| Felt source? (Jan 3,
2001) |
Felt size on a heavy 10
(Feb 17, 2004) |
| Apron felts and oilers
(Dec 14, 2001) |
Felt for lathe (Feb 24, 2004) |
| Heavy 10 apron oil wicks
(Nov 3, 2002) |
Felt size for SB9 model A (Mar 25, 2004) |
| Spindle oiler wicks (Nov
16, 2002) |
Felt oilers on 9" headstock (Apr 19, 2004) |
| Way wipers (Nov 19, 2002) |
Felt (Jul 20, 2004) |
| Felts for headstock (Mar
17, 2003) |
Heavy 10 headstock oil cups (Jul 30, 2004) |
| New Felts, South Bend 13"
(Apr 20, 2003) |
Spindle bearing wicks length (Jan 18, 2005) |
| Brass things (Apr 21,
2003) |
9"
SB wick inspection (Jan 23, 2005) |
| 9" model A wicks/felts required
(Jul 1, 2003) |
Spindle bearing wicks? (Feb 2, 2005) |
| Felt for ways (Jul 27,
2003) |
Oiler wicks (Feb 22, 2005) |
| Spindle wicks (Nov 3,
2003) |
Felt wicks (Mar 16, 2005) |
| |
| Felt source? |
| Does anybody
know of a source for the thick felt that is used way-wipers on the
carriage as well as the felt used as wicks on shafts? I hate to even
call SBL for a price at this point. I'm in the process of de-gunking
and repairing my SB and I'm missing a couple of the way-wipers. One
screw was broken off, but fortunately there was enough of a nib
sticking out I was able to use a small nail-set and a small hammer
to carefully unscrew the broken screw. I'm glad I didn't have to
drill and tap! Paul R. (47) |
| I did see hard felt (SAE 20S2) on
page 3015 of http://www.mcmaster.com online catalog. It says its
"good for bearing seals, lubrication wicks and fluid transfer
components." I think I might try a 12" x 12" x 1/8" square for
$12.77 if I can't find anything better. Anybody got any opinions on
this? Paul R. (48) |
| The stuff I
have seen previously was white or light crème in color. If you get
it I will spit the cost as I am going to need to redo mine in the
spindle this year some time. JWE (49) |
| Check out safety or industrial shoe
stores. They sometimes have pure felt replacement insoles which would
be cheep. There is a Company in Canada where I have purchased felt
from in the past. They sell it by the pound and take Visa. BRAND
FELT OF CANADA LTD 2559 WHARTON GLEN MISSISSAUGA, ON L4X 2A8 (905)
279-6680 Also you can also check with any local bearing supply
house. They sell felt to replace wiper seals for bearing blocks. It
can also be sold under the name of Felt packing.
Jim (50) |
| Will an old
hat from Goodwill work? MRB (51) |
| Paul, SB is
actually reasonable on the wicks for the shaft and tailstock. Cost
was $3 per foot and a foot is a lot of wick, like would last you a
lifetime. Its a round felt solid rope about 3/16 dia. you cut it to
length and push it into hole then put oil cap back on. big tom (52) |
| Apron felts and
oilers |
| I
have my apron apart to clean and de-swarf it. I have disassembled
and de-swarfed and degreased. South bend parts said I would need
about 3 feet of felt to re-felt my apron. so far I have only pulled
out a couple of felt wicks, the longest piece from the lead screw
nut, ~3" oal. The parts breakdown does not show much...2 additional
felts on the shafts to shafts on which gears are on near the
handwheel/ where is the rest of the felts? Southbend told me that I
would have to thread and fish the felts through oil passages? huh? I
don't see anything else? are the fumes getting to me? dennis (2424) |
| I don't know why SB
wants to sell you 3 feet. I just did this to a 9" apron and used
only about 6 " total. SB does sell this by the foot. It is not
difficult to thread this felt through the oil holes at all. Ed
(2425) |
| I have only found 3
places to use the flat felt, ~3/32"x3/16", 2 at about 1 1/2" length
and one about 3". all are on a shaft of some kind. I can understand
a minimum order quantity, but to tell me that I needed 4 feet is
kind of ridiculous. Are there other felts that are crudded over that
I am missing? The parts breakdown only shows 3 felts too....???they
said I would also need some round felt. They didn't even mention
