ML7 oiling advice

Hi all,

Proud new owner of a Myford ML7 Tri-Leva. Or maybe it owns me?

I've read what I could find on how to keep this thing oiled up. I still have the stock oil nipples on the machine and drip oilers on the head-stock. Head stock oilers seem to work as evidenced by the puddle under my lathe in the morning. Question I have is regarding the oil nipples. I am stuck between the following options:

1) Fork over 100 for the Wanner oiler

2) Change out oil nipples to oil cups

3) Upgrade the 2BA nipples AND get the Wanner oiler

4) Something I haven't considered....

Any advice welcome.

Hi Chris,
When I got my used ML7 a few years ago I was faced with a similar dilemma.
I really baulked at spending an eye-watering £66 (before VAT, or in my case international shipping) on the Myford Wanner Oil Gun.

So, I decided instead to buy a Press Parts PP632 oil gun for less than a third of the price. This performs flawlessly - the oil goes where it is supposed to without mess and I have never had a single leak. I can heartily recommend this oil gun EXCEPT for one problem. It is impossible to reach the oil nipple on the headstock pulley.

I tried to come up with a way to modify the PP632 nozzle to reach this nipple but in the end, admitted defeat and bought the expensive Wanner from Myford.
This is inferior to the PP632 in many ways. It is long and awkward, making it impossible in my case to oil the cross-slide nipple as it does not fit between the cross-slide and the back-splash.
And, unless I interpose a piece of cloth or paper towel between the nozzle and the nipple as well as hold the gun absolutely in line with the oil nipple it messes oil everywhere.

So in the end, buying the overpriced and inferior Wanner from the outset would probably be the cheapest solution in the long run. It works, you will have oil everywhere, mostly where you don't need it, but I guess that is the Myford way!

Clive

+1 for the press parts oiler, works perfectly. I made an extended adapter with a PTFE insert to fit the myford nipples which improves the seal and acessibility.The Myfords long gone but I kept the oiler, now adapted to fit the mill.

Dave

Thanks Dave and Clivel. I see that the PP1081 (same website) states it's meant for oil whereas the PP632 is for grease. You've obviously had good experiences with the PP632. Has the 1081 been tried?

Times like this I wish I lived in the UK - postage to Italy from UK is a fairly flat rate but not cheap. I'm trying to lump up a number of purchases from a single vendor so I'm not spending 50% of the bill on postage. On a few occasions this will likely influence my make/buy decision towards the former.

Any experience with just pulling the oil nipples to add oil then replacing?

Chris

This is what I use on the oil nipples on my Myford. Its on the spout of a standard pump oil can. The end is turned down to just fit in the hole in the nipple and a small slot is filed across the end. In use it is pushed down into the hole in the nipple sealing on the curved surface, the end depresses the ball and the slot allows the oil to flow into the nipple. Works very well and costs nothing ( save the oil can ).

John

When I had a ML7 I bought the Myford oil gun (Looked like a small grease gun, so probably not a Wanner )

Using that ensured that almost everything, including me, but necessarily what needed oiling, would not rust!.

So I bought a Reilang oiler, and use it on the ball oilers on my machines..

It does not leak, and works in almost any position.

Cannot commend it enough!

Howard

Does this get you down to the headstock pulley nipple? That's the one place that has me throwing my hands in the air and accepting that I might need an oil gun.

Press Parts oiler here too. But it does not get down into the pulley nipple. I use an oil can with the removeable brass tip turned down to a fine point that fits into the hole where the tiny ball sits in the nipple. Push it in there firmly and pump away. All good.

I bought a Sealey oil gun and found it totally useless. The nozzle does not seal onto the nipples in use, and the gun leaks oil out of every seam just sitting there in between uses. Waste of money. Press Parts oiler is excellent. One day I will make the thinner nozzle so it fits into the pulley. One day.

Sometimes I think I must be the only person who is reasonably happy with the original type of oil gun, as supplied, new, with my Super 7 in about 1977. It does take a bit of determination, careful alignment and strength to avoid leaks, but it works, if spoken to firmly. Is it really so bad? Anyone else a satisfied user?

Simple oiler I made with o-ring that seals over standard Myford nipples. Works perfectly, cost almost nothing.

The ultimate combination. Well done!

I use a cheapo oil can with a brass biro nib pushed into the end of the flexible tube, little ball removed, Push into the oil nipple, depressing the ball and pump away. Suits all the oil nipples, including the one on the backgear buried in the headstock.

With regard to the Trileva, if you search my posts, there's one somewhere about setting up the tension on the three headstock drive belts. Don't over oil the countershaft bearings -cus it gets all over the belts & they don't like it! Don't be tempted to use segmented belts on the head stock, absolutely incompatible with the jockey wheel tensioning system.

Andy

I have a new Myford oiler coming with my brand new new Ml10 lathe.
I used a silikar one when I had an Ml7 r, again brand new,

I did use a bit of paper between the oil gun nipple and the Myford nipple and it worked well. I used to buy all the oil guns from the toolbox in Devon, usually a £1 or 2 and put them on EBay for £20 each.

You might find them online.

Myford drip feed oilers.

I am not sure about the Myford Trileva but the Myford C7? Or C9? Capstan lathe had bronze bearings.

I set my Myford drip feed oilers so they dropped when the lathe was running and stopped when the lathe stopped. The slight vibration when running was enough to keep the bearings oiled. I worked on the basis that oil was cheaper than new bearings. I set the lathe up so that the tailstock end of the tray was about 1/8 inch lower than the headstock end. This was so the oil ran through and down to the tailstock end which had newspaper to soak up the old oil.

The lathe is set level.

Replying to A Smith’s comment.

Trileva Belts should be replaced as a set of three, not individually.

Quite agree with the above comment, the less the soindle is disturbed, the better.

I remember getting that tip from you in this forum donkey's years ago .... it always worked well for me too!

🙏