In search of grease

[unixronin]

I have a need for some Tetra Gun teflon grease.  (I have a tube somewhere; I just can't find it since we moved.  And actually, I don't even need it for firearms; I need it to carefully lubricate a few sticking spots in the load/unload mechanism of an LTO1 tape drive.)

Problem:  No-one locally seems to carry it.  I can find it online no problem, at around $4 for a one-ounce tube ... but then they want $12-$15 to ship it to me.  GROUND.  Hello?!?  WTF?  I could ship a one-ounce item across the US second-day air for that.  I could almost overnight it.  I shipped a HP calculator from California to Holland for less.

$15 domestic ground shipping for a $4 one-ounce item — that is neither fragile, perishable nor hazardous — goes beyond ludicrous into "How stupid are you trying to say I look?"

(Crossposted to guns)

Comments

[pernishus.livejournal.com]

Dear Alaric,

Although I haven't any good advice or source for grease, might I request you to consider administering some of your well-oiled words over at alt.callahans, via a post or two? Dear kitten has requested a bit of assistance in lightening the atmosphere there -- the venerable old Place, apparently, has become rather over-infested with trolls...

Many thanks, and hoping that John Travolta will come through for you since I have not --

Pernicious the Musquodoboit Harbour Farm Cat

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

O felicitous feline,

While it would be the furthest thing from my mind to ever fail to comply inasmuch as I could with any request from one so highly esteemed, our current ISP doesn't provide a news feed, and consequently we don't have one. I know there are gateways offering Usenet access via the Web, but I've honestly never investigated them, feeling it to be something akin to running broiled lobster through a blender in order to be able to eat it with a spoon.

I actually left alt.callahans for two reasons — firstly because I couldn't keep up with the sheer volume any more, and secondly because the Place seemed to have become so overrun with the militant politically-correct that I couldn't open my mouth in there without someone either attacking me for having dared mention whatever subject I'd had the temerity to mention, or putting words into my mouth and then attacking what I hadn't said at all. Between the two, well ... it stopped being fun.

(This is a large part of why we set up the Freenode #callahans. There are no forbidden subjects, anyone can talk about anything at any time, and we don't tolerate abusers, enablers, or anyone who thinks they have a right to control what other people are allowed to talk about. We even gave GirlWithTruck a fair chance, as long as she behaved ... then we booted her out permanently when she reverted to form after about three days of good behavior and started screaming abuse at people.)

[pernishus.livejournal.com]

No problem, oh silk-stockinged one -- and I hope to visit freenode callahans one of these days...

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

What company?

shoppinglink (http://www.google.com/products?q=Tetra+Gun++grease&btnG=Search+Products&show=dd)

$4.89 + $2.99 shipped 1st class at midway but they charge 3$ if you don't exceed their minimum. Any other shipping option is rape for small quantities.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

That looks a lot more reasonable. Thanks for the pointer. Fulton Armory, at $8 for shipping, is also much closer to sane.

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

I get 10 percent off at Midway because I have my 03 C&R FFL license. Several companies offer that to any FFL holder. I've saved the 30 and a the cost of another gun on supplies with just a couple orders.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I've got to get around to filing for mine sometime.

[kayre]

If either gun shop near me has what you need, I'd be glad to pick it up and mail for real cost.

Midstate Shooting Sports in Ferrisburgh, VT or Pidgeon's Gun Shop in New Haven, VT. That should be enough to google for the phone numbers. :)

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

let me see what i can find locally for ya!

[theonetruejim.livejournal.com]

Does it have to be Tetra Gun? REI has "Finish Line", which is also a teflon-based synthetic grease. It's designed for bicycle uses - don't know if it would be appropriate for your needs, but then it again, it could be fine. 3.5 oz for $8 on their website - probably about the same amount in stores (if they have it).

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

That would probably work, yes.

Unfortunately, further study appears to indicate the LTO1 drive may have deeper problems than just a friction problem when ejecting. It's erroring out in the middle of backup jobs too.