Tecalemit vintage brass grease gun

[steamdaveParticipant @steamdave]

The Myford oil guns are terrible, as everyone knows. There has been a suggestion that the old style Tecalemit grease guns are a suitable and cheap alternative (similar style to ebay 252735949931).

With that suggestion I invested a small amount and purchased one with the idea of putting on a modified nozzle to fit the oil nipples. Problem is my purchase doesn't work (which is why a lot of them are seen for sale, no doubt).

I filled the cylinder with oil and pumped away, but nothing emerged. Taking the steel nozzle off, the ball and spring are in place. At the bottom of the cylinder there appears to be a cork washer/seal, so something is missing, methinks.

Has anyone got a working gun and can tell me how to get mine going.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

[steamdaveParticipant @steamdave]

Repair of

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

The following comments are based on old style grease guns I have, yours may vary of course.

A cardboard / foil tube of grease is what probably mates with the cork seal at the bottom of the gun in normal use.

If you've filled one with oil, you may need to angle the reservoir upward so the air is at the top and the oil is totally covering the hole over the ball valve at the cork seal end so it will feed.

In grease use, there is a spring loaded plunger pushing on the grease inside the reservoir. The grease tubes come with a sort of built in piston /seal cap at the outer end, that the plunger pushes on. This keeps grease feeding the outlet hole.

Unless you have made a piston and seal to cover the oil in the tube and push on it, you will need to hold the reservoir oriented to keep the hole covered in oil – gravity oil feed.

After greasing with these guns with grease, as originally intended, it is important to pull out and rotate the spring plunger to lock it out and release spring pressure. If you don't the grease may leak slowly past the ball valve and onto the floor or bench. For gravity fed oil use, this may not be a problem.

Good luck JD

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Jeff Dayman on 26/01/2017 15:39:01:

The following comments are based on old style grease guns I have, yours may vary of course.

…

After greasing with these guns with grease, as originally intended, it is important to pull out and rotate the spring plunger to lock it out and release spring pressure.

.

Jeff,

I think the Tecalamit gun in question is rather different from what you describe.

The one illustrated in the ebay listing is the little one that was included with many British motorcycle tool-kits. … It was filled by unscrewing the top, and pushing the base onto the dispensing disc in a can of grease.

MichaelG.

[Brian WoodParticipant @brianwood45127]

Dave,

​I'm afraid the Tecalemit guns are designed to pump grease, and even if you can get yours to work it will be dreadful with oil, most will come out of the sliding tubing joint rather than through the nozzle. You will have lovely soft hands though!

​The new Myford guns that were made for them by Wanner were a whole lot better than the previous pathetic offerings by the Company, but they are by no means leak free, despite the improved design. They are also quite expensive.

​I hope that helps you, although I suspect otherwise

Regards Brian

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

First a correction to my post

Tecalamit Tecalemit

Now a useful **LINK**

http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/viewforum?currentpageref=123&function=viewthread&forumref=14732&threadref=14732¤tforumpage=¤tforumorder=

Picture about half way down the page.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: I think what we actually need is the Bicycle Oil Gun, also pictured … 'though I've never seen one.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 26/01/2017 16:51:52

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Are we talking about the very old Myford gun or the Wanner version that was its replacement?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Here's the patent for the tool-kit grease gun:

**LINK**

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?CC=GB&NR=621173A&KC=A&FT=D&ND=3&date=19490405&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP

and I think this next one might be the bicycle oiler:

**LINK**

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?CC=GB&NR=223932A&KC=A&FT=D&ND=3&date=19250507&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP

MichaelG.

[Thomas StauboParticipant @thomasstaubo12021]

I use this one on my Myfords original nipples: Linky

It has a concave plastic insert in the nozzle that's designed to seal against the nipple. And usually the oil goes in, and sometimes not

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Further investigation reveals that [although Tecalemit has many patents to its name] … The underlying design of the 'Cycle Gun' is attributable to this one, by Oscar Ulysses Zerk : **LINK**

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?CC=GB&NR=230903A&KC=A&FT=D&ND=3&date=19250317&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP

With a name like that, he deserves a place in any Myford user's toolkit.

MichaelG.

.

http://www.flying-scot.com/miscellaneous/bicycle/technical/tools/tecalemit.html

http://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53119&hilit=tecalemit&start=45

" Ihave a Tecalemit "cycle gun" british patent numbers 211498-230903. (lots of numbers, for something that fits in the palm of my hand!)"

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 26/01/2017 20:22:22

[steamdaveParticipant @steamdave]

Posted by Thomas Staubo on 26/01/2017 18:30:54:

I use this one on my Myfords original nipples: Linky

It has a concave plastic insert in the nozzle that's designed to seal against the nipple. And usually the oil goes in, and sometimes not

I have 2 of those – one for my larger lathe and one for the milling machine. They work on a similar principle to the Myford ones, but don't leak where the tube slides into the cylinder.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

[steamdaveParticipant @steamdave]

Posted by KWIL on 26/01/2017 16:51:31:

Are we talking about the very old Myford gun or the Wanner version that was its replacement?

