Oil Specification in Manual

[cobra46]

Hi All,

I am in the process of getting an old Central Machinery 5981 /LH-009 3 in 1 going. The manual says 'This machine should be lubricated with engine oil 30°, whose oil body is 3.81°~4.59° E50'.

Can anyone tell me what the heck that means in plain oil specs we all know?

Thanks,

Kevin

 

[Ulma Doctor]

i'm not sure what "whose oil body-blah blah ,blah" means

30 wt non detergent oil would be sufficient for your lathe
non-detergent oil is no longer available in california for sale as engine oil
you can buy air compressor oil which is basically 30 wt non detergent oil, at an unnecessarily inflated price

stay away from conventional engine oil

in a pinch, or if you aren't going to Reno anytime soon, you can use ISO100 hydraulic fluid

 

[Ulma Doctor]

this quantity of hydraulic fluid would most likely last for years...

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[cobra46]

i'm not sure what "whose oil body-blah blah ,blah" means

30 wt non detergent oil would be sufficient for your lathe
non-detergent oil is no longer available in california for sale as engine oil
you can buy air compressor oil which is basically 30 wt non detergent oil, at an unnecessarily inflated price

stay away from conventional engine oil

in a pinch, or if you aren't going to Reno anytime soon, you can use ISO100 hydraulic fluid

Thanks for the quick reply. Turns out a buddy of mine who is a Ford Master Mechanic is in Reno for Hot August Nights. I hit him up to pick some up for me. He said Napa sells it. Sure enough, Napa had it.

So this stuff can be used all over my lathe including gears and bearings? None of my gears are immersed in oil like a larger engine lathe.

My company has a full machine shop and we have a full time machine tool mechanic. He said to use way oil on the ways so I think I may do that and then use the 30 weight everywhere else.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

the way oil is great, but it has a tack factor that is unfavorable for hobby machining-
you won't hurt anything by using the way oil, but the ND30WT sheds contaminants better

i have used 30 wt for years and i beat the snot out of my lathes

yes, you can use ND30WT everywhere that takes oil on your lathe