rings of new PFTE1/4" packing in and I lube it up with the green syn Tec lube. There is a tube on the binnacle the same diameter of the shaft I use to get the length of the packing and make a diagonal cut with a sharp knife. Put one ring in then the next and the next offsetting the joins. The hard bit here is getting the nut back on and biting on the threads. Sometimes I need to "persuade" it. Once that is screwed on and the boat is in the water I get my son to shift the motor and turn the shaft while I squat down there and adjust to about a drip every ten seconds or more when the shaft is turning. I'm not too fussy; I don't mind it dripping a bit more often. Better to have water coming in keeping it cool than not enough. This process takes about 20 minutes.

Hope this helps. So far it has worked for me and the prop shaft looks much better than this earlier photos. I have moved to doing this only every three seasons now instead of two. I cringe when I slip with the extractor tool. I feel like I am scoring the shaft! Bronze is pretty soft stuff in comparison so I figure less poking around is both easier on me and easier on the shaft.

[MFC]

Thanks Paul. Good stuff. I must have a gland made for 3/16' packing. I forget what I used last time, but it took 20 mins to get 1 ring of 1/4 packing under the lip of the nut and nothing in the world was going to get ring #2 in place (let alone 3). I'm off to WM to get some smaller material. I know I didn't use syntef last time -- I did this time and it seems like an excellent addition. I refuse to buy into the harsh winter theory btw . . . we gotta hold out for a nice fall and a spectacular indian summer!

[Paul D.]

Matt,

You might double check you are getting all your old packing out. I remember the first couple times I did it I thought I had everything out and there was another wrapping in there. The packing gland should be really loose around the shaft when it is all out. Not sure this is the situation in your case. Just a thought.

[Zeida]

Will the Goretex graphite packing affect the Stainless shaft as well? I replaced my old bronze shaft with a SS some years back but as of now do not know if there is graphite damage to it. I guess I better check ,,, pronto!
Thanks.