Rotating sleeve oiler... Wick or no wick?

[MidniteMachinist]

I just purchased these oilers to replace the zerk fittings on the spindle of my mill (don't worry, I cleaned out the grease from the previous owner, and have been feeding it oil). These rotating sleeve oilers are the type that originally came with the machine.

It's a universal head mill (the head rotates 90*, vertical to horizontal), with a plain-bearing spindle. There's no useful literature for this machine... I only know that these are the right style oilers, from zooming in on the sales literature I've been able to find.

My Google-fu hasn't yielded any relevant information about whether this particular style of oiler uses a wick. Figured I'd ask the community. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Nutfarmer]

If it was mine I would put a felt in the oiler. But what do I know.

 

[Weldingrod1]

Yeah,I vote felt too.

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[benmychree]

Yes, felt.

 

[whitmore]

My old lathe has a reservoir/cup and takes a wick; this design, though, probably has the reservoir down inside
the casting, and the wick would be hidden there. The fitting doesn't seem suitable to contain enough of
an oil reservoir with or without felt stuffed into it.

 

[benmychree]

I would use a relatively short piece of hard white felt to act as a strainer to keep particles from reaching the spindle, just punch one out of felt that would fit up against the spindle while allowing space for a reservoir within the oil fitting.