GENUINE ROCKER BOX GREASE

Jewell Amber Oil -- Rocker arm "grease" for vintage engines

We have provided this purpose-made rocker box grease since 2005.   The reason is simple: once engines had evolved sufficiently that longevity was becoming a characteristic, yet overhead oiling was still impractical (a relatively brief historical period) the makers of the most reliable greasers ever built, the Pratt & Whitney and the Wright, were very clear: NEVER USE A YELLOW GREASE, one with fillers, use ONLY oil, or a NON-FLUID OIL. 

Our product is intended to serve as a direct replacement for obsolete lubricants designed for this purpose, including:  

• Esso No-Ox-Id-E, 

• Marathon Rocker Arm Grease, 

• Richlube 'High Pressure' and 'Combat' Rocker Arm, 

• Penn Gear 'Medium' and 'Heavy', 

• Mobileoil Gargoyl C, 

• Pure Oil Aircraft Rocker Arm Grease, 

• Phillips 'Rocker Arm', 

• Shell 'Rocker Arm', 

• Standard Oil of California, all-season Rocker Box Grease.

Substitutes and airfield experiments now abound. Aahh ... dirt strip legend. Good old Texaco Marfak (once also available from us) was the choice of some manufacturers even back in the day, but is no longer formulated as it was in the pre-war years, Makers such as Kinner and Warner did not intend for you to use a #2 bearing grease in their engines' valve train -- not ever.

Unfortunately, however, Marfak and other low-melt bearing greases have become the default for valves. But they're easily displaced, they also tend to cake. Supposedly they melt. But contrary to popular fiction, for example, low-tech Marfak itself does not melt at operating temperature: in our testing it just separates. It becomes a teeny quantity of worthless oil (of perhaps w5) ... and globs of equally worthless solids (soaps and fillers). Worse still, and importantly, it does not become homologous again on cooling. This is just what the engine manufacturers wanted to avoid. Try it yourself: heat some on a screwdriver one day and watch ...

There is no other rocker arm grease currently on the market, of which we're aware -- all substitutes are hub bearing grease.  We make the best  -- the ONLY GENUINE AIRCRAFT VALVE GREASE on the market. You will see the difference (on your windscreen too) after your first flight. And the gurus of small radials will still have plenty of repair work to do, not to worry: they don't need you using Marfak to keep them in business (even if it helps). 

Marfak, incidentally, was discontinued even as a #2 wheel bearing grease when Texaco was subsumed by Chevron.  We do offer the Markaf replacement on our shopping cart site, but do not recommend its use anyplace inside engines.

Warners and Kinners are suitable for Jewell Amber Oil, however the volute valve springs in LeBlond, Lambert, and Rearwin's Ken-Royce derive further additional corrosion protection benefit.  Generally Jewell Amber Oil is suitable for any manually lubricated engine valve train originally intended for anything from oil-can oil to pre-war Marfak.  Be sure to oil frequently and carefully, and do not pack rocker boxes.

Engineered for radial and inverted piston engines we use no fillers: just top grade mineral oil base. No separation.  Flows and penetrates when warm, even into valve guides and rocker rollers, congeals thick for corrosion protection when cold.    No more caking, no more 200 hour valve jobs!   Keeping vintage engines practical and reliable to use, Jewell Amber Oil!