Lube for ML7 – again…

[Geoffrey HYDE FYNNParticipant @geoffreyhydefynn45631]

Hi

I am yet another who has been lucky enough to inherit an ML7. My father bought it new in the mid-50's for less than £100 including a load of bits and pieces.

I have read as many of the previous threads that mention lubrication for the ML7 but I can't find the definitive on the following issue.

The lathe appears in excellent order and judging by the work he was turning out even in his late 80's/early 90's it is still very accurate. So I guess he had the lubrication right. As much as I would like I can't refer the question to him any more!

I am confused by the references to lubrication. I have the original Myford publication 701 and the more recently available re-prints of the "720". I have also read Ian Bradley's "Myford Series Manual".

I accept the change from EssoFebis K68 to a "good quality SAE 30 oil" and Esso Nuto 32 for the rest…

But the books/manuals put "stars" on "5"(Backgears and changegear over teeth),"7"(tumbler gears), "15"(Leadscrew), "16"(Rack), "17"(Cross slide and top slide feed screws.). The stars are referred to as needing Rotol MTS 1000 (a grease). But in the same page these same refernces have you apply SAE30.

Help….

Geoffrey HYDE FYNN

PS I am itching to check the installation but want the right lube first. Do we have an "approved dealer" of oils and suds?

[Geoffrey HYDE FYNNParticipant @geoffreyhydefynn45631]

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Geoffrey

The "New" Myford sell the "correct" oil HERE but cheap it 'aint! However , like you I wanted to do it right when I got my S7 and I bought some from the "OLD" Myford. It does last a long time.

Regards

Norman

[_Paul_Participant @_paul_]

On my ML7 I use ISO32 hydraulic oil T68 slideway oil and Molybdenum (CV Joint) grease, the ISO32 & Molybdenum grease can be had from most motor factors the T68 I buy locally from The "Baltic Oil Works" here in Newport for around £25 a gallon though I see Chronos sell "Multispec 68" slideway oil for around £26 delivered.

Regards

Paul

[LambtonParticipant @lambton]

Standard ISO 32 grade hydraulic oil is available from “new” Myford – at the rather high price of £16.50 + vat + postage. The last lot I bought from Myford Nottingham in 2009 cost £7 for a litre collected at an open day.

I have just bought some, identical spec, from Smith & Allan of Darlington at a very reasonable price of £6.99 for 1 litre that included postage. Delivery was fast and the oil was well packed. They advertise all sorts of other oils on their eBay site.

I also enquired at my local garden machinery repair shop and they said they would happily sell me 1 litre from their bulk supply if I took along a suitable container – again at a very reasonable price.

There is no need to pay the earth for standard specification oil.

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

Can anyone explain why generic motor or gear oil isnt just as good? Granted it wont get up to car engine temperature but when you think of all the moving parts and stresses in an engine a lathe isnt going to come even close – and engine oil still has to protect the engine when its still cold?

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by fizzy on 15/06/2013 10:13:16:

Can anyone explain why generic motor or gear oil isnt just as good? Granted it wont get up to car engine temperature but when you think of all the moving parts and stresses in an engine a lathe isnt going to come even close – and engine oil still has to protect the engine when its still cold?

Dont use gear oil. Most of it has a sulfur additive that can eat into yellow metals such as brass and bronze bushings, halfnuts etc.

My old lathe has been oiled with motorbike engine oil for the past 40 years that I know of and it seems to still have minimal wear. I suspect it is more important to oil often and keep things clean than the exact brand/spec of oil.

[Geoffrey HYDE FYNNParticipant @geoffreyhydefynn45631]

But has anyone any thoughts on the other question:

I am confused by the references to lubrication. I have the original Myford publication 701 and the more recently available re-prints of the "720". I have also read Ian Bradley's "Myford Series Manual".

But the books/manuals put "stars" on "5"(Backgears and changegear over teeth),"7"(tumbler gears), "15"(Leadscrew), "16"(Rack), "17"(Cross slide and top slide feed screws.). The stars are referred to as needing Rotol MTS 1000 (a grease). But in the same page these same refernces have you apply SAE30.

Help….

Geoffrey

[LambtonParticipant @lambton]

"Can anyone explain why generic motor or gear oil isnt just as good?"

I think the short answer is probably No

ISO 32 grade hydraulic oil has a viscosity equivalent to SAE 15 and 64 grade oils = SAE 20. Both of these are in the range for multi grade motor oils so there is no obvious reason why motor oil should not be used other than 60 years back when Myford started selling the 7 series they specified the 32 grade hydraulic oil as a low viscosity oil with excellent lubrication properties.

Modern good quality multi grade motor oil cost a fortune because of all the additives it has to enable it to cope with the very arduous conditions inside an engine. By comparison the lubrication of a Myford lathe is a"doddle". New Myford charge the earth for standard oils that can be purchased much cheaper from sources that I have already identified.

I use 32 grade oil for the head stock and other oiling points & 64 grade for the gearbox. I also use SAE 30 oil (sold as 4 stroke mower oil) on things like the lead screw. I don't like slideway oil as it is too sticky and tends to hold on to small pieces of swarf etc. that can get trapped between the slide ways and cause wear.They are OK for slides on machining centres etc. where they are at the back and near vertical. The only really important thing is to apply some lubricant to all the oiling points at the recommended intervals without being too precious about is exact specification.

[Chris HeapyParticipant @chrisheapy71135]

It isn't the additives that are expensive so much as the oil itself. A fully synthetic ester-based oil is a lab product and has nothing in common with dinosaurs and coal etc., it is an amazing polymer with advanced properties – the principle one being its 'shear strength' under arduous conditions (high temperature and pressure) which are a measure of the resistance of the polymers to break down. It is the polymer structure that is providing the lubricating qualities by keeping metal components separated. A good quality synthetic oil of this type costs £40-£50 for 5 litres. Don't get confused with oils labelled as 'semi-synthetic' which are anything but, but that's another story.

Anyway, when I buy a 5 litre can of this stuff for an oil change there is always some left over, my engines don't burn oil so I collect the remainder and use it on my machines. It won't benefit from the high temperature rating perhaps but the high pressure rating is useful for the bearings.

Which brings up another question – over the years I must have used gallons of the stuff on my S7B – where's it all ended up? Maybe on rags and soaked into the thick wood benching, but it still seems a lot.

[Author]

Posts