THANKS for all the nice answers!!
Those look like ball oilers to me. Not for grease, but oil. Some pump oil cans have tips that fit ball oilers.
Do you have a manual for that machine? What lubrication does it recommend for that location?
Thanks a lot piper, I do have the manual but in German, I will try to translate it with the phone or just give it to someone who can read fluidly. I assumed it was grease since I had to clean a lot of nasty grease from the grooves inside the cylinder. Oil makes more sense because grease can trap particles and accelerate wearing, right?
In my experience these are oilers rather than grease fittings. Is this the clamp that rides up & down the column? If so, oil would be more appropriate (the milling head appears to be oil filled
from the photos I found here; there is also a link to the owner of the machine shown on that page, so you could get some info from them).
A manual is available, but pricey.
I use a
Reiling Double Pump Oiler on these fittings and
Super Lube Oil.
It is indeed the clamp that rides up & down the column, that oiler looks really nice, could you explain what characteristics make the Super Lube Oil your preference? What should I be looking in a way of lubrication oil? With my previous machines I used automotive grade 40 oil, but it was more about availability and price. The Reilang pump is quite expensive here in the netherlands
The Kroilers . Have a bunch of old Eagles also .
These look beautiful, but I can't find them in the Netherlands, not even the Kroil oil, I am guessing it has to do with import and regulations...
Tip shape not really that important. Slip a piece of clear tubing over the end and cut off clean and square with a razor blade. Seals around every oiler, every time.
View attachment 507439
That's a very neat trick, I was wondering how do you seal grease or even oil in such cups.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what makes an oil pump good and about the oil choices for your machines.
I also have to think about lubricating the spindle bearings, the dovetail guides of the XY axis, and some bars and rods that don't see a lot of movement but slide once in a while. Also, antiseize for some screws that made me break a sweat when trying to get them unstuck.
I'm busy with cleaning all the components and nooks in the castings so not really nice photos, but I'll upload some photos of the lubrication points and grooves this afternoon.
