Hey Guys,

As most of you likely realise im busy restoring an old Zyto Lathe. It has numerous oil holes mostly in cast brackets where shafts run ! Backgear shaft brackets, leadscrew mounting brackets, tailstock spindle etc. None of these are bushed, the shafts simply running in the bore of the casting and none of the holes have any guard in place to prevent grit and chips from entering and causing premature wear. Ive stripped, cleaned and repainted every individual part of the lathe now and am wondering what methods there are to reduce the amount of dirt entering these oil holes. Some of them were totally blocked with crud before dissassembly ! I was thinking spall ball oilers like the myford has but without drilling the current oil holes deeper they would likely not fit and i dont wish to modify the castings if possiable. Im thinking maybe some form of plug perhaps ? Your suggestions are welcome.