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Bulk Loading way oil into grease gun

John Madarasz

Stainless
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Location
Exton, PA.
I broke down and probably spent more than I had to to get a gun that i could just load with way oil for the bridgeport, figuring I would avoid botching a retrofit job on a cheap grease gun. For the life of me I can't figure out how to load this thing with oil and make it work...every thing i've tried has resulted in a huge mess. I have other grease guns...load with grease, no problem

This gun has a little valve on the top next to the hose with a little knurled knob that seems to be some sort of bleeder valve. Only the head screws off, and not the bottom of the gun. The plunger also has a thumb release like a caulk gun. The thing was 65 bucks from McMaster, came in a brown paper box with zero instructions. :confused:

Any ideas, procedures to get this thing to load & operate??? Thxs

greasegunhp0.gif
 
I dunno, unscrew the head, pull down the plunger and lock it, pour oil in, screw the head back on, release the plunger, tilt the gun with the head up, unscrew the bleeder, let the air out, pump the handle, then commence with making a mess :D
 
I have one of these guns made by Alemite (model 4035)that I use as a grease gun. It leaks very little, and it pumps grease every time. In short, it works, whereas every other grease gun I have ever used has been a pain. Now, the Alemite "oil" gun is the only "grease" gun I have. I pitched the other 3 or 4 I grease guns had when I started using the Alemite.
 
I have an old grease gun of that type. Seems to be in order, only it's empty, and I suspect my shaper needs grease now.
I've been shy to ask this dumb question, but here goes: How do you load an old fashioned grease gun with grease? Whenever I try, the result is a mess, most of the stuff seems to end up on my trousers and shirt. Should I sort of melt the grease and then pour it into the gun as Hu suggests?
Could buy a modern cartridge type but would like to stick to the one I inherited from my father.
So what's the trick? How do I avoid stuffing it with 50% air + 50% grease when filling from a bucket?
 
Fusker
The gun is loaded by placing the end into the bucket of grease and drawing back the plunger, all the while keeping the front end in grease. If you let the end stay still you will draw air.
Easy when the bucket is full, takes practice when close to empty.
 
My dad used to have a 5 gallon bulk grease pail, to which was welded a fitting near the bottom. The fitting allowed one to screw the barrel of a grease gun right onto the pail. Then, pull back on the plunger and it would fill the gun nicely. The main pail had a weighted disk on top, so atmospheric pressure (as you drew grease out of the bottom) would force the disk down keeping the grease flowing into the cavity, and preventing an air channel from forming prematurely.

I've seen guys fight with grease gun priming when manually loading the gun. I think the trick is to only screw the head on the barrel maybe one turn, which is still fairly loose, but then release the plunger, the grease will flow up, and the trapped air can get out fairly easily. Start pumping, and when grease is pumping, then tighten down the head.
 
Thanks, Andy, I tried that but guess must try again and a bit harder. Maybe heat the bucket a bit to liquify the grease.
Hu's ideas are attractive, will try #2, #1 is VERY nice but only if you have a lot of greasing to do.
Thanks for not laughing (audibly, at least)
 
John,
Since you are loading it with OIL, you need to make a few modifications to the gun in order to prevent the oil from just running out.

First you need to unscrew the end with the plunger. Remove the rod/spring/plunger assembly completely.
Next, you'll need a piece of rubber that will act as a gasket to cover the hole. In the center of the rubber you'll need to cut a SMALL hole that you can push a bolt through in order to attach the rubber to the screw cap that once held the plunger assembly.
It is a good idea to use some teflon tape (even though it will degrade) around the threads of both screw caps.
Lastly, fill the chamber with OIL and pump away. Remember that the gun must be inverted so that the pump works.
---Grant
 
It's been 40 years since a grease pail was designed to direct load. They used to be straight sided and had a tin follower.

Haven't you guys ever heard of a gun loader? I'm puzzled over why you would even attempt to use pail grease without a loader.
 
Coincidently enough, I just bought the same gun (the 10oz German built unit with the yellow pump handle?) for the same purpose. The only exception being I've got a Millrite MVN, not the almighty Bridgeport, haha....

My gun works fine. My loading technique, much like some of my machining setups might be questionable. I'm one of those minimal equipment, self-taught, figure it out, one man shops...

After assembling the rigid extension as best I could determine from the catalog image, I loaded it up by pulling the plunger back, unscrewed the pump top, poured oil in, then screwed it back together, all while crossing fingers & toes hoping the plunger retainer didn't let loose with a full gun and no top.

Then, to use, just release the plunger, depress the small spring-bleed to let any air out, and start pumping. So far over the course of only a few days, I've found that the gun won't leak if you store it tip down. Any other orientation and it'll drip out the back.

-TJ
 
I made my oil gun from an old air cylinder that had the same OD as a grease gun tube. I cut off one end, threaded it like the tube, and have used it ever since.

That's not really my point, as the oil gun thing is well covered before I've spoken up.

Here's what I have to contribute below.

One good thing about it is that when I have a fitting that won't take grease, even after replacement or cleaning, the oil gun can deliver a shot. This seems to loosen everything and make it able to receive grease again.

Maybe someone can make use of this info. (My version of "Hope this helps")

Richard
 
I turned a grease gun into an oil gun by unscrewing the end cap and setting it and the plunger aside. I cut internal threads in a piece of 2" pvc and glued a cap to it. No fuss, no muss, no leaks.
 
John,
Try finding a good quality oil can (the old style you hold vertical and pump with one hand), remove the small pipe and replace with a grease hose/nipple. Use a grease fitting to blead it. When using it don't push it to hard, just steady pressure.
This worked for me to fill hydrochecks on our insert grinders.

Mike
 








 
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