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Silly little question

Tomc938

Tomc938

Ultra Member
So we all have these "ball oil" spots on our machinery.
Screenshot 2025-01-09 at 6.49.07 PM.png

What is the proper oiler for them called? I confess I have been using a hypodermic needle to sneak oil past the ball, but I'm sure there must be something that actually is made for these fittings. What do they look like/are they called?

Thanks!
 
See:

www.gitsmfg.com

Style GB Ball Valve Oiler: Gits Mfg.

Discover Gits Style GB Ball Valve Oiler providing durable, easily assembled protection requiring minimum top clearance.
www.gitsmfg.com www.gitsmfg.com

AIUI, you want a pump-style oil can with a nozzle that tapers to just slightly smaller than the diameter of the opening. Press down on the ball to create a seal and then pump in the oil. The pressure of the oil will push the ball down further and allow the oil to flow in.

Craig
 
Found this convenient thread…

cuslog

Thread 'Oil can for use with ball oilers'

I have a "trigger squeeze" oil can that is kind of a leaking, drooling mess and it just gets worse when I try to force oil into ball oilers on my lathe and I end up with more oil on me and the floor than I do in any ball oiler.
Any one got one they like for this job ?
TIA
  • Like
https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/oil-can-for-use-with-ball-oilers.2939/
 
trials20 said:
Go to your local Canadian tire store and get one of these. Remove the grease before filling with your preferred oil.
Click to expand...

What a great idea! It's not always obvious that you actually pumped some oil in with an oil can.

Thanks for that.

On another note, you wouldn't believe how many people I run across who never grease the end gear at the tip of the bar. In fact, some even say you are not supposed to do that! Sheesh! :rolleyes:
 
European machinery uses similar things as zerks for grease. To grease the machines we used fittings like those used when greasing the front drive shaft CV joints on your 4x4 P/U on our grease guns. . When I first saw them on my lathe , I remembered the chainsaw bar grease guns . I found one at a thrift store cheap, cleaned out the grease and used it. The oil weeps so it lives in a plastic bag. Of course when I went to use it, I couldn't find it. Then I remembered an old machinist trick of using a short piece of rubber hose on the spout of my Goldenrod oil can. to seal. That worked almost as good.
 
Susquatch said:
On another note, you wouldn't believe how many people I run across who never grease the end gear at the tip of the bar. In fact, some even say you are not supposed to do that! Sheesh! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
It's like they think that centrifugal force doesn't apply to chainsaws, and the chain oil is going to get to the needle bearing..... Same ones that have to take all of their small engines in to the shop each season because they don't start....... Sometimes it just seems like taking candy from a baby.... :rolleyes:
 
I have a Myford plunger gun like that that came with the lathe that works for all the ball fitting on it. For the zerks on the mill, I bought a grease gun, removed the plunger and so far just use it upside down with waylube. Keep meaning to finish it, and make it water tight, but it sits hanging by a ziptie next to the mill taunting me everytime I use it. When I bought the head off Rauce, when he scrapped his mill, I wish I would have stripped all the one shot system and fittings off it too.....

I just bought some goldenrod oilers from KMS and plan to make one fit the fittings on my shaper. If I can't get it to work, I will make some oil cups for it instead. A little side project right now is to make oiling "stations" next to or on every machine I have with the proper oil in a proper tool.
 
Dan Dubeau said:
A little side project right now is to make oiling "stations" next to or on every machine I have with the proper oil in a proper tool.
Click to expand...

This is my favored way of doing it too. I like to have common tooling handy for all my machines even if it means having duplicates. Why not oil too. Which reminds me that I still have to modify the saddle on my lathe to provide better lubrication for the feed direction lever. Have to add that to my ToDo List.
 
It's really comical in my shop to do that, because I can stand in one spot and operate 4 different machines lol. BUT, I know it's a way that will work best for me, to ensure they get the proper oil and maintenance every time I use them.

It's all too easy to just hop on the mill for a quick operation to mill a slot or something without pumping oil into it. Might be ok for a quick one off, but do that 10 times every couple of days, and you're now inviting problems.....One of the reasons I want to fit a one shot oiler to it, as most of the time I use it, is just like that. Takes more time to oil the damn thing, than it does to mill the thing I wanted to mill......Same thing on the lathe, but it's a bit easier and quicker to oil for use.
 
Dan Dubeau said:
It's really comical in my shop to do that, because I can stand in one spot and operate 4 different machines lol. BUT, I know it's a way that will work best for me, to ensure they get the proper oil and maintenance every time I use them.

It's all too easy to just hop on the mill for a quick operation to mill a slot or something without pumping oil into it. Might be ok for a quick one off, but do that 10 times every couple of days, and you're now inviting problems.....One of the reasons I want to fit a one shot oiler to it, as most of the time I use it, is just like that. Takes more time to oil the damn thing, than it does to mill the thing I wanted to mill......Same thing on the lathe, but it's a bit easier and quicker to oil for use.
Click to expand...
Very interesting video on installing a one shot oiler on a lathe. Good use of cut away part to explain how it works. Certainly impressive work as always with Alex.


Oop, forgot the link.
 
Last edited:
Tomc938 said:
So we all have these "ball oil" spots on our machinery.
View attachment 57568

What is the proper oiler for them called? I confess I have been using a hypodermic needle to sneak oil past the ball, but I'm sure there must be something that actually is made for these fittings. What do they look like/are they called?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Not silly at all. I struggle with those &#$@ too.
 
Stefan just posted a video converting a grease gun to a one-shot oiler for his machine. I didn't get through it but looks interesting.

The thing to know is the pressure requirement may vary & some of the typical hand oilers fall short. When the oil passage leads to a narrow opening like the face of a dovetail ways, or side of a close fitting shaft, or a long passageway filled with mung, the required hydraulic pressure may exceed what Grandpa's drippy-do oiler can provide. That's where these injection styles enter the picture. Also way oils are more viscous but I don't think that's much of an issue compared to the dimensional constraints.

You might find those Chinese oiler parts vary in quality (as I did). Sometimes the spring/ball doesn't operate quite right, sometimes variation in the can diameter. I thought about making some because I have some ports where the hole itself is the issue. I was going to harvest the spring & ball but they are kind of fiddly. I don't think a grease Zerk precludes use in oil but they have different shape formats. I I'm sure we discussed this at length before. There are better oilers from Europe but they were not easy to source. Maybe someone has some relatives to middleman.
 
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