Spindle problems: Potter bench lathe

[IrbyJones]

Guys,

Long time ago there was a discussion about oilers like this one with a standpipe in the center. Folks were saying that a wick went from the oil reservoir up and over into the standpipe to draw oil down into the bearing, and sort of meter it also. In fact, Jim himself posted a picture of an example shown below. I wonder if the oiler for the Stark #4 should really have such a wick in it? I guess the far end would run all the way down and touch the spindle. A question for some more Stark #4 guys...

When Jim says "A better photo of how a wick-fed oiler is constructed:", this is the picture he is talking about:

The thread was here:
Antique brass oiler question

But some of the pictures are no longer available because the Metalworking Dropbox where they resided has changed locations, and in fact is no longer online. I found the picture on the Wayback Machine.

Irby

 

[IrbyJones]

More...

From "Modern American Lathe Practice" 1907 by Oscar E. Perrigo, ME here is a description of the wick and standpipe oiler.

Irby

 

[jim rozen]

Hmm. That wick feed item is still in my box-O-stuff.

I replaced similar wick feed ones from my 7" pratt and whitney lathe because you can't turn them off. The wick keeps workimg on that spindle and after a day, they're empty. So that got glass body adjustable (read: shut-off-able) which worked well .

Idea: fit the P&W wick feed units to the Potter....

 

[IrbyJones]

OK, now that I'm talking about the wick oilers, here's another thread from back in 2008 with a lot to say about them, but some of the pictures are also not available any more.

oil cups and oils...

A particular picture that has changed is in post #5 by Mcandrew1894 when he gives a link to Page Title. That link points to a different picture now. The picture he was talking about back then was this:

There are interesting mentions in this thread about the wick draining the oil if left in place when the lathe is just sitting there not running. Also some discussions about the same problem of oil being used up too fast like the basic problem in this thread.

Irby

 

[IrbyJones]

Hmm. That wick feed item is still in my box-O-stuff.

I replaced similar wick feed ones from my 7" pratt and whitney lathe because you can't turn them off. The wick keeps workimg on that spindle and after a day, they're empty. So that got glass body adjustable (read: shut-off-able) which worked well .

Idea: fit the P&W wick feed units to the Potter....

Is it enough to just lift the wick out of the oil and drape it over the side so it can't siphon oil any more???

Irby

 

[JST]

The worst it could do then is empty itself of oil. Seems like an idea, but one wonders what the folks did back when those things were common on machinery.

 

[MrStretch]

I never gave it much thought because the oil cups on my Stark #4 drain themselves thru the headstock without any wicks, so I assumed that's the way it's supposed to work. It leaks all the time like an air cooled VW.

 

[jim rozen]

Interestingly the original lunkenheimer oil cups would stay full on this machine indefinitely. Like months, as long as the spindle was not turning. Along those lines, apparently the wick feed oilers I have tried on them (as a result of this discussion) do not empty themselves as my other lathe did (the one I put the needle valve oilers on) and so I have purchased a set of smaller wick feed oilers from mcmaster carr just now. The one in that photo above was bridgeport M head-sized, and I had another of the same size as well. These seem to do a good job but a bit large for the application.

The original oilers (wick feed type) from my pratt whitney lathe have threads that are smaller and finer than the 1/8 NPT threads on the headstock so the decision was to simply buy ones that fit.

Photos of that setup as well as the original lunkenheimer ones momentarily.

 

[jim rozen]

So here's the apparently final solution: Gits wick-type oilers (smallest ones) from mcmaster carr. They stay full when the spindle's not being run and seem to provide enough oil when it is running.

 

[jim rozen]

Oh, and as promised, the details about those Lunkenheimer oilers, how they are assembled, this is how they must have done it. The wire is 0.080 stainless safety wire, the same diamter as the originals.

 

[jim rozen]

And, close-up views of the "L" logo, and the size which is probably "00."