So much wrong chemistry here.
Originally Posted by
bulldog1935
Rivendell recommends beeswax on any thread that doesn't have anything else on it.
beeswax is actually one of the most stable organics on the planet.
First, most of the "beeswax" you buy today isn't wax made by bees. It's petroleum wax that has been dyed. Even then, I wouldn't suggest using beeswax as a lubricant as the material is rather sticky and not cheap.
Originally Posted by
bulldog1935
man-made lubricants will eventually decompose to wax + acid - Naphtha-base is the Worst - automotive grease - it decomposes to naphthenic acid.
"Naphtha" doesn't oxidize to naphthenic acid nor is "naphtha" used in greases of any kind. "Naphtha" is a fraction of petroleum that has a specific boiling range during the distillation of crude oil. "Naphtha" is similar or the same as "mineral spirits" and, as such, would never be used in a grease. The oils used in old greases is closer to motor oil than to "naphtha".
Crude oil does contain some naphthenic acids (usually is very small concentrations) but those aren't distilled into the "naphtha" fraction because they have a very different boiling range. Naphthenic acid can also be made from the naphtha fraction but that requires much more harsh conditions than you'll encounter by just allowing oils to sit around in air.
Originally Posted by
bulldog1935
Lithium is added to lubricants to protect bearing steel from naphthenic acid corrosion/cracking, but with moisture, the lithium will also corrode aluminum.
"Lithium" isn't added to lubricants. The element "lithium" is a extremely reactive metal that will react with moisture in the air, split the water to create hydrogen and burst into flames. The "lithium" in greases is a lithium
salt of fatty acids and is a "soap"...most often as lithium stearate...used to hold the oil in the grease. It's a surfactant used to hold the emulsion together.
Originally Posted by
bulldog1935
I repair OPs 70-, 80-, 90-y-o valuable fly reels, and see (and smell) the worst of it.
the white chalk on the outside of this alloy bronzed finish reel is active corrosion from decomposition of naphtha grease used inside the reel (80 years ago)
And that brings us to your "white chalk" on the outside of your reels. It's not "chalk"...chalk is actually calcium carbonate or limestone...it's the surfactant used in greases of all kinds. The oil in the grease has either flowed away long ago or been washed away leaving the "soap" from the grease behind. With age and the natural acids from your hands, some of that "soap" can be converted back the fatty acid which can have an odor.
Long chain fatty acids and fatty acid salt can be very difficult to remove. It's like trying to remove soap scum formed from hard water. Same stuff.