What is the best oil for a small sleeve bearings?

Maybe a dumb question but I have picked the wrong oil a couple of times now and they all need oiling again. I have 3 fans with sleeve bearings that I have to oil once in a while, shafts are 1/4" to 10mm. I have tried Vactra #2, which seems to leave a varnish, 3 in 1 oil, and sewing machine oil which is too light but good for flushing the varnish out. I have Velocite #6 spindle oil, 5-30 and 30 weight motor oil on hand if any of those would be best. Fans are cheap, 20" box and two bathroom ventilation fans. I am leaning toward the 30 weight motor oil next but would like to get some other opinions on this as I would like to stretch the lubrication intervals out as long as possible.

3 in 1 makes an oil for small motors, sleeve bearings. Blue label instead of black. That said I solved the problem by not buying sleeve bearing fans anymore. I got tired of doing exactly what you're doing. I found several good bracket mounted fans with sealed ball bearings.

The most common is 3-IN-1 Motor Oil, SAE 20. This is different from the regular all-purpose 3-IN-1 which is meant for general lubrication.

All the instructions I have ever seen say to use 20 weight non-detergent oil marked as motor oil.

Mobil one full synthetic, 0W20 weight.

Ever the odd man out, I use Superlube low viscosity oil without PTFE. You don't want PTFE in an Oilite bearings, though I've even seen advice that it's OK. My guess is the Mobil One is probably a good choice as well.

Its not the oil, its the brass, should be oilight, powered brass dust pressed in a bearing shape and soaked with oil, if the brass is wrong no oil will stay in there long enuff to lub...Phil

For small fans of 1/4" shaft or so, the best oil is pretty thin. I have used the "Zoom-Spout" oilers from the hardware store, the ones that say "high quality turbine oil" on them. It has worked very well in small fans and blowers

It's probably roughly equal to hydraulic jack oil. Somewhere between 5 and 10 weight, based on how it "sloshes" in the bottle (I have not run a viscosity test on it). I have also used the jack oil, and it was about right also. You do not want a heavy oil in the small oilite bearings. It will not soak in, nor come out easily to do its job..

For slightly bigger shafts you can go up in viscosity. The 20 wt is about right, 3 N 1 oil is a compromise "for most motors", so it covers up to 1 HP or so. A little thick for small ones, I think.

Your best bet if they are gunked-up is to take them apart and use solvent to clean the bores and shafts, then oil regularly for a while until the oil is well soaked into the oilite. You can vacuum-fill oilite, but that is only convenient if you can get at the actual bearing. The housing may be large and clumsy.

And there is replacing the motor, if it is a common type.

I would try LPS 2.

If that is too heavy, then LPS 1.

Have to agree with those that said use some form of hydraulic oil perhaps ISO-32 to ISO-68. I would use Mobil DTE 24 - 26 as it's on hand in the shop already.

Have to disagree on motor oils. Today's motor oils are designed for internal combustion engines. They have additives that contain detergents that allow particles to remain suspended and be captured by filters.

They also have additives that absorb moisture. This moisture becomes steam in an internal combustion engine and is released. It will never be released by a spindle sleeve that never gets hot.

Motor oils are for internal combustion engines and have no business in machine tools or plain spindles.

Best Regards,
Bob

Rislone! 100Q it's just a highly refined light oil. I keep it in all the pump cans around the shop. nice light blue color too!.

I have a few antique Emerson desk fans, this is a popular question on the fan restoration forum. Consensus there is that blue label 3-in-1 oil is the best for fan sleeve bearings, just like ken said. The red label stuff gums up and gets sticky after a while, the blue label stuff does not.

rjs44032 said:

Have to disagree on motor oils.
Bob

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I would too, except they work well. I've got several oillite bronze bearing motors using the mobil one oil, and the oiling intervals are measured in tens of years.

eKretz said:

I have a few antique Emerson desk fans, this is a popular question on the fan restoration forum. Consensus there is that blue label 3-in-1 oil is the best for fan sleeve bearings, just like ken said. The red label stuff gums up and gets sticky after a while, the blue label stuff does not.

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As I said in an earlier post the blue label stuff is marked 3-IN-1 Motor Oil, SAE 20. It is specifically designed for electric motors with sleeve bearings.