# Londinium Seal & Grease Options



## richwade80 (Aug 25, 2017)

Hi All

I am looking at getting some Loxeal No4 grease from Londinium as nowhere else really sells it, so i was considering getting some piston seals at the same time, and probably a group one... but before i do;



Are there alternatives which are better for the grease or is Loxeal the best?


Londinium sell two versions of piston seals - standard and Londinium - what's the difference?


I am aware that Cafelat do one - is there a spec for the exact type, and is it better or worse or no real difference. I hear it is far easier to install.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Rich, save the money matey! If you think Molykote does not last as long, then grease them more often. Th piston will tell you when it needs done anyway. You do not need to shell out nearly £50 (yes, I did hence the user driven conclusion) on grease! The answer to question 2, is probably about £20......a lot of folks have tried all and still settle for the seals supplied by espresso underground. Despite the rhetoric, the Londinium uses a bog standard Fiorenzato lever and does not require fairy dust to make it work


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## cuprajake (Mar 30, 2020)

i didnt get on with the silicone seals and went back to oe the loxeal is more runny than 111


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## richwade80 (Aug 25, 2017)

Thanks Dave, i have a pot of molykote so will try that first then. To be honest i don't expect the seals need replacing so that can wait....

do you have a link to the espresso underground seals - i did try but could not find anything


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## Marocchino (May 1, 2019)

richwade80 said:


> To be honest i don't expect the seals need replacing so that can wait....


 if you keep them well greased you'll extend their lifespan. Mine are still going strong a year on with my LR. From personal use with both grease products, the Loxeal seems a little stickier than the Molykote. I grease the rings every few months or if I start to seeing any form of lever judder.


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## Fez (Dec 31, 2018)

Marocchino said:


> if you keep them well greased you'll extend their lifespan. Mine are still going strong a year on with my LR. From personal use with both grease products, the Loxeal seems a little stickier than the Molykote. I grease the rings every few months or if I start to seeing any form of lever judder.


 I second this, I've been greasing the seals on a similar schedule and my first set lasted almost 2 years. The machine was still performing well at that point but I noticed some tiny cracks in the seals and decided it was time for a change.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

dfk41 said:


> Rich, save the money matey! If you think Molykote does not last as long, then grease them more often. Th piston will tell you when it needs done anyway. You do not need to shell out nearly £50 (yes, I did hence the user driven conclusion) on grease! The answer to question 2, is probably about £20......a lot of folks have tried all and still settle for the seals supplied by espresso underground. Despite the rhetoric, the Londinium uses a bog standard Fiorenzato lever and does not require fairy dust to make it work


 Dave, with shipping it only works out to £37.34 INCLUDING DELIVERY

I personally would/will use this...as I already have it for my roaster, it's PTFE fortified, NSF H1, has a very low water washout and high temperature ceiling <2%:

http://www.crceurope.com/wwwcrc/tds/TAI3 Ambergrease_FG2.pdf

If you search around the internet, you can get this for only slightly more...possibly less at some places, or if you can collect from a store...*.the big difference, this comes in a 400g cartridge.*


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## richwade80 (Aug 25, 2017)

quick question - is there a specific method to clean the piston before re-greasing? The seals all look fine, it's just a bit.... dirty.

i have read of people using fairy liquid and paper towels, or just paper towels.

i have also read that the seals need to seal against the bore and not just the shaft so presumably don't want to remove grease from behind the seals...

i can't get onto Londinium's forum or else i would read the guide there.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

@richwade80 This might help


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## richwade80 (Aug 25, 2017)

Thanks Dave, i have that video saved for when i need to replace the seals. i couldn't see anything about just regular cleaning though unless i missed it. i am fairly sure it is just a paper towel job, but wanted to check nobody suggested soaking or anything like that


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