Clausing 6300 oil change/type

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Wino1442

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Hi all.....I just acquired a Clausing 6300 and as part of the cleanup I will need to change the oil in the headstock, gear box, and apron. The manual calls for SAE 20 oil and SAE 90(for the gearbox) Is there an equivalent for these? I had read that ISO 68 is and equivalent for SAE20, but want to get some opinions before I put the wrong stuff in there. Also, is it enough just let the oil drain and then fill to the proper level or should I flush these areas with something after draining? I don't see any clumps or sludge so I don't know if flushing is absolutely necessary , but if I should flush it could I use kerosene?

Thanks
 
Disclaimer: I don't have a 6300 but a 6915 so I cannot tell you for sure.

I also see SAE 20 converted to ISO 68 and my lathe takes 2 lubes in that rage (one as hydraulic fluid and one for way oil). Per Clausing my "modern" conversions for the older way lube (Texaco Way Lubricant D) are Shell Tonna 33 or Mobile Vactra 2. The Vactra 2 is what I was able to find so that is what I use.

I don't have any experience with the SAE 90 Gear Oil but I am sure that someone here does and will be along soon. If all else fails McMaster Carr lets one search for lubes by SAE code.
 
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SAE 20 is still available but not readily available. Most automotive chain stores don't carry and some at least can't order it for you. The last time that I bought any, it came from Tractor Supply. ISO 68 is more often than not the accepted alternate or conversion, Mobile sells a "Heavy-Medium Circulating Oil" that I use when I can't find straight SAE 20. 3-IN-One sells an SAE 20 for electric motors but it comes in the same size container as their common product and if you calculate the price per gallon, you will find it far more expensive than the other two I've mentioned.

SAE 90 gear oil and SAE 90W140 are still available as it was and is the standard oil specified for manual gear boxes and NON-limited slip differentials by car makers such as Land Rover.

As to whether or not you need to flush the gear box before draining and refilling, it depends upon what the oil that you drained out looks like. If the drained oil looks like you probably didn't need to drain it, then no. If on the other hand, the drained oil looks like it had water in it, then yes. And if the drained oil has evidence of ground up gears, then the gear box should be disassembled and all of the components carefully inspected.
 
Since your going to change oil, why not flush while your at it. It won't hurt anything Besides that you'll start with a fresh and clean machine. I use kerosene to flush my lathe. Fill to the appropriate level, run the lathe ( with the head cover on) for a couple of minutes, with no load, drain and refill with fresh oil. I use ISO68 in head stock and ISO32 in the apron. My lathe is not a Clausing its a King 12x36
 
For the Clausing 5914 (which I have) the recomended oils are below:
Headstock: Mobil DTE 25
Carriage: Mobil DTE 26
Ways, open gears: Mobil Vactra #2

I am not sure if these would directly map to the 6300, but the lathes appear to be somewhat similar.
 
I had intended ti finish with something like flushing won't hurt anything so if in doubt, go ahead and do it. Also, kerosene will be fine for flushing. And #2 Diesel is also OK. Although the Diesel is worse in the odor department. Then the phone rang and I hit the SEND button while standing up to go answer it.

Further on the viscosity subject, most of the viscosity cross-reference charts show some if not most of the scales have a range instead of a fixed or unique number. So if you look at a chart that has both SAE and ISO, you will find that both ISO 68 and ISO 32 fall within the range of SAE 20. I picked the 68 as much for availability as anything else. Plus Atlas (now Clausing) had for a number of years listed SAE 10 and then in the 1950's changed the recommendation to SAE 20. So I went with the ISO 68 and have had no reason to change it.
 
I have a 6329, my headstock bearings (the front one anyway) used to get very warm quickly, when the lathe was run at high speed. I don't know what the oil was that was in it, but it was pretty dark. I picked up a 2.5 gal container of ISO 68 hydraulic oil, which is also a turbine oil, and put that in the headstock. Now it runs at a normal temperature and I have run it at high speed for well over an hour. I just have gear lube in the other gearboxes. As far as flushing goes. I wouldn't try to loosen up and shmoo that is hibernating in there unless you are doing a complete teardown. You may be asking for trouble. Just refill the gearbox with new oil, run the lathe to warm it up, then drain and refill again. That would remove anything that you would not want in there. Also, there might be a metal cover next to the handwheel (about 1" dia), if so pop out the cover with a small screwdriver and turn the spindle by hand untill the oiler appears. Thats the only hidden lube point that I am aware of on my machine.

One last thing, Tractor Supply is the best place to find lubricants like these. Automotive suppliers just don't have what we need for our machines.
 
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