Unheated Shop Lubrication Issues

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Littlebriar

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This is my first post and I'm a real newbie on this stuff. Please be kind.
This past summer I bought a Grizzly lathe and drill/mill. I only use the equipment occasionally. They are in an unheated shop in Michigan so it can get pretty cold. I was using the mill yesterday and the motor to lift the head really struggled to move the head up. It was even a bit hard to crank it up. Once it started moving the motor would work OK. I had no such problems when the shop was warmer. I called Grizzly tech support and they suggested I clean the grease off the jack screw and replace it with a light oil. He also suggested to go back to normal lube in the Spring.
I'll give that a try but wanted to ask a broader question. What lube do you use for your equipment in sub freezing temps, including the ways? I did a quick search on the forum and couldn't find the answer.
Oh, oh...another lube thread, but with a twist.
 
Welcome to the forum. I am sure your question will see many responses. I live and work in a very moderate climate so I don't face the issues of Cold and Rusty environments that others see so no practical experience that I can offer. I do wonder if there is a way to heat machine a little prior to use? Heat strip or Radiant heater aimed at the machine for an hour or so before use. just to try and warm up the machine not heat the shop?
 
At the ski areas I worked at we used Lubriplate MAG-1 grease (https://www.lubriplate.com/Products/Multi-Purpose-Greases/MAG-00-and-MAG-1.aspx) for equipment that operated in both winter and summer. A little more expensive than generic grease but when you have 500 bearings 50 ft. in the air on a single ski lift it is impractical to change greases with seasons.

Lubriplate (and likely other lubrication companies) have gear oils, hydraulic oils, etc. with high operating temperature ranges. We used aircraft rated lubricants (on our sno-cats) too. Call or email specialty lubricant companies and talk to one of their engineers to see what they have to meet your needs.
 
Don't use grease on machine tools except for where it is meant to be. It collects chips and ruins machines. Anywhere chips can get into, use way oil. Slides and lead screws definitely need way oil, NOT grease, even if there are Zerk style grease fittings. Was all the preservative coating removed from the machine surfaces before putting it in service? If not, I would flush it out as well as possible and then use the recommended lubricants from the operators manual for each part of the machine.
 
Littlebriar said:
This is my first post and I'm a real newbie on this stuff. Please be kind.
This past summer I bought a Grizzly lathe and drill/mill. I only use the equipment occasionally. They are in an unheated shop in Michigan so it can get pretty cold. I was using the mill yesterday and the motor to lift the head really struggled to move the head up. It was even a bit hard to crank it up. Once it started moving the motor would work OK. I had no such problems when the shop was warmer. I called Grizzly tech support and they suggested I clean the grease off the jack screw and replace it with a light oil. He also suggested to go back to normal lube in the Spring.
I'll give that a try but wanted to ask a broader question. What lube do you use for your equipment in sub freezing temps, including the ways? I did a quick search on the forum and couldn't find the answer.
Oh, oh...another lube thread, but with a twist.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum! I live in mid-Michigan and have a mostly unheated shop too. Mine's in a 40 x 56 barn with a 10' ceiling. My shop is partitioned into a 32 x 40 area with 6" of insulation in the walls and 12" in the ceiling. Have a 25K or 30K ventless propane heater, but in general just stay out of the shop if it gets below 25 F.

The DRO on my Jet Mill doesn't like getting below 30 F, just goes to a blank screen. I have a heating pad rubber-banded to it and turn it on a half-hour ahead of time. I've heard of guys using a 60W incandescent light bulb to add some local heat too.

Don't want to give you any bad advice, but what about changing the oil to transmission fluid or a multi-weight engine oil? Sounds almost like my HF 1.5 HP compressor with single weight oil. It won't fire up below 40 F. I use the block heater to warm up the oil. That may be an option for you also.

Bruce
 
Velocite #10 has a pour point of -30 C (-22 F): Velocite Series.

To compare, Vactra #2 (way oil) only has a pour point of -18C (0 F) and DTE circulating oil is roughly the same.

I've been using DTE heavy-medium in the spindle and Vactra 2 on the ways, but thanks to an electric radiant oil heater (and good insulation) my shop has been above 40 F during sub-freezing (but not yet sub-zero) temps.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Just to clarify, the grizzly tech support guy suggested I remove the grease from the head (z-axis) leadscrew and lubricate with an oil . NLG#2 Grease or equivalent is specified for that part in the manual. I have not used grease on anything else. The X & Y axis leadscrews are specified to use ISO 68.
Yes, I did clean all the shipping gunk off when I commissioned the machine.
In these cold conditions, is standard way oil good to use?
 
KBC supplies way oil down to 10 SAE for use in cold climates. From November to April it is seldom above -5C here, and I can't afford to heat my shop above 5C, so I use thinner way oil (around 20SAE)...
 
Littlebriar said:
NLG#2 Grease or equivalent is specified for that part in the manual. I have not used grease on anything else. The X & Y axis leadscrews are specified to use ISO 68.
Click to expand...

Have a look at good quality molybdenum greases - you'll find they stay tractable (not hard as a rock) lots lower than you'll want to be out in the shop anyway.

Been here and done this on a different application - wiper motors on English cars. Common greases will turn to rock and stop the motor operating at 0F, whereas a good moly grease will not slow it down much if at all. Won't run and melt in Summer, either - another consideration for wiper motors.

Look for a good quality low-temp grease and use that - no swapping, no fuss.
 
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