High Pressure Oil Can, whats it for?

[Rhyolith]

Enots High Pressure Oil Can by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Enots High Pressure Oil Can by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I got this because it looked like it would polish up well (which it has!) and was made by my favourite oil can maker, Benton and Stone of Birmingham (or Enots).

It seems to be made to squirt the oil over a distance, I have tried it with water and it goes several metres! I assume this would be useful for getting oil in some place you cannot physically reach? It has a very fine screw on nozzle, though it still squirts a long way without it! So I assume this is more for quantity control than anything.

Enots High Pressure Oil Can by Rhyolith, on Flickr

As its almost entirely made of brass (the spring for the pump is the only thing I can find that is not brass!) I am assuming its pretty old? Just because not much brass seems to have been used more recently.

This is what the back looks like. The walls of the can are quite thick.

Enots High Pressure Oil Can by Rhyolith, on Flickr

 

[Cheshirechappie]

The oil pressure in some bearings can be very high indeed under working conditions. It's usually regarded as good design practice to feed the bearing from a much lower pressure point, but that detail only became fully appreciated slowly as mechanical engineering developed. Thus, some machinery of older design needed oil feeders capable of overcoming working pressure, otherwise the oil tended to escape rather than be augmented!

With better understanding of how lubrication works, the move towards 'sealed for life' lubrication systems, and lubricants circulated by pump, the need for such high-pressure oil feeders diminished.

 

[sunnybob]

looks more like a grease gun to me

 

[Rhyolith]

The oil pressure in some bearings can be very high indeed under working conditions. It's usually regarded as good design practice to feed the bearing from a much lower pressure point, but that detail only became fully appreciated slowly as mechanical engineering developed. Thus, some machinery of older design needed oil feeders capable of overcoming working pressure, otherwise the oil tended to escape rather than be augmented!

With better understanding of how lubrication works, the move towards 'sealed for life' lubrication systems, and lubricants circulated by pump, the need for such high-pressure oil feeders diminished.

How would you use this to get into bearings? The end does not look it would easily fit into a hole or attachment to feed the oil at high pressure, which is why I assumed the pressure was for squirting.

looks more like a grease gun to me

It does actaully say "High Pressure Oil Can" on the side, see the second picture above.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Grease nipples can also be used as oil nipples - little spring-loaded ball non-return valves, in effect. The oiler business end is applied to the oil nipple, and a shot of oil depresses the ball against the spring, and enters the bearing. As the oiler is removed, the oil pressure in the bearing supplements the spring force to push the ball back onto its seating and close the oil's route of escape.

Used quite a lot on older machinery. Some people assume that all nipples are grease-fed, but it's not always the case. Always worth checking whether the lube point should be oil fed or grease fed.

 

[Rhyolith]

Ah, I know those nipple bearing feeders, two of my older bench grinders have them. So this sort of oil can is for them?

I do get a bit confused by when to used grease, thick oil or thin oil... My general assumption is to use more viscuous stuff on bigger heavier things, though I am sure this is not unversally right.

 

[MusicMan]

It depends also on speed. You can have a heavy lathe chuck but you should use a light "spindle" oil on the bearings if they are the solid type.

Spindle oil, a viscous "way oil" for slideways and Ballistic for a very thin penetrating, lubricating oil that can be used on metal, wood and even skin are the only specialised oils I buy. The rest gets 3 in 1.

Keith

 

[Rorschach]

Myford lathes require a high pressure oil gun, it's basically a modified grease gun I think. Without it you have no chance of getting oil into the nipples they use. I am not a big fan of it to be honest but I can't really do without it.

 

[Rhyolith]

So its less viscous for smaller and faster, and less viscous for larger and slower?

My ML4 does not need that as far as I am aware. I just give it plenty of engine oil its previous owner instructed me to, it just has capped holes for the oil though (no nipples). Maybe later versions have nipples?

 

[Rorschach]

So its less viscous for smaller and faster, and less viscous for larger and slower?

My ML4 does not need that as far as I am aware. I just give it plenty of engine oil its previous owner instructed me to, it just has capped holes for the oil though (no nipples). Maybe later versions have nipples?

I am not sure what model started using the pressure nipples. I have them on my super 7 and I am pretty sure the ML7 uses them too.