14 1/2" southbend

well short of dismembering this lathe, just yet, I removed the back two Allen plugs and oil cup and flushed out all the sludge and refilled it with fresh. (yesterday)
ran it at high speed for a while and the front warmed up and the back stayed cool ....cold actually so I went ahead and did the front today ....someone had installed the cup with the two Allen bolts below it .... I flushed it out and returned the cup to the center. I believe they did that because it didn't tighten until sideways ...Teflon tape cured that ...and Greg I didn't even realize there were breather holes until I shot some oil in the front top hole and it blew the paint out of the weep hole.....I do have the felts to redo this lathe and will do it at some point soon ....but I want to clean and lube as I go for now .........I just like using it ....thanks ....I would advise anyone that hasn't flushed out the oil in theirs to do so. I put some oil into the back gears and spindle , but have been reading it should be Teflon grease ....please advise me on this!
 
Exactly where are these vent holes? Are you refering to the holes above the oil cups that are used to stick a long pin in to hold down the spring loaded felts when replacing the spindle? If so, I didnt' know they had a second function.
I made a grease zerk adapter that screws into the cone pulley and back gear oil holes to pump in the teflon grease. I add grease once a year, instead of adding oil every other use.
 
Last edited:
They are described as air holes in the rebuild manual ....also used to hold down the felt wicks....I think it might be like holding the bottle upside down.
It might not completely stop the oil flow but could restrict it.And mine were definitely painted over ......
 
You guys seem to have figured out the vent hole thing, it's like putting your finger over a straw and then lifting it out of a glass, it wont allow the liquid to flow. Sorry I did not respond to this earlier but for some reason I am not being notified by email when post are updated.:dunno:
 
I went out & looked again to make sure I knew what I was talking about. There is an allen screw above each oil cup, it's purpose escapes me, and above that is a dimple in the paint that must be the air holes. I'lll run a drill bit through them tomorrow and hope I can bring the dirt out & don't bush any into where it shouldn't be. Anybody know what the allen screws above the oil cup are for?
Pics are of the grease zerk fitting I made to add teflon grease to the cone pulley & backgear of my 10K. Now I have to make one for the 14 1/2".

PICT3249.JPG PICT3251.JPG
 
I think the top Allen is access to a return port. Oil goes into the cup and fills the reservoir gets wicked up and around the bearings and the excess returns through the top and down the drain to the reservoir. I think that's the process....ther was some wicked sludge in side ...supposed to be flushed out regularly, most probably need to be. Anybody know the procedure? Kerosene? Maybe you backflush it through the top? I got a lot of gunk out and put some marvel mystery oil in it and ran it for a while then drained that out and refilled it with oil ....i'll probably do it again soon although I might just break it down and clean it out properly ....I just don't want to stop using it lol.....
 
Those air holes are not shown for holding down the wicks with wires when replacing with new wicks....The top Allen holes are shown for doing that in the rebuild manual. The air holes go up and I think they align with holes in the top bearing.....
 
Yes, I cleaned the holes out this morning and found that they are bored on about a 30 deg angle upwards. I'll have to back out the upper allen screws and make sure they're clear too.
 
atwatterkent said:
Yes, I cleaned the holes out this morning and found that they are bored on about a 30 deg angle upwards. I'll have to back out the upper allen screws and make sure they're clear too.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you should open those bottom Allens and drain that too. I drained mine and a mix of the fresh oil with a black center came out ....it wasn't until I carefully(feeling for and avoiding wick) put a ball end Allen wrench carefully in and started plunging it out that the gates of sludge hell opened and some seriously nasty crap came out....I don't know whether you replaced your wicks or not. On another note I oiled up the motor yesterday the pulley side was pretty warm and the oil has helped . I used the spindle oil #10 ....It has a cup on each side and a cup on top of each spindle....I need a source for reasonable oil .....Is it something that can be gotten(ordered) locally?What do you guys use? A pint at a time worked for the atlas 618 but isn't going to cut it for the Southy PS I like those zerk adapters .....
 
I did open the lower screws, drained the oil, which wasn't that bad, refilled the cups and ran the machine, continuing to top the cups off until they stayed full. Never took the upper screws out though and I haven't pulled the spindle yet to check the felts. Like you, I'm too busy enjoying running it. I don't think this machine has an excessive amount of hours on it and it seems to have been taken care of before I got it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top