Oilers

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

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

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.

Visit the new Model Engineering adverts page at:-

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

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

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

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.