Which oil and oil gun

Hi, I've just aquired a Boxford C lathe and was wondering which oil I should use to keep it running nicely? Is a modern engine oil suitable?

Also, it has quite a few nipple type oiling points, so I need a reliable oil gun. I've read about Wanner guns, are there any other reliable (and cheaper) alternatives?

Many thanks in advance, I'm sure that I'll be back with other beginner type questions in due course.

Aled

For ball oilers the Reilang is superb! Works at any angle and rarely are there any leaks. May even work OK with "grease" nipples.

For ordinary grease nipples, the Wanner is excellent, but small capacity.

Incidentally, although the nipples may be grease ones, only use oil. Grease hardens and then blocks the passages.

Howard

Cleverer people than me will know the whole answer, but I believe modern engine oil is not suitable for your lathe. Those oils are designed to work at a much higher temperature. I suspect that the various additives in them wont help either!

'Cleverer people than me will know the whole answer, but I believe modern engine oil is not suitable for your lathe. Those oils are designed to work at a much higher temperature. I suspect that the various additives in them wont help either!'

What he said!

'Hydraulic' oil is the stuff to use, eg Nuto 32, in gearboxes and nipples, with 'way oil' on slideways.

Thanks, I've just ordered some Hydraulic oil.

The search continues for a suitable oil gun though, the Reilang oilers look fab for general oiling, but I can't see how they'd work well with the nipple oilers on my Boxford.

Aled

Actually a modern 5 or 0 weight engine oil is probably OK and better than a engine oil comtempary to the lathe. Modern oils have fewer additives that might harm yellow metal bearings.

That said I'd still go for a good SAE32 hydraulic oil.

I just bought a 5l tin (lifetime supply for me) of OM33 (UK military spec oil similar to Nuto 32. Hyspin 32ZZ meets the OM33 spec) on ebay for £10 www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HYDRAULIC-OIL-FUCHS-LUBRICANTS-MIL-SPEC-PREMIUM-QUALITY-HYDRAULIC-OIL-5L-CAN/143226367787

Robert G8RPI.

Thanks for the link Robert, is it correct that it'll take a month and a half to get here from Cambridge?

Yellow metal bearing are likely to be affected by the sulphur additives in the EP oils intended for rear axles. (Such as Spiral bevel, or Hypoid. Worm axles usually having a yellow metal worm wheel will not use them, just a straight SAE 90 or 140 )

Modern Front Wheel Drive vehicles will be unlikely to use them, since the gears will be helical, rather than bevel.

Modern engine oils will contain additives which are not needed for lathe use, such as detergents, anti foaming, anti oxidant, or low viscosity index, and can withstand high temperatures. I would imagine that they are unlikely to do much damage to a lathe or a mill. You would be paying for a lot of features that you do not need and will not use.

Having said that, I have been using up my stock of engine oil on my machines over the last sixteen or more years with no apparent ill effects!

A comparatively straight oil should suffice.

.Howard

I’ve got a flexible spout oiler like this one.

**LINK**

Works fine.

Ditto - Although I have the slightly higher-class Toolstation version

SAE 32 oil should be avialable anywhere in the world.

Neil

I have several oilers similar to Vic's some with flexi spouts and some with tube style spouts.. I use one on my AUD oilers and another for way oil and yet another with cutting oil for turning/milling etc. They all work well no matter what the weight of oil in them.

I should have added that mines loaded with slideway 68 at present.

Thanks guys, looks like you've saved me a few quid, I had placed some hydraulic oil in my ebay basket, but further research showed that compressor oil is the same spec, and I have a litre of that going spare. I'll also try my standard oil can to see how i get on.

Cheers

Aled

My 50 year old Tecalamit oil gun finally expired earlier this year so bought an oil gun from a company called Press Parts, it is suitable for oil and grease and comes with two nozzles base cost £17 plus the usual vat etc, it was mentioned on this model engineer site last year It works ok and a lot cheaper than other makes,use for my Myford S 7 and omnimill. the only nipple it will not get to is the one for lubricating the back gear shaft ,so made an adaptor.

[email protected] cat part no PP637

Wanner products are very good,but expensive,my grease gun was purchased in 1962 and still never fails to work, was lucky earlier this year,bought an identical Wanner back in the spring for £5 at an autojumble,real bargain ,took a while to get the old solid grease out ,now used for the deck of my ride on mower which requires a flexible hose with nozzle, so saves me repeatably changing the fixed and flexible hose on one gun.

I've got two of those type (among an amazing collection of oil cans gathered over the years) - mine are a different brand but look identical. They do work but when you put them down, expect a puddle of oil to form. Mine now sit in small cake tins (I get of a lot of useful things from my wife) and that helps control the mess.

I also of course have the Myford oil gun (the later version I believe) which is extremely messy and wasteful (so not recommended!). You can get it to seal to a nipple by using a small piece of linen between gun and nipple but it's very far from ideal. I keep it in a bit of vertical plastic piping (with an end cap screwed on the bottom) which stops it dripping and so I can occasionally recover the leaked oil from it.

Have been tempted by a Reilang but I'm also not too sure if they would attach cleanly to a Myford nipple?

IanT

Just a note on modern engine oils, on my old Triumph Thunderbird motorbike there is no oil filter, it relies on the dirt sinking to the bottom of the oil tank and staying there for ever. Modern engine oil have detergents in them which keep the dirt suspended in the oil so it can be removed from by the filter.

If I was to use a modern oil it would wreck my bike's engine bearings so I have to use an oil for vintage vehicles which Halfords sell, the bonus is that it comes it a proper metal can which is a good source of tin plate.