"grease"

inshootingsupply · Dec 18, 2014

What grease are you all using for the few parts that call for grease? I'm talking about mostly the half nut lever as I'm in the process of reassembling my apron this evening. I use Lucas red n' tacky on my farm toys but mostly because they're red too.

promacjoe · Dec 18, 2014

which Lathe do you have, the 9 and 10K calls for way oil, not greece.

go to, "http://www.wswells.com/index.html" for Lubrication charts, and other information about your machine.

inshootingsupply · Dec 18, 2014

It's a 9a. When I disassembled the apron there was geese packed into the two slots that the pins in the half nuts ride in. I will check out that link.

Dobermann · Dec 19, 2014

Grease has no place in or on a South Bend lathe. Grease will pick up and hold all sorts of dirt and metal particles which then get cycled back through the mechanisms. Use oil for lubrication. Put the grease gun out in the garage for your car and tractor. Just because you find grease in your "new" lathe doesn't mean it should be there.

Ron_m80 · Dec 19, 2014

The often cited rebuild book calls for a white grease (I forget which) in the spindle pulley and back gear.

Southbend did state oil should be used if I recall.

What should a new lathe owner think of this?

-Ron

garyphansen · Dec 19, 2014

Teflon grease was made standard for inside the cone pulley for the back gears near the end of the South Bend Lathe company. The screw hole is usually marked "Oil" on the cone pulley but sometimes marked "grease". I would just as soon stick with oil as grease can lock things up after years and years of non-use.

inshootingsupply · Dec 19, 2014

Ron_m80 said:
The often cited rebuild book calls for a white grease (I forget which) in the spindle pulley and back gear.

Southbend did state oil should be used if I recall.

What should a new lathe owner think of this?

-Ron

What he said.
Im not saying that my lathe is like NOS but if the story I was told is true if it were ever rebuilt before it would have been done in 60's. There is no evidence of grease in the spindle and back gear and at least the spindle is clearly labeled "oil". My debate is over the few parts that other than a teardown and rebuild are not serviceable. These parts being the tumbler bearing, and the half nut lever as there are no felts or ports to get to them after assembly and they were clearly greased before. The rebuild manual does call for grease in these areas which is my main source of information/confusion. I do absolutely agree that grease tends to trap crap which could be worse than to lube at all.

Blob · Dec 20, 2014

I have a late 10K, and both the spindle and back gear are marked "grease". Not knowing any better I greased both of them with teflon grease after I got the lathe - big mistake. While the back gear seems OK with grease, the spindle definitely was not. The grease pretty near locked it up to where it ran full speed even with the bull gear pin pulled, and it also got hot when in back gear. I could not turn the bull gear by hand without also turning the whole spindle. I finally got it freed up by forcing spindle oil into the port marked "grease" until it forced the grease out. Now when I use back gear I lube the spindle with oil - it works fine, no more problems.

Search

Largest Manufacturing Technology Community on the Web

Search

"grease"

inshootingsupply

Plastic

promacjoe

Stainless

inshootingsupply

Plastic

Dobermann

Hot Rolled

Ron_m80

Aluminum

garyphansen

Titanium

inshootingsupply

Plastic

Blob

Hot Rolled

Similar threads