Grease bank block made of aluminum?

PoorMan · Mar 9, 2017

I am thinking about making a block real quick today for a grease bank on a tractor and I'm wondering if it is a big no no to 1/8 npt tap aluminum for grease zerks and hoses.

I don't know if I have any 7075 or similar to minimize galling compared to softer types.

eaglemike · Mar 9, 2017

It'll work fine

crossthread · Mar 9, 2017

I've done it no problem.

Monarchist · Mar 9, 2017

PoorMan said:
I am thinking about making a block real quick today for a grease bank on a tractor and I'm wondering if it is a big no no to 1/8 npt tap aluminum for grease zerks and hoses.

I don't know if I have any 7075 or similar to minimize galling compared to softer types.

?? It ain't exactly rocket insemination, tapping shiney-wood.

If yer overly worried 'bout that, or that ignorant mild steel will corrode, just hunt up a drop of one of the 'medium' Bronze alloys.

EG: NOT Nickel-Aluminium Bronze, but most any other, Tobin/Admiralty AKA 'red BRASS', not really Bronze atall, included.

"Loominum should be cheap and cheerful, tapping not hard.

Just don't cross-thread the fittings.

Might want to put a spare or two in it, plugged, for that future possibility.

Onepass · Mar 9, 2017

Hell store bought ones are made out of aluminum. Usually 6061. But about anything will work ( I'd stay away from oak) but that might work too.

Hmmm... now I'm curious! I'm going to bust up a skid and try it!

Monarchist · Mar 9, 2017

Onepass said:
Hell store bought ones are made out of aluminum. Usually 6061. But about anything will work ( I'd stay away from oak) but that might work too.

Hmmm... now I'm curious! I'm going to bust up a skid and try it!

Lignum Vitae certainly, Black Walnut, Maple, white Hornbeam, probably - all could work if the pressures are not too high.

Oak will not work.

'Country Boy' here had an argument with a tenth-grade Science teacher. Told him the longitudinal cells walls in Oak broke down and were continuous tubes. He said NFW.

Took Dad's DeWalt, sliced a long section off some raw Oak flooring, brought it to school, put one end in a beaker of water, blew BUBBLES though it from the other end.

There goes yer grease. Just one more messy 'blow job'..

Onepass · Mar 10, 2017

Monarchist said:
Lignum Vitae certainly, Black Walnut, Maple, white Hornbeam, probably - all could work if the pressures are not too high.

Oak will not work.

'Country Boy' here had an argument with a tenth-grade Science teacher. Told him the longitudinal cells walls in Oak broke down and were continuous tubes. He said NFW.

Took Dad's DeWalt, sliced a long section off some raw Oak flooring, brought it to school, put one end in a beaker of water, blew BUBBLES though it from the other end.

There goes yer grease. Just one more messy 'blow job'..

-oak blowjob... hmmm... gives a somewhat disturbing mental picture of a so called 'tree hugger'

Monarchist · Mar 10, 2017

Onepass said:
-oak blowjob... hmmm... gives a somewhat disturbing mental picture of a so called 'tree hugger'

Uh.. well. New meaning to 'sap sucker' or 'branch water'?

Not my style, though...

I just went and used it for a shop project.

'Dynamically balanced', then lightly spring-loaded arm for a phonograph. Didn't look as if I was going to get much of a grade for it...

Until I demoed it could keep playing a record w/o skipping... whilst slowly being turned upside-down, then lightly shaken.

The 'engineering' of that part wasn't really original. Our '56 DeSoto came with an optional 45 RPM record player that was reasonably immune to rough roads.

But it did get me an "A".

James H Clark · Mar 10, 2017

PoorMan; If you happened to have a skiptooth tap of the desired size, that will help to prevent

problems in tapping, also, frequent cleaning when getting close to finish depth, also would use

WD40 or fuel oil for tapping fluid. I have done similar work to make manifolds for air hoses.

JH

Milland · Mar 10, 2017

James H Clark said:
PoorMan; If you happened to have a skiptooth tap of the desired size, that will help to prevent

problems in tapping, also, frequent cleaning when getting close to finish depth, also would use

WD40 or fuel oil for tapping fluid. I have done similar work to make manifolds for air hoses.

JH

Minor point - skip tooth pipe taps are OK for roughing in a thread, but leave a turn for finishing with a regular full thread tap. Skip tooth leave more of a "ledge" at the end of the tooth form, and while a regular tap will too it's smaller and easier to deform when tightening the fitting, or seal with compound or tape.

garyhlucas · Mar 10, 2017

Run the tap in until about 6 full threads are still showing on the tap and the fittings should fit nicely.

neilho · Mar 11, 2017

Monarchist said:
Lignum Vitae certainly, Black Walnut, Maple, white Hornbeam, probably - all could work if the pressures are not too high.....

Few people appreciate the hornbeams the way you do, or at all.

Here, Eastern hophornbeam (ostrya virginiana) is by far the densest firewood- have been managing the woods nearest the house in favor of it for years (much to the chagrin of my forester). Also have a couple maul handles that are lasting well and a fireplace mantle sawed out- someday there may even be a fireplace to put it on.

Just curious- have never heard the term "white" applied to a hornbeam. D'ya have a species name or other colloquial names for it?

FWIW- here the hophornbeam is ironwood, leverwood and hardack (beats the hell outa me), while the smoother barked hornbeam (carpinus caroliniana) is blue beech or musclewood, and in the midwest also referred to as ironwood. A bit confused, I was after moving here...

Monarchist · Mar 11, 2017

neilho said:
Just curious- have never heard the term "white" applied to a hornbeam. D'ya have a species name or other colloquial names for it?

Nah.. 'appearance' name, neither common nor Linnaen.

AFAIK, anyway.

IIRC, that came out of a mid/late 1950's Contantine catalog where it had been used in contrast to Ebony or Rosewood to make an uber-durable Chess board with starker white squares than most other truly "hard" woods with tight grain offered.

Among my current 'favorites' is one that isn't even a 'wood' at all.

Cleverly processed Bamboo.

Which is actually a grass, not wood, astonishingly strong and stable, and with inordinately high silicates content that gives it great wear characteristics for some applications.

Fastest1 · Mar 11, 2017

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Grease bank block made of aluminum?

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