I have 2 Myford supplied guns. One of about 1979 vintage, the other one from the late 80s/early 90s. I don't know the manufacturer of either. Both leak where the tube slides in the cylinder, hence the search for something better.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

[steamdaveParticipant @steamdave]

Posted by Brian Wood on 26/01/2017 16:42:10:

Dave,

​I'm afraid the Tecalemit guns are designed to pump grease, and even if you can get yours to work it will be dreadful with oil, most will come out of the sliding tubing joint rather than through the nozzle. You will have lovely soft hands though!

​The new Myford guns that were made for them by Wanner were a whole lot better than the previous pathetic offerings by the Company, but they are by no means leak free, despite the improved design. They are also quite expensive.

​I hope that helps you, although I suspect otherwise

Regards Brian

Brian

See my answer to Kwil re Myford oil guns.

After filling with oil and trying to pump, one of the gratifying aspects was that no oil leaked out between the cylinder and pusher. Only wished it would 'leak' out of the nozzle!

Dave
The Emerald Isle

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 26/01/2017 20:19:10:

The underlying design of the 'Cycle Gun' is attributable to this one, by Oscar Ulysses Zerk : **LINK**

:

With a name like that, he deserves a place in any Myford user's toolkit.

You're not previously familiar with the name 'zerk nipple' then?

Neil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 26/01/2017 21:45:48:

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 26/01/2017 20:19:10:

The underlying design of the 'Cycle Gun' is attributable to this one, by Oscar Ulysses Zerk : **LINK**

:

With a name like that, he deserves a place in any Myford user's toolkit.

You're not previously familiar with the name 'zerk nipple' then?

Neil

.

How, pray tell, do you make that deductive leap to the design of the Tecalemit Cycle Gun ?

MichaelG.

.

P.S. … It's not so much his surname that delights me, but the full Oscar Ulysses Zerk, which shares a 'poetic' balance with the name of an old school-friend 'Trevor John Constantine Higgins'.

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 26/01/2017 22:02:19

[RobboParticipant @robbo]

Posted by Thomas Staubo on 26/01/2017 18:30:54:

I use this one on my Myfords original nipples: Linky

It has a concave plastic insert in the nozzle that's designed to seal against the nipple. And usually the oil goes in, and sometimes not

I have two of those, one with a concave end which fits the "sticking out" grease nipple type, and one with a pointy end which deals with the flat nipple type.

They are/were available on ebay for about half/third the price of a Myford gun. I do have a latest style Myford gun, which Malcolm assured me wouldn't leak, but sadly he was wrong.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Dave

If the sliding cork in your Tecalemit gun is in good condition and still greasy oil won't leak out the back. For a while until the cork gets washed clean anyway. Unfortunately it will never pump oil because the clearance between the pumping plunger and the nozzle is too great to generate enough pressure to pump past the ball and spring. The oil just pushes back into the body. The greater thickness of grease allows sufficient pressure to build up in the nozzle. Its still a low pressure gun tho.

Inline oil guns appear always to be of the type linked to by Thomas Staubo where the delivery tube slides back into the body / reservoir. Sealing is notoriously iffy. Probably because the seal against the moving tube works at full pressure on a poorly maintained surface. Also generally have to be stored vertical and correct way up if they are not to leak. Design has always seemed a bit iffy to me but combining oil sealing with air ingress to replace the pumped out oil appears not to be a trivial task.

Clive

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 26/01/2017 20:19:10:

Further investigation reveals …

" Tecalemit "cycle gun" british patent numbers 211498-230903 "

.

Despite Neil's heckling, I remain interested in this ^^^ and have now located GB211498

**LINK**

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?CC=GB&NR=211498A&KC=A&FT=D&ND=3&date=19250514&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP

MichaelG.

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Could you make a nozzle to fit the Myford nipples to attach to a Reilang oil can? I use one of those for the sprung ball type oilers on my machines and find it excellent – even works upside down.

Russell

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Russell Eberhardt on 27/01/2017 09:42:42:

Could you make a nozzle to fit the Myford nipples to attach to a Reilang oil can? I use one of those for the sprung ball type oilers on my machines and find it excellent – even works upside down.

Russell

I think there are drawings for such a thing in the Yahoo myford lathes group's file section. It may have been in MEW once too.

[Martin 100Participant @martin100]

As a Boxford owner for many years, and with no more than five minutes playing on an ML7 decades ago, it's always puzzled me the reams and reams of discussion in ME and elsewhere about oiling Myford lathes and how the Myford oil gun is useless and lots of suggestions from all and sundry on how to fix it, and store it, and stop it leaking, and etc.

With a Boxford I just use a Reilang gun, prod the end into the oiler squeeze the trigger a couple of times and get on with using the lathe. Is a Myford oiling point something so massively complicated it needs a 'special' solution to apply the oil?

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Posted by Martin 100 on 28/01/2017 00:45:50:

As a Boxford owner for many years, and with no more than five minutes playing on an ML7 decades ago, it's always puzzled me the reams and reams of discussion in ME and elsewhere about oiling Myford lathes and how the Myford oil gun is useless and lots of suggestions from all and sundry on how to fix it, and store it, and stop it leaking, and etc.

With a Boxford I just use a Reilang gun, prod the end into the oiler squeeze the trigger a couple of times and get on with using the lathe. Is a Myford oiling point something so massively complicated it needs a 'special' solution to apply the oil?

+1.

Wot he said.

[Author]

Posts