Ball oiler

[Jude]

How do you fill the little ball oilers on a mini lathe?
ALSO, what oil do you use, my new g0765 recommends ISO 32. Is there a good alternative?

 

[Silverbullet]

I'd suggest ordering some at least from eBay , but if your in a hurry a light 20 wt oil will be ok . If you could get non detergent it would be better.

 

[4GSR]

They make oil cans with pointy tips made to push down the ball to inject oil into the oiler.
There are several threads on H-M explaining more detail of this very subject.

 

[Dave Paine]

ISO 32 = SAE 10W. Many places sell oils of this light weight.

 

[Groundhog]

ISO oils are hydraulic oils. You can usually find it fairly inexpensively at farm supply stores. It is used for tractor hydraulic / transmission systems. You can probably find an oil can with a pointy tip there too.

 

[Bob Korves]

ISO is just a name for a standards organization:
https://www.iso.org/

It is the metric equivalent of SAE in this country (Society of Automotive Engineers).
https://www.sae.org/

Those groups (and others) make and maintain standards for all kinds of measurements.

Saying SAE10 oil or ISO32 oil is only speaking about its viscosity, nothing else.

 

[Groundhog]

Bob is absolutely right.
I guess I just always think of ISO 32 (and other oils specified as ISO) as hydraulic oils, which they are not necessarily. I find that is is usually easier to find ISO32 hydraulic oil than it is to find SAE10 (non-detergent).

 

[Bob Korves]

If you buy motor oil outside the U.S., I expect it will be labeled in ISO viscosity. I use hydraulic oil as well for my machines, AW32 or AW64. I sometimes mix them to a rough equivalent of AW46.

 

[cascao]

SAE oils are for automotive use.
ISO oils are for industrial aplications.

Sometimes we can do a crossover, but it isn't ideal.

 

[Bob Korves]

SAE oils are for automotive use.
ISO oils are for industrial aplications.

Sometimes we can do a crossover, but it isn't ideal.

Those incorrect statements are a byproduct of which lubricants you purchase and which system is commonly used for specific markets. The truth is that ISO and SAE are very much the same thing as saying a 12 mm bolt or a 1/2 inch bolt. Different measuring systems, nothing else. Still bolts. It helps a lot to have the charts ingrained in your mind, or a chart handy:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/viscosity-charts/
It is all part of the same continuum, in multiple languages.