What oil to use

Hi All
I just brought home a heavy 10, 42" bed today. My first lathe. It is in great shape. What I need to know is what modern oil do I use for the differnt parts. I mean as to the brand and weight. Maybe you can give me an oil number or something and where to get it. I don't have alot of experience with this kind of stuff so please be patiance with me. I been wanting a south bend for awhile and now I finally got one. Thanks!
Gary

Don't use engine oil

I use Mobil DTE light everywhere, I KNOW it travels through the wicks.

The South Bend Part Number for the quart can of Spidle Oil is CE 1600.

The DTE light seems just a Tad thicker, but it works really well in the older South Bends that might just not be as tight in the spindle as they usta be.

Speaking of wicks, check the ones on your lathe. they get old and someone might have used waxy oil and they will get plugged.

The wicks are the "Oil Pumps" on a South Bend, they are easy to neglect, but negelect them, you shouldn't.

The bushings of the South Bend appear to have keyways cut in them. These keyways are filled with felt and they ae right under the cup oilers. If the felts are hard and plugged, you will see a full oiler, but you will have a starved bushing. If you put oil in a cup oiler and it doesn't ooze down in, check for a hard felt.

Thanks Jim I will keep that in mind.
Gary

If the felt needs to be changed how do we do that? Do we have to pull the the headstock apart? Where can we get new felt at?

I have a SB 10L with the D1-4 camlock spindle. I am also interested in how to check for hard felt at the cup oilers.

Chap

Hi Gary and All,

South bend Lathes use three types of oil. The lubrication chart refers to them as A, B and C. These oils were rated by the old Saybolt viscosity system (Saybolt Universal Seconds {SUS}). Most oils today are rated by SAE or ISO systems. This is how it breaks down:

A - 100 SUS @ 100 Deg. F - ISO 22,
B - 150 to 240 SUS @ 100 Deg. F - ISO 32 to 50 or SAE 10 to 20 (20 is the better choice),
C - 250 to 500 SUS @ 100 Deg. F - ISO 55 to 100 or SAE 20 to 30 (30 is the better choice).

South Bend Lathes recommends NOT using motor oils. They contain additives that can prove harmful to the machine over the long run. Use only high grade machine oils. I use Mobil Oils as follows:

A - Mobil Velocite Spindle Oil No. 10,
B - Mobil DTE Hydraulic Oil 25 or DTE Machine/Turbine Medium Heavy,
C - Mobil Vactra Way Oil No. 2.

Mobil machine oils can be ordered from McMaster-Carr or MSC or a number of other good supply houses. Of course, there are other equivalents made by other oil companies.

Older lathes, with oil cups on top of the bearing caps have the felt wicks running in a slot in the top of the bearing. Lathe with oil cups located in the headstock below the centerline of the spindle have spring loaded felt wicks that ride under the spindle. The slot in the top of the bearing on this arrangement are for the bearing expanders. These expanders do have a piece on felt in there but it is the wick under the spindle that supplies oil to the bearings.

The best way to clean the wicks is to take then out and soak them in paint thinner. But it requires the removal of the spindle. Barring that, one can remove the oil cups and flush out the system using the solvent of your choice. Just let it drain a good long time before reinstalling the oil cups and putting the lathe to use (after oiling, of course).

One should flush out the apron too while your at it. Anyway, enough for now.

I hope this information is helpful.
-Blue Chips-
Webb


[This message has been edited by Webb Wyman (edited 02-17-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Webb Wyman (edited 02-17-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Webb Wyman (edited 02-17-2004).]

Thanks alot Webb. That info is helpful. Is there any other felt in this machine anywhere else?? Thanks
Gary