LATHE OIL HELP PLEASE

Hi all i have just bought a colchester bantam lathe and i have not got a clue about it i checked the oil spy glass x2 and they looked at the right level upon bring the lathe home i have noticed that the oil in the lower spy glass is empty and it appears to have stained making it look like it was full.

im hoping there is no issues with oil loss but time will tell

my question is its say shell tellus 27 but i cannot get any but looking people have said any iso32 oil i have found some in eurocar parts

Carlube Jack Oil (Is0 32) 500ml Product Code: 545772091

will this do or is they any alternatives i can by today.

thanks

I assume that it's the headstock level you're talking about; so any ISO 32 oil will suffice; there is also transmission oil that will be ok, that is in the SAE 10-40 range which would approximate to another level up from ISO 32, Halfords sell that in 1/2 & 1 litre cans... usual disclaimer applies. I'm sure that Bantam owners will offer more advice re. viscosity etc.

George.

Just about any ISO32 oil will do - it's the official modern replacement. It's a fairly low viscosity oil and is usually described as hydraulic oil so readily available at motor factors in 1 gallon or more. Or on ebay.

If you buy it as hydraulic oil in 1 litre bottles at Halfords you will pay through the nose (£10 per litre?). No need to play about with engine oils which contain all sorts of unnecessary additives.

The same Tellus 27 / ISO32 is also specified for lubricating the ways and oiling points, so you may as well get a gallon or more of the stuff.

Murray

+1.

EXACTLY wot he said. Just buy a gallon (5 liter) can of hydraulic ISO32 w oil. Cheap as chips at a large commercial auto parts handler. You will go through the stuff if you lube everything with it inc ways etc.

Do NOT waste money on small bottles of the above, nor buy any engine or transmission oils.

.

2 'spy glasses'

Is one for the headstock and the other for the gearbox.?

Nick

Hi all thanks for the reply i got 5ltr of TRIPLE QX Hydraulic Oil 32 for £13.70 i have topped the bottom spy glass to top up you have to fill by removing the cover for the gears on the side, to fill the top spy glass it looks like the filler cap is ontop of the machine itself. just were the gear levers are.

i cannot attached a pic to show you all

i have just got the lathe with a 3 and 4 jaw chuck 240v seems to work fine and looks really tidy i purchased it for £700.00, not sure what the going rate is for these units

If the Bantam is anything like the Chipmaster, the lower level sight glass is for the screwcutting gearbox and takes ISO 68 gear oil rather that the ISO 32 which is used in the headstock.

on the machine itself it says that they take the same oil and iso 32 is the alternative when i filled it up a took a 800ml to fill so dont think it was completely empty also i have found that the gearbox top cover whats holded down by a few allen key bolts on the top is leaking so i think the gasket has failed.

You might find this site useful.

Brian

http://www.lathes.co.uk/colchester/index.html

I've got most of the Bantam manuals, parts lists etc. If you want a copy I'll send you a link to them- PM me. Mine's a 1600 MkI, very similar to the 800 but different to the "squared off" MkII and 2000 etc.

Murray

A little late with a reply, but here's a suggestion. Farmers use large quantities of hydraulic oils in their tractor's, and could be your source for acquiring the smaller amounts needed. I talked to a local Farmer and was able to purchase a couple of litres ( Tellus 37 ) from a large drum he had; it was a better purchase than could be had than buying from a dealer. It worked for me.

Tell me about it!

My Ford 4000 used to take 30 odd litres in the gearbox and another 20 in the rear axle/diff for hydraulics. That's 50 litres of ISO32 per oil change. Currently have a little Kubota and that takes 18 litres per fill.