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Lubrication for open gears

Just a Sparky

Hot Rolled
Joined
May 2, 2020
Location
Minnesota
Just seeing if anyone has any pointers in regards to correct lubrication for open gearing systems. I'm trying to figure out what to use for the gear reduction in my shaper. It's a lost-oil machine, so no pressure lubrication. Everything is oiled and greased by hand. I'm torn between oil and grease, and which type of either to use. I'm leaning slightly towards a moly grease like Mobil Centaur Moly 2 because the involute on the gears isn't perfect so there *is* some friction there, but I'm not sure if that will have enough "sticktivity" to stay put. Purpose built open gear greases like Mobiltac don't seem to offer moly as an option. Not entirely sold on the idea of excess grease flinging everywhere inside the machine either.

What would you do? :reading:
 
I think he consensus opinion is if part of a machine is exposed to chips, use oil. Chips will stick to grease and cause all manner of havoc. When i did an oil change in my cincinnati shaper, i found all kinds of chips inside.
 
Well, at least on the Smith&Mills shaper I had, the guts weren't open to chips so I would spray the gears with a 'cut back' pinion grease. The cut back pinion grease was a Chevron product that's sprayable before the solvent dries out, leaving a thick sticky grease behind. It's made for open gears.

Stuart
 
I had some moly stuff at one time that you painted on, then baked. There are places that will do this, too.

Then it's dry but slippery, maybe give a squirt or two of oil when you run it, and that's probably good enough.

I've also seen open chain and gear spray lube that evaporated to an almost-dry condition that you might try.

Since you probably won't be running it five days a week, it's not likely to be a huge problem ....
 
Some form of “open chain & gear lube or Chain lube is my vote, read the can as some say let dry for a period of time (I assume to prevent/reduce fly off)

Edit: I liked EG comment before I noticed who wrote it.
 
Ive been using some white food grade grease on the open gears of the old crane ,and it seems to stick better than anything previously used such as black "Gearcomp"...It also sticks to clothes so hard it doesnt wash out.......The reason for the grease ?...it was a deal on ebay.....20 drums for $20.....at list thats $4000 worth of grease ,and I ended up getting it free,cause the guy had to vacate his premises....a sad business failure,or so Im told .
 
Maybe I'll see if I can find an EP open gear oil with a high viscosity and good stickiness. The gears are easy to get to so it's no big deal to oil them each time I run the machine. I'd still be happier with some moly, but in reality the rest of the machine is probably going to wear out before the gears do.
 
Ive had lots of shapers ,and the first thing I look at is the wear on a small segment of the bull gear where it takes the cutting load......a few teeth in this spot always fail first .....I dont know why makers didnt have the gear attached to a hub with say 8 bolts,so it coukd be rotated to even out wear.......the other wear spot is the sliding block in the long arm .....some pure moly smeared on the slide is good her........the block usually has an oil hole in the top ,make sure oil can enter the hole and come out the contact faces.....which are oil grooved ,incase you repair them.The sliding faces in the arm also wear curved ,and if you mill them straight ,the block needs a liner ,(or two) made to fill the increased space.White metal works OK ,but it needs to be proper babbit ,not lead based.
 
Being an old crane man, who remembers when the open gear lube we had
to use on the 80-D Northwest, came in a 5 gallon bucket and needed to be
heated with a "Bertha torch" to soften it enough to dig out big sticky
handfuls and smear them into the gear teeth with your fingers.

I have a great appreciation for the aerosol can products we now have.

My favorite is a Lubriplate product labeled " Gear shield extra heavy"

I buy it in box of 12 and use it on several cranes and old machine tools.

Sparky:
Where in Mn. are you ??
Send me a private message if you want conversation.

petersen
 
Can you still buy white lead paste? I figured they would have banned something like that since it's brain damage in a can if ingested.
 
Just about every oil on the makers list for my old crawler crane had lead in it,apparently lead powder,but maybe white lead too..(basic lead carbonate?)....But Ive found the white food grade grease to be super sticky too,even lasts for months in the weather ,and its super sticky to get of hands and anywhere else it spreads..
 
Way oil, applied every time you run it. That will flush out chips and dust. Grease is a really bad idea on just about any machine tool application. It is less messy and doesn't need to be applied as often, but it ensures anything the touches it will be permanently recycled through the gears, or screw and nut, or ways, or whatever it's between.
 
I looked into South Bend's literature to "borrow" some hints from their lube specs and found that they recommend an "open gear spray lubricant" for their open gear trains. Along that line of thinking, I found this:

CRC Extreme Duty Open Gear and Chain Lube

It's described as a "black semi-viscous liquid". Probably a heavy weight, stickified, graphite-bearing gear oil?

Good enough for South Bend lathe - good enough for the gear train in a generic shaper?
 
I looked into South Bend's literature to "borrow" some hints from their lube specs and found that they recommend an "open gear spray lubricant" for their open gear trains. Along that line of thinking, I found this:

CRC Extreme Duty Open Gear and Chain Lube

It's described as a "black semi-viscous liquid". Probably a heavy weight, stickified, graphite-bearing gear oil?

Good enough for South Bend lathe - good enough for the gear train in a generic shaper?

I buy a spray can of open gear lubricant from McMaster Carr every few years.
 
i use two stroke oil. When jetski motors blow up, i always drain the oil tank and clean the entire system. I save the oil. it's "free" so i don't mind applying it liberally. It also has anti-rust/anti-corrosion being marine two stroke oil.
 








 
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