Engine lubrication

[Lopez Mike]

I'm interested as to what sorts of oil everyone is using for general external lubrication on their engines.

In the past, I've used automotive oils for non-critical bits. 600W cylinder oil for some stuff. On occasion I've used lathe way oil though I'm not so sure it will flow into small places. Sure sticks to my ways though.

Mike

[barts]

I use 600W steam cylinder oil for laying up the engine; for bearings, con rod, eccentrics, etc. I use Vactra #2 or #4 way oil
as it sticks, is readily available in 1 gallon quantities and is designed not to mix w/ water based coolants.

The tricky oil to get is proper steam cylinder oil for condensing engines; the compounded oils are hard to remove from the feed water. Otter's engine only gets oil inside now when being put away; it seems to deal with saturated steam w/o the need for internal lube since it has a piston rather than a slide valve...

- Bart

[fredrosse]

Green Velvet, markets steam cylinder oils, compounded types for plants that do not need to separate the oil from the condensate. Their marine mineral oil separates readily in the hotwell (next to impossible with compounded steam cylinder oils) and has a tackifier to make it adhere to metal surfaces better than straight mineral oils.

I am using their compounded oils so far, and have tanks for feedwater, or occasionally take on lake water if necessary. When I get to sea water travels, I will have to switch to their non-compounded oils for hotwell separation.

For engine external lubrication, I use 90w gear oil usually, and spray the engine with WD-40 to clean it up after things get dirty with the sticky cylinder oil or heavy gear oils.

[barts]

Green Velvet, markets steam cylinder oils, compounded types for plants that do not need to separate the oil from the condensate. Their marine mineral oil separates readily in the hotwell (next to impossible with compounded steam cylinder oils) and has a tackifier to make it adhere to metal surfaces better than straight mineral oils.

I am using their compounded oils so far, and have tanks for feedwater, or occasionally take on lake water if necessary. When I get to sea water travels, I will have to switch to their non-compounded oils for hotwell separation.

For engine external lubrication, I use 90w gear oil usually, and spray the engine with WD-40 to clean it up after things get dirty with the sticky cylinder oil or heavy gear oils.

http://www.steamenginelube.com/cylinderoil.htm shows that the non-compounded oils are no longer readily available, unfortunately.

I avoid using gear oils because they usually have an acrid sulfur smell which I don't enjoy; the odor from the way oil is much less.

- Bart

[Lopez Mike]

Thanks Fred.

I'm only lubricating this engine externally. By the time the 100-150 psi steam gets to my cylinder it would pass for a hot humid day in New Jersey. Pretty wet. No oils needed.

Yeah Bart, the Sulfur compounds in hypoid gear oils are stinky. That's why I have been using 600W for a lot of things. It works great in Ford Model A transmissions and rear ends. Not many hypoid gear designs with sliding contact areas in 1928!

There is certainly a lot of odd advice out there about lubrication. My dad and now I have been using ordinary motor oil on my South Bend lathe now for 66 years. Not for the head stock or apron but for all the various oil cups here and there including the ways. Still in first class shape. Even the original scraping marks are still visible in the high traffic areas near the head stock.

Mike

[barts]

There is certainly a lot of odd advice out there about lubrication. My dad and now I have been using ordinary motor oil on my South Bend lathe now for 66 years. Not for the head stock or apron but for all the various oil cups here and there including the ways. Still in first class shape. Even the original scraping marks are still visible in the high traffic areas near the head stock.

Mike

Sure... there are two principle reasons to use way oil: 1: if you're using water based coolants, the detergents in regular motor oil will cause mayonnaise to form; this makes a real mess.... you get the same problem running motor oil in closed crankcase steam engines and 2: way oil has tackifiers to increase the effective viscosity of the oils; this helps keep the oil on the ways instead of draining down into the pan.

I used motor oil on my Atlas for 20 years w/o any problems, but the way oil definitely sticks better than the motor oil I used to use.

When I got my 15" lathe running, I discovered that the specs on the way oil (Vactra) met the headstock & carriage oil requirements so I now use the same oil everywhere. I figure oil that doesn't drip off the gears when the lathe sits unused for a month is a win.

- Bart

[DetroiTug]

Green Velvet Sapon 320 for the steam line oiler and that or Vactra for the crosshead drip oiler.

To clean the engine, I use Gunk - just spray it down, wait 30 minutes and hose it off, looks good as new.

-Ron

[PeteThePen1]

You probably don't need to know this, but these folks do a nice range of oils (but in daft size containers!).

http://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/scrip ... ategory=29

Smooth steaming

Pete