Favourite cylinder lubrication
Favourite cylinder lubrication
Currently using graphite and wanting to move towards hydrostatic oiler with separator.
What brands/ grades do you use?
Where can you source?
Should I just leave it how it is?
VFT boiler
single double acting 2.5x3
condensing
Thanks Brains trust!
Ads
What brands/ grades do you use?
Where can you source?
Should I just leave it how it is?
VFT boiler
single double acting 2.5x3
condensing
Thanks Brains trust!
Ads
- Lopez Mike
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 1903
- Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:41 am
- Boat Name: S.L. Spiffy
- Location: Lopez Island, Washington State, USA
Re: Favourite cylinder lubrication
I'm sure you've heard this before but are you sure you need internal lubrication? I have years of operation on my 3 x 4 double acting engine with no problems. My safety pops at 135 p.s.i. so there is no superheat beyond an occasional drying event when backing off on the throttle after a hard run. I don't need a hot well separator beyond some filtering that only needs attention once a year.
This is a subject that has been a source of controversy for a century and a half. Until I find that my rings are wearing much I'll be letting water do the work.
This is a subject that has been a source of controversy for a century and a half. Until I find that my rings are wearing much I'll be letting water do the work.
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
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- Full Steam Ahead
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- Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 2:12 pm
- Boat Name: Platypus, Shelduck
- Location: Very eastern England
Re: Favourite cylinder lubrication
No argument with what Mike says, but if you run at 150 psi or more, or have superheat, just a little oil avoids horrid squeaks: I'm not sure the occasional squeak does the engine a great deal of harm, but it makes me feel awful! What you want is a straight, non compounded steam oil, because it doesn't emulsify so strongly as compounded steam oils (which are fine for locomotives, traction engines, and puffers). You probably already know that nappy liners are designed to absorb nasty wet slimy stuff, and they work very well as oil traps as well when dunked into a hot-well and the flow goes through them.
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- Full Steam Ahead
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- Location: Yukon, OK
Re: Favourite cylinder lubrication
I believe Cyberbadger purchased a few gallons of Chevron W460 a few years ago to try in his engine, I do't believe he ever gave a report on how it worked though.
- barts
- Full Steam Ahead
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Re: Favourite cylinder lubrication
I use the green velvet oil PB &J 460 but they seem to be out of business.
- Bart
- Bart
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Bart Smaalders http://smaalders.net/barts Lopez Island, WA
Bart Smaalders http://smaalders.net/barts Lopez Island, WA
Re: Favourite cylinder lubrication
Thanks for the replies Gents
Im planning slight super heat and like tinkering with the boat
attached are some drawings of what im thinking.
one being the separator design, a capped end and the other a removable cap with the inlet and outlet to allow filter medium to be refreshed. Oil floats on water but I figured if the water was forced through the medium this wouldn't be critical to the design and will allow it to be mounted vert, hoz, up, down, left, right etcc.. The vacuum pump (not yet built) will (I assume) provide some positive pressure to force the condensate through the medium..
Thoughts?
I understand there are parts missing from the "architectural" drawing but I think it gets the idea across.
Im planning slight super heat and like tinkering with the boat
attached are some drawings of what im thinking.
one being the separator design, a capped end and the other a removable cap with the inlet and outlet to allow filter medium to be refreshed. Oil floats on water but I figured if the water was forced through the medium this wouldn't be critical to the design and will allow it to be mounted vert, hoz, up, down, left, right etcc.. The vacuum pump (not yet built) will (I assume) provide some positive pressure to force the condensate through the medium..
Thoughts?
I understand there are parts missing from the "architectural" drawing but I think it gets the idea across.
- Lopez Mike
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 1903
- Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:41 am
- Boat Name: S.L. Spiffy
- Location: Lopez Island, Washington State, USA
Re: Favourite cylinder lubrication
What works for a lot of people is to have a layer of Oilsorb on top of the water in the hot well and have the hot well float valve outlet dumping on top of the Oilsorb.
Backing up a bit, I don't see a hot well float valve in your piping diagram. Without a float valve you will be constantly fussing with the boiler water level. Don't leave home without it.
These have been around since Noah and a boat without such a system is a fiddly and aggravating proposition.
Backing up a bit, I don't see a hot well float valve in your piping diagram. Without a float valve you will be constantly fussing with the boiler water level. Don't leave home without it.
These have been around since Noah and a boat without such a system is a fiddly and aggravating proposition.
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
- cyberbadger
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 1123
- Joined: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:16 pm
- Boat Name: SL Nyitra
- Location: Northeast Ohio, USA
Re: Favourite cylinder lubrication
Mobile 600w super cylinder oil is what I've used. I run up to 200psi.
https://www.amazon.com/MOBIL-600W-SUPER ... B00G97EIJ2
Every major petroleum company sells a very similar product, it is being used for gear motors used in fracking nowdays.
Still has tallow in it, the lake flies in chautauqua love it.
-CB
https://www.amazon.com/MOBIL-600W-SUPER ... B00G97EIJ2
Every major petroleum company sells a very similar product, it is being used for gear motors used in fracking nowdays.
Still has tallow in it, the lake flies in chautauqua love it.
-CB
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- Full Steam Ahead
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- Location: Middle Earth
Re: Favourite cylinder lubrication
Your details don't show which side, of which pond, you are. If in the UK, speak to Morris Oils of Shrewsbury, they are most helpful and used by most of the heritage steam fraternity.
Retirement is about doing what floats your boat!
A BODGE : - A Bit Of Damn Good Engineering.
A BODGE : - A Bit Of Damn Good Engineering.