I hate oilers !

[Spotshooter]

Or they hate me...

I’ve been using heavy ways oil, and it’s hard to get oil in those little suckers.

I’m going to try Vectra 2 in them now vs. this heavier stuff... Good googly moogly.

 

[darkzero]

I use vactra #2 on mostly everything. There's a couple oilers on my lathe that don't take oil well but using a high pressure oiler it's fine. I only use Vactra 4 on vertical surfaces like the column for my mill drill.

 

[ptsmith]

I was unable to get oil in any of my ball oilers (I assume that's what you're talking about). I founds suggestions to reduce the diameter of the tip of my oiler. That made all the difference in the world. It's now quite easy.

 

[mksj]

Getting a better oil can help a lot, I ended up purchasing some Reilang oilers, they are high pressure and work in any position. They also do not leak oil all over the place. Only problem I had is the top reservoir flat rubber washer swells over time and deforms, I replaced it with an O-ring and have had no issues since. One of the problems is the ball of the oiler port makes a seal against the tip of the oil can, you can use a fine file and make a very small V across the tip which allows the oil to flow even when pressed up against the oiler ball.

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[Spotshooter]

I just can’t seem to get a nozzle to fit over the ball and seal well, but like I said I’ve been using pretty thick ways oil so swapping out to a lighter oil is probably going to make life alot easier. Some of the oilers just don’t want to take any oil.. and I have bought a bunch of different oil can’s to try.

 

[Bob Korves]

I use about 2 inches of 3/16" clear plastic aquarium tubing, cut clean and square at the oiler end, and then push the other end over the oiler spout. To use, grab the end of the tubing with thumb and fore finger and push it over the oiler to seal the tubing to the oiler base. Pump oil. You can see the oil start to flow into the oiler. It works great, but takes two hands, which is no problem.

If you use something that pushes the oiler ball down below the surface, it can get kicked over into the corner of the oiler by the spring and be permanently stuck there, and the oiler will need to be changed out to fix it. At least with Chinese oilers on my lathe. Been there, done that. Do not push the ball down below flush with the oiler surface. The plastic tubing cannot cause that problem.

The tubing slowly hardens over a couple months, making it more difficult to seal. Throw it away and install another piece. 25 feet of the tubing costs around three dollars...

 

[Spotshooter]

That is a cool idea.. I’ll have to try it.

I think it would ideal to have something that pushes the ball down just a bit, and still let oil flow past it, where you could see it like that..

 

[ptsmith]

That's the reason for reducing the diameter of the tip. The tip pushes the ball down, and instead of the tip sealing on the top of the oiler hole, it seals on the sides *inside* the hole. Not that it really needs to seal all that great once you push the ball open. The oil flows pretty freely at that point.

 

[parshal]

Getting a better oil can help a lot, I ended up purchasing some Reilang oilers, they are high pressure and work in any position.

I bought one of those when I'd read one of your older posts. Some of my oilers are so tight (won't accept oil very well) that I end up bending the oiler handle. I have to periodically bend it back. I keep telling myself I'm going to make a better handle but just haven't done it.

 

[benmychree]

I was given a 55 gallon drum of Vactra #4, it took a good many years to use it up! It is way too heavy for most lathes, unless you have perhaps a 36" swing --- I thinned out the #4 with light machine oil to about the consistency of #2, and it worked fine.