Apart from the expensive "Hiwin" named grease, does anybody know of an equivalent grease or lubricant for the carriages, that is readily available in the UK? My carriages as they came, are very stiff on the rails, so I've started to strip and clean them out, but of course I want to put back the right stuff. Experienced suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hiwin publishes the base oil and thickener information right on their website, along with NLGI penetration numbers and operational viscosities- HIWIN Grease- Huntley, Illinois- HIWIN Corporation - as should any lubricant manufacturer. Those four points should be replicable across regions and industries, and it's highly likely that there's an automotive grease that's a suitable alternative. For what it's worth, I use this stuff on my mill, which I suspect would work perfectly for your application but since mine doesn't directly involve high-speed bearings (goes in the gearbox and X-axis screw) I can't say for sure: https://www.amazon.com/Lucas-Oil-10301-Heavy-Grease/dp/B000IG20RW - it does, however, claim that high speed bearings are what it's designed for. Oh, looks like it's distributed in the UK, too, if it looks promising to you: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucas-Oil-10301-Grease-Cartridge/dp/B000IG20RW