Rope lube on old traction sheaves, any luck?

Tried a new dry film lube on a 1987 traction setup in a St. Louis office tower last month and the car started slipping on the drive test, had to wipe it all down before the inspector came. I thought the graphite stuff would help the grooved sheave grip but it just made things worse. Anybody else run into this or is there a trick to prepping the rope before you apply it?

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kimm522mo ago

Wait, you actually tried a dry film lube on a traction sheave? That stuff is basically the opposite of what you want there. The whole point of those grooved sheaves is to bite into the rope, and any lube, even graphite, just turns it into a slick mess. I've seen guys try that on older setups and it always ends the same way, with them wiping it off and cussing. The rope needs to be dry and slightly rough, not coated in anything. If it's slipping, it's usually the rope tension or the groove wear, not a lack of lube. You're lucky you caught it before the inspector showed up. That would have been a fun conversation to explain. Honestly, I'd just stick to a clean rag and maybe some brake clean on the grooves if they're gummed up, but never a lubricant. That 1987 sheave probably has a nice shiny glaze on it by now anyway, which makes things worse. Wiping it down was the right call. Just leave it bone dry and check the rope for glaze or wear next time.

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