How do I get this apart?

This is from an ML7 I just bought. The knurled ring turns but then tightens again so I can't get it off. I have not tried with force as I don't know what I am doing. Someone among the army of Myford owners out there must know about these. I first posted in an old, relevant thread but got little response.

Adams oiler. I can't see it on your picture but all the ones I've had have a small lever on top. This turns the flow on and off, the knurled sleeve at the top allows you to regulate the drops per minute as viewed trough the circular windows in the base. The knurled sleeve usually screws off but if you simply need to get the plastic dome off, you can lock the knurled sleeve and nut together and unscrew the complete stem from the base. The base and flanged part are swaged together.

Dave

Be careful doing this because the domes on mine were made of glass, I replaced them because the glass cracked.

They did not have wicks in them.

Adams Oilers are still in business (I think).

Sorry I cannot help with dismantling them.

Edited By V8Eng on 10/06/2015 23:38:58

I managed to get them apart partly. There were no springs. The diagram in the manual shows springs but no wicks, so they have been modified. The needle screws into the top cap. In one oiler, the needle was so tightly jammed into the brass seat that I needed to use great force to get it out. I can't see the purpose of the (missing) springs except perhaps to hold the cap/needle assembly at the set position. I'll fiddle some more in the morning.

The way I understand it is:-

The spring holds the needle valve shut.

The toggle lever on the top lifts it open. (Missing on yours)

The knurled adjuster alters the amount of lift and hence the feed.

regards Martin

On this type, there was no toggle lever and the spring cannot be acting to close the needle but rather, bears on the needle adjusting cap, tending to push it open, but of course, it is held by the screw threads. I still don't understand the spring's purpose.

Because you have the knurled rings, these were a spring/lever operated drip oil feeder fitted by Myford on ML7 lathes.. Adams used to make a wick feed version which only had a simple oil-in cover cap. Yours have been modified by a.n.other in the past!!

Edited By KWIL on 11/06/2015 12:36:01

Normally the needle would have a collar or e-clip for the spring to push down on, your needle is not original. The top lever acts like an over centre cam when flat the spring pushes the needle down to stop teh flow, when up the needle lifts, amount of lift and therefore flow is adjusted by teh top knurled cap which the levert bears on.

Make them all the time for the hit & miss engines, the spring would fit just above the collar on the needle.

Hi Simon,

What you have are the original Myford drip-feed oilers. No springs, just manual screw adjustment of the needle valve and a little felt filter to catch any foreign bodied in the oil and no wicks in the ones on my machine.  The oil just drips straight into the bearings.

Here is my ML7 (1965 vintage) fitted with these oilers.

At the start of a session I undid the needle valve screw a couple of turns to get a good drip going and then turned it down to about 3/4 of a turn from closed, setting a regular drip which was visible through the little windows in the base of the oiler. I put an index mark on the top of the knurled knob to help gauge the position of the needle valve. At the end of a session, I gently closed the valves, otherwise, they emptied overnight.

One thing I did do was to seal the bowl to plastic cap joint with silicone sealant to stop them leaking, the original cork gasket was not effective. Overall they worked very well, and never thought of replacing them with the flip-top spring activated type.

Regards

Phil H

Edited By CotswoldsPhil on 11/06/2015 14:13:54

Thanks Jason for the nice diagram; that explains the "spring closed" type. Phil's is like mine for sure, and mine is a 1964 model, K66083, so close in age too. Thanks Phil for the photo. Yours looks like a posh one with a clutch(?). The only question remaining is whether my felt wicks were added by someone. They look as though they belong but how would you know? I will now turn my worry to how the bearings might have suffered from oil starvation. Without pulling it to bits, how would I know if it is in good order or not? The diagram is from a downloaded ML7 manual and is why I thought there should be a spring.

Hi Simon,

The spring around the needle is to resist the valve turning under vibration, which I missed in my first post. The later ones use a spring loaded lever mechanism to operate the valve.

I'm pretty sure the needle was riveted to the knurled knob,  and there were no felt wicks; the oil just dripping directly into the hole in the bearing in accordance with the total loss method of lubrication.

My ML7 came with the clutch when I bought it back in 1969ish - very handy removing a lot of strain on the motor and switch gear. Its now gone to a new good home being replaced with a Super 7, so did not have the lathe to pull the oiler apart.

The oil in your photo looks like motor oil - way too thick and needs ISO 32 Hydraulic oil. See the post lubricating lathes. http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=107683

Phil H

Edited By CotswoldsPhil on 12/06/2015 10:54:41

I read that, thanks Phil. The needle is, in fact, screwed to the cap, 1/8th Whitworth, I worked out. I will track down some correct oil. The previous owner also greased all the oil points too, instead of oiling. A club member gave me a vertical slide for it too a day or so ago, not that I can imagine ever using it seriously, bit it does make it complete for the model making of that era.

Simon