I guess my beef was more with the term "self lubrication." Although brass can have a bit of lead in the mix (depending on the alloy), I don't envision brass shavings - what you get when you mess brass & steel gears - as lubricating anything. Which leads me to another thought. The brass gear(s) may be worn and a bit sloppy. You may need to adjust the gears a bit so that the less worn area of the brass gear is making more contact. That should reduce the noise a bit. But keep in mind that we are talking about a Home ;) Loran