Oilers

I am restoring a 1950s Winfield lathe, and it has simple oil holes in the headstock for the mandrel bearings. I thought about turning up some oilers to go in the holes, with lids to keep muck out. Is there a way to meter the flow down to a drip feed, I have heard about wicks, but don't know how I would create one, would a wick have to contact the journal to work or is it just a way to slow the flow ? Any advice welcome - except to buy hugely expensive Myford oilers. This must be something I can make myself.

Reply to
Steve
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Steve Is the hugely expensive price you've seen on ebay by chance? They're a lot cheaper to buy from Myford than some of the sellers on ebay, especially as a particular seller seems to buy items from Myford and sell them at 2 - 3 times the price on ebay. If you haven't got a Myford price list, ring them and ask them to send you one, it doesn't appear to be on their web site any more. Martin

Reply to
Martin Whybrow

Thanks Martin,

I think I know to whom you refer ! Should have discovered this group before discovering eBay ! After some thought I have realised the oiling hole is just where these old lathes break if you overtighten the bearing clamp, and as a result I don't want to remove any metal - as would be required to drill and tap for the myford style oilers. So I think it will be a home made job anyway, but I think I will visit the ME exhibition and see what I can discover there about wicks and such like.

Cheers (and yes, there is a glass of red biddy to hand as I type this), Steve

Reply to
Steve

Steve. The wick type of oiler is just a tube inside a container, usually with a hinged top. Bent over inside this container is a wick that runs down the tube and carries the oil by a process called 'wicking' believe it or not. The wick is in the shape of an umbrella handle, long stem down the tube. Pipe cleaners make good wicks.

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.

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Reply to
John Stevenson

You can sometimes buy candle wick material from hardware stores - saw some in Tivoli Trading in Cheltenham once...

Reply to
Robin

Wicks are very simply made from thin brass wire and a few strands of pure wool. Pipe cleaners work well but the wire is steel so not advisable if wick can get to journal. hth

Reply to
Roland Craven

I use two plastic film container as they are about the right volume and come with a plastic lid. I put a small brass nut and bolt through the bottom after I had drilled a small hole through the bolt and a tiny hole in the lid to prevent a vacuum. Over the threads I put a piece of heat shrink which makes a nice tight fit down the untapped hole in the lathe.

I'm tight too

Skip

Reply to
Skip

Send it to the Guardian, they've been doing uses for film cannisters for weeks - best I've seen. But then I need an oiler:)

Ken.

Reply to
Ken Parkes

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