lathe chuck scroll lube? FAQ

Oct 29, 2022 Last reply: 3 years ago 13 Replies

The Net abounds with answers to what to use, all different, ranging from way oil to antiseize to powdered graphite. Dry molybdenum disulfide in some expensive form seems to be a preferred answer for the scroll which is exposed to chips.



I ordered the 6-jaw after reading many positive reviews of Sanou chucks. The general opinion appears to be that they are precisely machined but the manual ops of deburring and cleaning them may not have been as careful. Pix of opened chucks suggested that they aren't tricky to strip and reassemble, as long as every part goes back where it came from.



How do you maintain your lathe chucks?


It may depend on the chuck. LeBlonde suggests starting with the manual that came with your chuck. Then they go on to write more on the subject.

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I'd probably be more inclined to consider LeBlonde to be an authoritative source than a lot of other sources.

"After reassembling the chuck and attaching to your manual, engine lathe like the RKL Series that LeBlond sells, stand to the side of the machine to avoid getting drenched by the oil when the lathe gets up to speed."

I believe either Bison or Buck or maybe both make a lube for their chucks . Jim I have been very happy with my Sanou chuck for many years now . Just make sure the jaws & slots are numbered before dissembling . I made that mistake with my first chuck many years back . It took a lot longer to put back together than it took to take apart . Kicked myself in the ass a couple of times for that one . good luck animal

I believe either Bison or Buck or maybe both make a lube for their chucks . Jim I have been very happy with my Sanou chuck for many years now . Just make sure the jaws & slots are numbered before dissembling . I made that mistake with my first chuck many years back . It took a lot longer to put back together than it took to take apart . Kicked myself in the ass a couple of times for that one . good luck animal

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I used to rebuild motorcycles so I have muffin trays to keep track of parts that shouldn't be marked, like engine valves, and a set of dollar store nail polish in the electronic color codes for numbering and marking polarity. A red '+' on a black battery case shows up much better on a white background. It's fun to see the clerk's reaction when I ask for help with the nail polish, they are very helpful after getting over their initial negativity.

I have number punches for soft or thin metal, a broken tap reground to a punch for dotting steel, to avoid damaging my good center and number punches, and a Dremel cutoff wheel to mark hard steel with Roman numerals which consist of straight lines up to C. The acid pen I tried expands into a blur.

The real question is if anyone can recommend from experience an effective and readily available lubricant that doesn't hold dust or chips, possibly a bicycle chain lube or the Liquid Wrench dry lube that the LeBlond video suggests. Someone suggested putting a cardboard box over the chuck before spinning it at max speed to expel the grease or oil. I'd retract the jaws into the chuck body first to avoid a dramatic display of confetti.

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I've used Chain Wax similar to:

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on my bicycle. Heat container in double boiler and let chain sit in melted wax for several minutes. Lift out and let solidify. Good for 500 miles or so. It's not really messy to handle and is really sweat for the first couple hundred miles riding.

Now how to apply it to your chuck if you wanted to try some is another story ;-) Close tolerances in fittings maybe an issue...

Dri-Slide is still around too:

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FYI: My six jaw has a ball oil port right on the face.

FYI: My six jaw has a ball oil port right on the face.

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I saw pictures of chucks like that, but no agreement on what type or weight of oil to use. Since mine is a leather belt driven lathe with HSS tools it doesn't usually spin very fast with the larger chucks. I have small chucks and collets for small close-in work and a smaller, faster lathe for deep drilling and polishing.

Amazon has some

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has theirs
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google came up with a few . animal

It may depend on the chuck. LeBlonde suggests starting with the manual that came with your chuck. Then they go on to write more on the subject.

formatting link
I'd probably be more inclined to consider LeBlonde to be an authoritative source than a lot of other sources.

"After reassembling the chuck and attaching to your manual, engine lathe like the RKL Series that LeBlond sells, stand to the side of the machine to avoid getting drenched by the oil when the lathe gets up to speed."

FYI: My six jaw has a ball oil port right on the face.

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This Sanou does too. What oil do you use?

I just use #2 way oil on everything except those items that specify otherwise. My CNC rotab, knee mill spindle, and gear boxes on the lathe specify other stuff, and a few things like power feed bevel gears and surface grinder gears specify grease, but for everything else... if it has an oil port I pump it full of #2 way oil.

I just use #2 way oil on everything except those items that specify otherwise. My CNC rotab, knee mill spindle, and gear boxes on the lathe specify other stuff, and a few things like power feed bevel gears and surface grinder gears specify grease, but for everything else... if it has an oil port I pump it full of #2 way oil.

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Thanks. I use way oil on everything that slides or rotates slowly. It's in a classic brass Eagle #66 oiler that I bought new at the last nearby industrial supply house shortly before it closed.

O'Reilly carries CRC Dry Moly Lube spray on special order. I try to support local stores before ordering on line.

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