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There's a bracket around the top tube with a hole in it. A bolt passes through the hole, to hold a doodad that the swing chain can be connected via an S bolt.
When the swing swings, it makes an awful squeak. I was originally thinking of spraying it with silicone spray, but then thought white lithium grease or powdered graphite would be better. It's metal on metal contact, and outdoors.
What would be the most appropriate lubrication to use in this situation?
Since this is exterior, and I'd be too lazy to oil it after the first time, I'd use grease. It's the preferred maritime lubricant, and that's good enough for me.
White Lithium Grease –joneakes.com
Lithium Grease is that thick white grease you often find packed into bearing housings. It is the workhorse of the lubricants and can take high temperatures and pressures. If you have a grease housing which will hold extra grease, using a thick lithium grease from a tube or a can is the best thing to do. They have now come out with Lithium spray greases. These are great for outdoor uses, tending to be thicker and stay put longer under the rigors of outdoor conditions than other sprays, but they are not intended to replace the even thicker grease that you pack into a gear box. They are definitely a grease and will stain clothing as well as attract dust when used openly, so although a great lubricant, not the best product for a bicycle chain. Be sure to shake the can well before using.
Google search: Marine Lubricant/Grease
Understand that whatever grease, oil, spray etc. that you put on this joint will, when warm, eventually migrate down the chain an onto the children's hands. I would leave it alone and welcome the sounds of happy children. When they are teenagers and long gone from your back yard, you will want that memory, trust me.
My favorite lube is Super-Lube. It contains PTFE (Teflon if you're DuPont). The grease is pretty water resistant, so rain won't wash it away. It also comes in a spray can. Their website is here. It's also great for guns. It withstands high temperatures (>500, if memory serves) and doesn't flow.
I would use 3in1 oil, it lubricate moving parts, penetrate rust, it is great for cleaning and protecting. I have used this for year on the most stubborn tool, door, outside faucet handle and so on. I would use 3in1 oil at the Swing Fastener, putting drops starting at the top and working my way around, on both sides. Move the parts until it stop squeaking, clean up any excess oil and or gunk and repeat every 3 months.
Okay, I'm totally editing this answer. My first answer was basically: products like 3-in-1 and silicone spray are great for loosening up stuck parts, but too light for long-term lubrication, pack it with grease (lithium grease, axle grease, pick your poison). I still stand by that...
However; what if you went high-tech and installed a couple of actual bearings? :-)
The picture is a couple of high tech racing bearings that go on something like a Porsche 911. They just looked like something that would be easy to clamp onto the swing, with small enough journals to run a bolt through and clamp them up nice and tight. There are lots of other bearings to choose from. You could even find some teflon bearings or even teflon tubes just the right size for the bolts--no lubrication ever again.
Original answer:
Something like 3-in-1 oil or even silicone lubricant spray is great for penetrating rust and getting stuck parts to start moving again, but long-term I think you might want something a little heavier. I have doubts about the powdered graphite.
Motor oil is actually one of the best lubricants for car door hinges, for whatever that's worth.
Personally, I'd probably clean those up with either a solvent (which will evaporate) or motor oil, or both, then pack them lightly with axle grease. I'd do it just like you were packing wheel bearings, so that you get it squeezing out the other side, then wipe away the excess on the outside. I just think that would last longer than just about anything else, and protect the metal from rusting, which is where a lot of the squeak is coming from.
Lithium grease might be really good, too. It or axle grease, same difference probably.
As for silicone spray (garage door chain lubricant), I've used it on my motorcycle chain and it's okay-ish. It's convenient because I can put a newspaper or rag behind the chain and spray it in there to clean and lubricate without getting it on everything else. But it doesn't seem to really last out in the elements. I'm going to stop that and go back to a regimen of putting the bike up on a jackstand, cleaning the chain with a soapy brush, rinsing and drying and then soaking it in engine oil.
