Is there a easy way to clean a few gallons of machine oil?

swatkins · Apr 22, 2014

I have been cleaning out an old machine's oil sump and have about 4 gallons of brand new oil that has run through the machine for only about 1 hour. I need to remove the oil once more to repair a feed gear and I just hate to throw the oil away or pour it back in the machine in this condition.

I was wondering if anyone know a fast and easy method of filtering this small amount of oil. I considered just running it through some type of cheese cloth filter or maybe even rigging up a truck type oil filter.

SAG 180 · Apr 22, 2014

Buy an Alfa Laval centrifuge set up for oil cleaning......well, you didn't say you wanted a cheap way

sfriedberg · Apr 22, 2014

It won't be very fast, but see if you can get it to feed through a coffee filter. Stick the filter in a large funnel so you can get the most pressure head.

jamie76x · Apr 23, 2014

Cheese cloth or filters for automotive paint.

LKeithR · Apr 23, 2014

I've cleaned gear case oil a few times and the one thing I figured out is, depending on the condition of the oil, to start with a pretty coarse filter--even as coarse as a wire basket strainer like you'll find in kitchen supply stores. Then run it through some pantyhose and maybe a coarse cloth before moving on to coffee or paint filters. If the oil is very dirty and you start with too fine a filter it'll take all day to run the oil through...

matt_isserstedt · Apr 23, 2014

If you had the means to pump it somehow (I don't have a magic fix for that...drill pump?) you could send it thru an automotive oil filter. I believe that would basically get the job done.

michiganbuck · Apr 23, 2014

To make it less time consuming perhaps a plastic 5 gallon bucket with the bottom perforated with many ¼ holes having coffee filters or the like (old clean rags / towels ) on the bottom to be suspended over and to to drip into a second bucket to catch the clean. That way you fill it and come back in a day or two to clean oil.

akajun · Apr 23, 2014

I'd buy a automotive small oil filter relocation kit and the appropriate filter, then plumb it up to a pump and pump it through the filter into a bucket, then pump it again back into the machine.

crossthread · Apr 23, 2014

I have had a few occasions to clean oil for reuse. The quickest way I have found is to fold an old bed sheet twice so you are going through four layers of cloth. Drape the folded sheet over a clean five gallon bucket and put a bungy cord around the cloth to hold it in place and form a pocket. Pour in the oil and go do something else for a few minutes. Slip the bungy cord up and pour out the oil below the "filter" into another clean bucket then pour more dirty oil into the filter bucket. Works pretty good and quick and it will remove any real crud that may cause damage in my opinion.

Motomoron · Apr 23, 2014

Automotive oil filter is great but unless you have a means to get it in and out, it's not easy. Last time I needed to do this I did the bucket/bedsheet/bungee cord method and it was fast and easy. If you have a small displacement type pump, using a cheap throwaway inline fuel filter is a fast, easy way to do it.

number 2 · Apr 23, 2014

Could you heat the oil before trying to filter it? To like 70 or 80 degrees C, that will help it flow.

My first thought was a hydraulic oil filter. I did a quick search because I have seen some kind of plastic filter cloth, but cannot find much. I was told it had a 7um size mesh. Poking around on the net I found paper filters as fine as 2.5um. Which suggests to me paper does a better job of catching dirt. I dont know how fine coffee filters are, but I will take a look next time I'm at the supermarket. They sound interesting.

Never heard of people filtering near new but used oil, but it makes sense. Else, normal filters wouldnt work.

powderhorn · Apr 23, 2014

People that do lapidary rock sawing use oil as coolant for there rock saws. They clean and reuse the oil to save on expenses.
Here is how they do it. You would need to have a few cheep items to do it. 2, 5 gal plastic buckets, 1 piece of 1/2" mesh hardware cloth big enough to line one bucket on the inside and bottom of the bucket. Also one of those old fashioned large kraft paper shopping bags, and 2 small 3/4x3/4" sticks to set bucket on.
To start, on one of the buckets, punch about a 2" hole in the bottom center of it, then line the bucket with the hardware cloth, including the bottom of it, then insert the bag into the bucket. Set this bucket on top of the other bucket, using the sticks to keep it form going inside the other bucket. Pour your oil into the upper bucket, and let it drain into the bottom bucket. It can take 6-10 hours to filter the oil depending on temp, and viscosity of the oil.
This will take out particles, but will not filter any chemical problems.

