Rescue ancient spring bottom oilers?

Meta Key

MK
H-M Lifetime Diamond Member
Joined
May 4, 2018
Messages
143
My wife saw these at a garage sale and brought 'em home, thinking I'd like them. (25 cents each and, yes, I do like them.)
IMG_2868.jpg
Of course, they both leak around the spring bottom perimeters. I'd like to resurrect them -- has anyone had success getting leakers sealed up again? I'm thinking of possibly cleaning them out and trying to re-flow the solder? (Is it even solder?)

Any wisdom to be had?

Thx,
-MK
 
That will work, but first you have to get ALL the oil out of the can and out of the joints. It might be possible to clean it out really well with solvents, then dry it out, and finally pour in a 2 part liquid that will set up hard and oil proof. Roll the can around until the sealant is in all the corners, extending a ways onto the adjacent sheet metal. I have never had an oil can of that style that leaked out the bottom, only leaking around the top threads from it missing the gasket or a poor gasket. Make sure that is not the source of the external oil.
 
I have seen leakers like that, I'd think about cleaning with a hot solvent like acetone and then using a Loctite product to seal it, or you could just park it on a place that needs oil, or on a rag to be used for rust prevention.
 
I have never had an oil can of that style that leaked out the bottom, only leaking around the top threads from it missing the gasket or a poor gasket. Make sure that is not the source of the external oil.

Hmm... I did test that oil would come out of the spouts so I may have sloshed enough oil up there to come out the top of the can. I will test that theory before I do anything radical. (I'm dubious cuz there was a LOT of oil on the bench the next day but, still, it's worth the experiment.)

Thanks!

-MK
 
I have seen leakers like that, I'd think about cleaning with a hot solvent like acetone and then using a Loctite product to seal it, or you could just park it on a place that needs oil, or on a rag to be used for rust prevention.

I thought about one of those "gas tank sealer" things. Some sort of two part epoxy or something but I didn't want to take a chance on it breaking up under usage. It would seem a hard problem -- the spring bottom construction constantly being used and it being full of oil. It's a wonder these things last more that a few days!

I was contemplating cleaning out with acetone, as you suggest, and then cooking it on a BBQ for a while, both for the possible excitement and to possibly reflow what I assumed was solder holding the thing together.

You're "out of box" thinking on calling the leak a feature has some merit!

Thx,
-MK
 
Back
Top