Thread: South Bend Recommended Lubricants

Isn't type "C" oil used on the ways?

Originally Posted by bradjacob

I put this thread together to help those out who are restoring machines and are confused about the oils they need. I've included a simple to understand break down and also provided the links to Enco for ease of ordering.

I suggest getting a few people in on the deal, ordering the 4 gallons, then splitting them up. It does save money.


WAY OIL
Mobile Vactra #2
Manufacturer's #: 98458N
WAY OIL

SPINDLE - Type "A"
Mobile Velocite #10
Manufacturer's #: 98989N
Type - "A"

GEAR BOX - Type "B"
Mobile DTE 24 [ISO 32]
Manufacturer's #: 98735N
Type - "B"

EVERYTHING ELSE - Type "C"
Mobile DTE Heavy-Med [ISO 68]
Manufacturer's #: 98669N
Type - "C"

Lubricants thread that helped me...
South Bend Lubricants - Lots Of Details


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yes, i believe originally "C" oil was specified for the ways - vactra #2 is a more modern oil and *probably* better.(actually vacculine would be best- which is just the old vactra formulation before they changed it)

really all that matters is just keeping things clean and wet with fresh oil -where there are wicks make sure whatever you use does in fact "wick"

as far as using grease for the cone and backgears the "real" SB recommended stuff is the Roy Dean stull.
Steve Wells sells it.

So I know this one is old, but I did some research this morning and thought I would post my findings to unmuddy the waters a little (prompted by the question and answer above)

Since I had a photo of my Lubrication Schedule handy, I transcribed it over into a spredsheet and bounced it against the "Recomended Lubricants"

First off my lubrication chart lists viscositys in units of "Saybolt Universal Viscosity in Seconds at 100° F"
Now, that unit is a rare one especially these days. Mobil rates their viscosity in centistokes ([email protected]°C), so I ran the conversion out. (cST=0.2168*(SUS)-1.4262)

So here is the list of recommended lubricants, and their viscositys in cST and SUS, along with the original oiling schedule with added columns for modern units and they oil type to use:



NOW. With all that being said, South Bend didnt specify "Types" of oil to use, just to use good quality oil within the viscosity ranges on the chart.
(at least on my chart...maybe the manual or "How to run a lathe" says different)


SO, both the dovetail ways, and the bed ways list the 240-500 SUS oil, which is the same range as the Type C oil, except that the Type C is 307 SUS and the Vactra #2 Way oil is 320 SUS.

Take all this for what its worth, but that says to me, you can use Type C on the ways...and you can use the way oil on the "Everything else" parts...but I like everyone else will probably just use the oils the way they are described. (Since I ordered the ebay 4 pack this morning.)

Hopefully this clarifys some of the numbers since the recommended lubricants viscositys don't exactly match the originals. (at least not on my chart)

Just as a means of comparison, Mobil 1 full synthetic 10w30 comes in at 64.4 [email protected]°C (or 304 SUS). So that would probably make a pretty good replacement for the Type C oil too.

I've learned a lot also since this posting. I think owning a South Bend Lathe is like being a parent when you have your first kid you want to give them all the proper things you want to feed them all the best food it only things that are recommended by Dr Spock. But then you become an older parent and more mature and you had your kid for a while maybe you had one or two others and now you feed him just whatever you can afford and whatever you can find. And you find out did it work just as good.

I have been given this as well for ppl up north.

For the ways: TK-68
Spindle: Hydrex AW32
Gear Box: Hydrex AW68
Apron: Hydrex AW68
These are all Petro-Canada numbers.

Originally Posted by BKahler

Anyone know of a source for these lubricants in quart quantities?

If I bought in gallons I would be able to take the bulk of it to my grave with me

Brad

As of July 3, 2014; McMaster has the "A" oil in one gallon containers. McMaster-Carr

Originally Posted by Fremen

I have been given this as well for ppl up north.

For the ways: TK-68
Spindle: Hydrex AW32
Gear Box: Hydrex AW68
Apron: Hydrex AW68
These are all Petro-Canada numbers.

thanks Fremen for sharing this - much appreciated !

Does Mick still offer the oil for sale?

Edit: I see that he does, but the link on p. 2 is bad (asking me to install some "add-on" PHP software...yeah, right!).

Here is the current link: http://bluechipmachineshop.com/bc_bl...ry/lubricants/

John

i've just dug out my 9b and am still deciding what i am going to do with it, but at the very least it is being remounted to a desk and spun up, so i figured i had better familiarize myself with the oils again. granted, for most that plan ahead you can easily purchase a collection of oils and have them in a few days. every now & then people do forget, use up, or misplace it (no matter how much bar oil i buy i can never find the jugs when i need them - eventually i'm going to come across a dozen half full gallon jugs i suspect), so an alternate available substitute is good to have.

a couple years ago i bought a used lathe and wanted to do a full flush of fluids and crud, and the transmission for the spindle also called for mobil dte 24. i called numerous places that were dealers of mobil lubricants but nobody had (or even had heard of) dte 24. i did a little looking and all i found was that it was an iso 32 hydraulic fluid. john deere low viscosity hygard is also an iso 32 hydraulic fluid and it's designed to be used in gear transmissions. around here you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a couple john deere dealers, and they even sell the stuff in quart bottles. i don't think it's any cheaper than the mobil, but it's readily available off the shelf where dte is a few days and a delivery truck away. i'm assuming this oil is acceptable for the south bend - anyone have some thoughts?

conventional hygard is advertised as iso 46-68, and i bet it would be adequate in place of the dte med/heavy even though the spec isn't identical - any thoughts here too? i'm betting there are numerous tractor hydraulic oils that are in this spec range.

i had vactra 2 & velocite 10 on hand already, so i've never looked for an alternative, and i kind of doubt there is anything more available anyways. availability is the only reason i'd really stray from the reccommended oils - i have the low-vis hygard on the shelf for my tractors already.

Absolutely the best advice, saved me typing😀

Way oil is sticky, you can use chain saw bar oil as a brush on way oil, as a saw oil it has heavier duty than a lathe saddle.

Hello everyone, new poster from Norway here. If I have missed any mandatory introductionthread on this board before posting here, please tell me!

To my question: I have aquired a 1947 9" South Bend, and have been working on cleaning and adjusting it over the two last months. All the info I find on spindle lubrication specifies ISO 22 spindle oil of some kind, which is impossible to source locally without buing 20 litres. I know about the e-bay kits, but the shipping to me here is too high (66dollars for 30 dollars worth of oil, plus local postal handling fees and import taxes. that puts it around 140 dollars delivered).
Then I find this cross reference: Shell Spindle Oil 22 Equivalent
The claim is that ISO 22 air tool oil is a substitute for Mobil velocite 10.
I have found a good source for quality ISO 22 air tool oil in single liter containers at a reasonable price.

Does anyone have any thought on this as a spindle oil for a 9" south bend?

Evert, probably a good substitution. Air tool oil, spindle oil, turbine oil, all of the right viscosity is the sort of thing you're looking for.

John

Ok, thanks. I have been using this oil since my last post, but the lathe is not used very hard. I will of course post any experiences the next time I have the spindle apart.