Do I need grease for those ball bearings? :)

[Bob Foster]

I recommend what I see as an improvement on the use of a needle as a watch oiler.

As shown I've taken a length of ~1,5 mm diameter brass wire and flattened both sides of one end with a small hammer so that a wedge was created on both sides that tapers down to ~0,25 mm.

Brass being diamagnetic (unlike common steel or a few bronzes) can't transfer any magnetism to the ball bearings. But more importantly the idea here is to create a very thin oil film. A droplet of oil per ball is far more lubrication than is necessary! To use this oiler dip the tip of the oiler in the oil bottle (or cup) then tap the tip of the oiler on the rim of the oil bottle (or cup) so that nothing appears to remain. The flats of the oiler will retain a film of oil. Holding each ball bearing in a pair of nylon tipped tweezers touch the tip of the oiler to the ball in two places. A sufficient amount of oil will be transferred to the ball.

Applied like this the an appropriate grade of any of the better currently available synthetic watch oils will remain where placed and not migrate for many years to areas that the balls do not touch.

[Zang]

I recommend what I see as an improvement on the use of a needle as a watch oiler.

As shown I've taken a length of ~1,5 mm diameter brass wire and flattened both sides of one end with a small hammer so that a wedge was created on both sides that tapers down to ~0,25 mm.

Brass being diamagnetic (unlike common steel or a few bronzes) can't transfer any magnetism to the ball bearings. But more importantly the idea here is to create a very thin oil film. A droplet of oil per ball is far more lubrication than is necessary! To use this oiler dip the tip of the oiler in the oil bottle (or cup) then tap the tip of the oiler on the rim of the oil bottle (or cup) so that nothing appears to remain. The flats of the oiler will retain a film of oil. Holding each ball bearing in a pair of nylon tipped tweezers touch the tip of the oiler to the ball in two places. A sufficient amount of oil will be transferred to the ball.

Applied like this the an appropriate grade of any of the better currently available synthetic watch oils will remain where placed and not migrate for many years to areas that the balls do not touch.

You mentioned about diamagnetism, the balls were already magnetized when I collected them using a magnet. Was that bad?

[longzoom]

I recommend what I see as an improvement on the use of a needle as a watch oiler.

As shown I've taken a length of ~1,5 mm diameter brass wire and flattened both sides of one end with a small hammer so that a wedge was created on both sides that tapers down to ~0,25 mm.

Brass being diamagnetic (unlike common steel or a few bronzes) can't transfer any magnetism to the ball bearings. But more importantly the idea here is to create a very thin oil film. A droplet of oil per ball is far more lubrication than is necessary! To use this oiler dip the tip of the oiler in the oil bottle (or cup) then tap the tip of the oiler on the rim of the oil bottle (or cup) so that nothing appears to remain. The flats of the oiler will retain a film of oil. Holding each ball bearing in a pair of nylon tipped tweezers touch the tip of the oiler to the ball in two places. A sufficient amount of oil will be transferred to the ball.

Applied like this the an appropriate grade of any of the better currently available synthetic watch oils will remain where placed and not migrate for many years to areas that the balls do not touch.

    Nobody recommended a drop of oil on every ball! One drop for all! On the ball path, if you read it correctly, with using of the needle - far less than your tool.   LZ

[Bob Foster]

Let me be more specific.

Lubrication-

If you intend to use an oil such as Moebius V106, a general purpose thin film lube, Nikon's recommended procedure will work- at some risk of eventual migration of any excess lubricant to places where it is not desired.

On the other hand if you are using a modern "oil" such as Moebius Synta-Visco-Lube 9010-Film, a fully synthetic lubricant developed in part for use in cameras and optical instruments, the risk of lube migration over many years is truly minimal as the adherence of this product is excellent. Applied as I noted above you're transferring only a small portion of the very thin film remaining on the oiler to just two points on each ball bearing. The result will be substantially less than oil in the mechanism than a single drop spread around the race. The lubricant film, a fraction of a micron thick, is what minimizes wear and friction. Any surplus is wasted.

Magnetism-

As a general rule stray magnetism is not desirable in proximity to low power electronic circuits. What is present after use of a small, relatively weak magnet to control ball bearings in disassembly is likely to be harmless. That said, if I notice relatively strong magnetism is present I use a demagnetizer on the balls.

Bob

[Zang]

Let me be more specific.

Lubrication-

If you intend to use an oil such as Moebius V106, a general purpose thin film lube, Nikon's recommended procedure will work- at some risk of eventual migration of any excess lubricant to places where it is not desired.

On the other hand if you are using a modern "oil" such as Moebius Synta-Visco-Lube 9010-Film, a fully synthetic lubricant developed in part for use in cameras and optical instruments, the risk of lube migration over many years is truly minimal as the adherence of this product is excellent. Applied as I noted above you're transferring only a small portion of the very thin film remaining on the oiler to just two points on each ball bearing. The result will be substantially less than oil in the mechanism than a single drop spread around the race. The lubricant film, a fraction of a micron thick, is what minimizes wear and friction. Any surplus is wasted.

Magnetism-

As a general rule stray magnetism is not desirable in proximity to low power electronic circuits. What is present after use of a small, relatively weak magnet to control ball bearings in disassembly is likely to be harmless. That said, if I notice relatively strong magnetism is present I use a demagnetizer on the balls.

Bob

Thanks Bob, I did not worry about the magnetic field affecting the camera's work either. I thought when the balls stick together, it might affect they way they are rolling in the path

I enjoy the technical knowledge you guys share here and I have learned a lot, but probably I over think about the bearing a bit. At the end, it only serves my manual aperture changing, no shutter speed priority mode in use at all, so I think I am good to leave them dry and clean.