Ok to grease Myford feedscrews?

I know its probably been asked here before, but from what I could tell last time I checked is that you need H32 grade on the drip feed oilers and use it on all the oil nipples found around the lathe, and the more "sticky" K68 grade oil goes on the feedscrews and leadscrew shaft.

Since its quite hard to apply oil under the cross slide, is moly grease OK to use?

Im surprised that oil is actually used on the feedscrews, I thought it would run off rather easily. I think I read something about it lets swarf stick to it.

I get that with the leadscrew on the front, but on the cross slide and top slide, they are protected and it doesnt easily get under it to get in contact with the shaft.

Rocol mts 1000 I think is the correct stuff, but I ran out a long while ago. It’s a graphite grease supplied in a tube. Can’t find any now So grease I think will be ok but not on the main leadscrew, that would enable too much dross to bond onto it and spear the half nuts

Edited By Zan on 28/08/2021 11:44:11

I get that the leadscreew is protected under the saddle but it isn't if you are turning a long shaft and swarf will stick to grease or dried oil.

I'd be inclined to use a dry-film lubricant or resign myself to constantly cleaning the leadscrew, easy enough with a piece of string and the leadscrew turning.

Brian

Hi Shaun I don't like using grease on such parts as it promotes wear by particles sticking to it and would only use oil and an oil can as it helps to wash of swarf etc. I have seen pleanty of worn out Bridgport leadscrews and nuts because the oiler packed up and grease was used. I use slideway 68 oil on slides and screws.

David

Edited By David George 1 on 28/08/2021 14:52:34

Edited By David George 1 on 28/08/2021 14:54:18

I used some grease for about the first 4 months I had a lathe

After a huge cleanup operation in month 5 or so I used oil forever after with no issues

edit, I use a plastic pipet to apply it

Edited By Ady1 on 28/08/2021 16:01:18

Shaun ask one hundred people and you will get one hundred different opinions, use whatever you have to hand and what suits your working conditions. I use Castrol LM grease on the Myford cross and topslide without any problems.

If Myfords say oil, then for me it's oil not grease . According to handbook SAE 30

Roy

Agreed.

I get it with the leadscrew (at the front of the lathe), since its exposed to all the swarf. My lathe has heaps of the stuff stuck to the leadscrew which is not the easiest to clean off and doesnt appear to have been greased, but covered in that "sticky" oil. I would imagine grease would be worse in this case.

It seems here that some are getting the leadscrew and feedscrews mixed up! The actual feedscrews on the top slide and cross slide are completley covered underneath the slide itself.

the only real way to lubricate them properly would be to pull them off and turn them upside down to apply on the whole thread as you cant even get to them while on the lathe.

My main concern was if using the wrong lube on them caused excessive wear, thats all.

Im also a bit confused with where to apply the thicker grade oil. It appears that its mostly used on the bed (do most people just brush it on?)

I thought the bed was lubricated through the oil nipple on the saddle?

This would mean I would need a pair of oil guns with the appropriate oil in each?

Interestingly enough, I just found this link on another forum that points to (the old) myford website that specifies grease on the feedscrews.

https://web.archive.org/web/20101126032406/www.myford.com/ML7_spares.html

As quoted:

" 80163
Castrol moly grease - 500gm tub - ideal for changewheels, feedscrews and leadscrews
£5.93 "

If you put grease on hidden screws, you'll find after a dozen feeds in and out all the grease has accumulated at the entrance to the nut, and doesn't do too much shortly after.

Doesn't the myford have oiling points? People are always debating which oil guns are suitable/better which makes me think myford lathes are covered in oiling points, does the cross slide not have one?

Not that I can see on my lathe.

I honestly dont know how you are supposed to oil these threads easily, you could point an oil can under the cross slide and squirt a bit from underneath if you wound it all the way out, but as far as the top slide goes, there is absolutely no way you could get to the thread that I can see to lubricate it.

Im totally confused now as to what oil goes where.