CalG · Apr 23, 2014

Not too many years ago, that oil would be put in a bucket and allowed to sit a week or two.

then the cleared oil would be drawn off without disturbing the bottom.

I still do it!
The gear box in the Horizontal mill leaks into the coolant sump. I don't run suds, so I just use the suds pump to pump out the lube oil into a plastic bucket.
The bucket is put aside until the horizontal is needed. The clear oil is drawn off to refill the gear box, any loss made up for. Then the dregs are cleaned out of the bucket (mixed with sawdust and burned in the wood stove in winter time). All set for the next round. ;-) I do wish that leak down would go away....

gbent · Apr 23, 2014

Put some of the neodymium magnets in your filter. The particles you really want to remove are the magnetic steel ones. A strainer will take care of the rest.

swatkins · Apr 23, 2014

Well, first off thanks for all the good ideas! ( Not talking about yours Sag 180)

What I've done uses ideas from most of you ( with the exception of Sag 180's.) all combine into one solution.

Started off with sfriedberg’s coffee filter idea. When I first read it I was wondering how I was supposed to get oil into and out of that little POD. THEN I realized he was talking about the old type filter

Then I combined it with Michiganbuck’s buckets idea and Powerhorn’s 2 inch hole idea and this was the result.

Then I used Gbent’s magnet idea and added one to the bottom of the filter.

To hold the filter down I found a index plate and placed it over the hole. ( Sag 180 would have never though of this, too much beer has taken it's toll

)

Hung one bucket from a rafter so that the catch bucket will not get covered in oil.

After placing my pans of used oil outside in the sun to heat up, Number 2’s idea, I pored the warm oil into the top bucket and I am now waiting to see what happens.

I'll update a bit later tonight

10 fingers · Apr 23, 2014

Not a big deal. We build machine tools and have to drain fluids before shipment. Hydraulic, circulatory lube, and gear box oils are all reclaimed. Bit tedious, but fine mesh, automotive paint filters work very well. Warmer fluid is, the better. Old and fouled oil, and dirty mineral spirits from parts washers are also filtered, then mixed with No. 2 fuel oil for our furnace.

sfriedberg · Apr 23, 2014

I like that rig. :-) Looking forward to hear how well it works.

BobRenz · Apr 23, 2014

Depending on the oil's viscosity, getting it through a coffee filter might be nearly impossible. I suggest a wad of cheesecloth in a funnel, and maybe warm the oil up to 100F or so.

swatkins · Apr 23, 2014

And the Results!

OK,, Went out to the shop and looked at the bucket filter about 8 pm, there was about 1/3 of the oil filtered. At 9:15 I returned and the bucket was empty. Total of 2 gallons in less than three hours.

This was filtered with two layers of the coffee filter material.

Any particles you see in these two pictures is on the outside of the container. Before filtering I could not see, through the same amount of oil, the bottom of the container. Here you can plainly see the oil grid below the container

Lots of large particles and the filter is black. While it's not crystal clear, like the new oil is, I think its a great result. I'll have no reservations about pouring this back into my machine.

Oh, I used Bill's idea to clean up

michiganbuck · Apr 25, 2014

"two layers of the coffee filter material" Looks like that worked well.

I know this job is done but I remember that fuel oil furnace filters had felt filters so for next time... felt would be very slow but an efficient filter for the buckets filter device..

Is there a easy way to clean a few gallons of machine oil?

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