Myford Oiling - Blocked Headstock Oilers

A kind of sequel to my recent thread enquiring about getting oil into a Myford ML7, now I'm on the hunt for info about getting oil out of a Myford ML7!

Have been able to spend a bit more time on my new-to-me-but-actually-quite-old Myford recently and have turned my attention to the headstock bearing drip oilers. One of them is now working nicely after some initial problems with regulating the flow lead to a bit of a mess. Unfortunately, its little friend at the other end of the headstock seems to be partially blocked. It will occasionally allow a bit of oil out but it's pretty hit and miss. As best as I can tell the control valve seems to be in order mechanically so I'm thinking perhaps it's some congealed old oil causing the blockage. If this is the case then my next logical step would be to flush it through with something. Does anyone have any thoughts on how to tackle this one?

S.M.

Unscrew the oiler out of the machine and dig out any hardened gunge lurking down the hole. Flush out with kerosene, degreaser, solvent etc whatever you have handy to clear congealed gunk of ages from the bearing. Likewise give the oiler a good clean out and flushing too.

Thanks Hoppper. Have already got the oiler out and inspected the hole - all seems clear there. Nice to hear on the right track re: the oiler itself though. Will do as you suggest and give it a flush through. Think I have some carburettor cleaner somewhere which might do the job quite well.

S.M.

At the same time clean, replace or make out of felt (if absent) oil filters. Bearing will be grateful for that.

Also dont break these oilers. If you do, you will face a lot of troubles. These ex Adams are expensive but good and cheap imports sold by RDG do not work. You will end up making new or at least making some parts new, unless you get them from Adams.

Matrin

Interesting. No sign of filters anywhere. Presumably these sit between the base of the oiler and the bearing?

S.M.

Not sure what they had originally. Some oilers had a felt or wire gauze filter in the bottom of the glass section. At a pinch, a wad of felt down the hole before you screw the oiler in to the lathe would act as a filter.

I have used the cheap Chinese oilers bought online for several years. They don't form a clear, visible drip like a "proper" old time oiler. But with a bit of trial and error they can be adjusted so the level in the glass drops, say, an inch or so over the course of a day of using the machine, which I figure is plenty enough. (In fact more than enough judging by the mess all over the machine!) Trouble is, its hard to find new cheap oilers with the 1/8 BSP thread to match the tapped holes in the lathe. You either have to make ungainly adaptors, or try to butcher the 1/8 NP thread on the new oiler with a BSP die, or just screw the new oilers in the one or two turns they will go in and leave it at that.

Morning all. While I'll certainly be looking into filters at some point, think I'll leave it for now as, being practical about it, without oil flow I have nothing to filter and at the moment the oiler still refuses to flow. I've tried washing it out, soaking it and blowing it through with compressed air, all to no avail. Think my next port of call will be to carefully disassemble my working oiler and compare its insides with my troublesome one. The reason I've come to this is that I've noticed that the one obvious difference between the oilers (aside from the fact one works and one doesn't) is the "feel" of the regulator valve. When I adjust the valve on the good oiler there is actually a feeling of something happening inside, while the one on the failed oiler feels for all the world as if it is "freewheeling" i.e. not actually moving the business end of the valve. Quite what might causing this, or indeed whether it is just my imagination grasping at straws, remains to be seen.

S.M.