I originally thought that the thinner grade oil is used on all the nipples throughout the lathe, but if some of the nipples (especially the saddle) are meant to be used with the heavier grade oil, would that not mean i need a seperate oil gun filled with that type of oil as well?

From the Beeston Horse’s Mouth :

.

Sorry, that’s the best copy I have … Click image for larger view

MichaelG.

.

Edit: __ This is very helpful [downloadable as PDF ]
https://www.haythornthwaite.com/184%20Myford%20Lubrication.pdf

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 29/08/2021 07:50:37

Thats extremley helpful thanks, and it confirms what I had been thinking. Note how it says to use the moly grease on the starred items if available in your area. This includes the feedscrews as well as the main leadscrew.

Since that its so difficult to reach the feedscrews easily, i think the moly grease would be a good option, especially since they are largely protected from swarf.

.

Yes, I marked-it-up specially to draw attention to that

Hopefully … if someone has a hard-copy of the Myford ML7 book, they might share a better scan.

MichaelG.

lol yes, i see that now. Makes alot of sense, i really need to get a good hard copy of this manual printed.

I have been doing a bit of work on this lathe, the old feedscrews were shot and I was barely able to use it and managed to machine some new feedscrews on it along with the corresponding nuts and dials.

I will be creating a new thread on the work ive done so far, im hoping it will make it a breeze to use going forward, they were sloppy as hell before and almost chopped out entirely on those alloy nuts.

..There's a full-size copy in my 'Misc' album..

If you are as committed as you sound to the machine, it'd be worth buying a hard copy manual - although superficially a thin volume, there is some useful information in there...

(Canon G9X processed in Photoscape)

Edited By DiogenesII on 29/08/2021 09:35:44

… and, as if by magic ^^^

MichaelG.

Interesting. Just reading old copies of ME and around 1981 there are endless letters (remember those?) about how naff the Myford oiler is. This was a pump action type that you just push onto the nipple, not lever action. My Harrison also came with a similar oiler and never managed to get anything out of it.

In issue 3666, October 1981 there was a letter describing why these oilers are so naff. The basic reason is that they should use grease, thin grease, not oil. A grease type pump action oiler is different to an oil type pump action oiler.

The grease to use is BP Energrease PR1. This grease is almost translucent, and a sort of reddish brown colour. I am sure I had a tin of this bought decades a go but can't find it. It will settle out if just left so will need a good stir.

It would seem that the thing not to do was to use oil, in my experience it just leaks out of the gun and makes a revolting mess.

I am trying to find a modern equivalent to this grease, but the world has gone lithium based and not to sure if it is similar. Closest match so far is SKF LGMT 2 which is a mineral grease with a similar colour.

Don't really see any difference between oil or grease on a leadscrew for picking up contamination, both are sticky. But grease does seem better to lubricate things like the leadscrew end bearings, Norton box, change gears, feedscrews etc because it stays there, oils slowly run off.

When the apron was being refurbished on the Smart & Brown model A, a new leadscrew nut was made. I decided to fit the telescopic springs either side of the saddle and they keep the leadscrew pristine. I use oil to compliment the automatic oiling system by just pulling back the springs and squirting some extra oil on the leadscrew. Myfords, such as the one illustrated in this thread would work very well with springs added as their presence would not restrict the travel of the saddle.

Your right, it was essentially a grease gun that myford supplied and never designed to hold oil. I have since bought an oil gun from some german company that some recommended here. I havent had to use it yet but i believe you need to lengthen the shaft of it to reach one or two of the harder to reach nipples.

And as far as and difference between oil and grease attracting dirt, ive found this to be the same between both also.

Ive found a fine wire brush does a great job of cleaning shavings off the leadscrew. I will stick with grease, it seems to do the job and you dont need much of the stuff to work its way all over the leadscrew either.

Anyway, I just fitted both the new feedscrews to the lathe yesterday and they are working great!

All been lubed with moly grease and should last a fair few years I would say.