that I would need a new gearbox gasket.... 9" apron not (2426) |
| I restored My 8"
Junior 20 years ago, Used a piece of 1/4" Thick Industrial Felt 3" W
X 4' long, cost-$2.49 at a good fabric outlet, Only used maybe 6" X
3" carved it up to size with a razor blade. All I have on the apron
is wipers on the prismatic vee ways. Since My 8" Jr. has no spindle
bearings more felt is required than in later Workshop models. Don
(2430) |
| I used the flat
felt on the shafts and in the gearbox reservoir to the worm. I think
there were only three places as shown in the parts list. I made a
cover gasket out of some material I had on hand. I replaced the worm
gear and the new part was about .02 thicker than the original. The
material I had was thicker than the SB gasket and that solved the
rubbing problem from the extra thickness. Ed (2440) |
| Heavy 10 apron
oil wicks |
| I completely stripped my recently acquired Heavy 10 and am
giving it a big birthday. The lathe is getting the whole drama -
paint, bearings, lotsa fuss (labor of love here!) and the bed is
away for grinding. The motor cabinet and gearbox have just gone
together and now I'm onto the apron. When the apron was stripped it
was choka with swarf, gunge god-knows-what and the wick layout was
not evident due to the above plus some wicks had broken (the
component condition turned out to be quite good after a clean). In
the beginning I sent away to LeBlond for the parts manual (at an
awful cost - I'm in NZ and our exchange rates from my end are not
good!) and although invaluable in other areas the manual
unfortunately does not include the wick arrangement. I e-mailed
LeBlond about the wick layout and their advice was to get the parts
manual! So what I would like to ask is would some kind soul have a
wick drawing that I could use please. It's not the end of the world
as I know I can work something out but it would be nice to have the
wick layout as Southbend intended. I'm off on holiday for a week and
am looking forward to carrying on when I return (I'm a bit torn
here!) Dave (6940) |
| I looked in
my 2 parts lists and they both show the same thing a small piece of
wick with what looks like a spring attached to the bottom of it. One
of my lists has a part number AS373N1 and called a capillary oilier.
Randy (6985) |
| Spindle oiler
wicks |
| I wonder if anyone
can tell me what diameter of felt wick is required for a SB Model A
spindle? I want to order some material from McMaster Carr. Is there
anyone in Canada that knows of a supplier here? Is there anyone that
would like to sell me some if they over ordered from their supplier.
Should I replace the felt oilers throughout? Brian F.
(7329) |
| Brian, This is
advice from an FNG amateur with a Model A apart for cleaning
painting. The felt wick I took out is worn but measures
approximately 7/16 inch in diameter 1 1/16 inch long. It is a dense
felt and is now a "crankcase oil brown". It is wrapped in .020 inch
music wire spring about half way down it's length with coils to make
it "springy" from the bottom. It looks simple but I elected to buy
it from Leblond. They call it a "capillary oiler, PN AS373N1" stock
it at $11/each. I rationalize the cost as due to funding the
service, not the material cost of the part. There have been several
excellent posts on the subject spindle lubrication. When I cleaned
out the oil reservoir I got some crunchy grit. It's good to keep
clean. Mike
(7365) |
| Brian, I bought
3/8" F-1 Felt rope from McMaster-Carr for use with my spindle oilers
on my 13" machine, and although I haven't run the machine yet, it
fits well and seems like it will do the job. All the felt in my
machine was replaced (a previous owner used GREASE in the apron,
completely defeating the purpose of capillary lubrication), and I'd
suggest buying several feet of each width of felt from South Bend.
Call Rose Marvin at LeBlond Ltd. at 513-943-0099 x216 and she'll set
you up. (Make sure you have your serial number handy).
Jeff (7377) |
| Way wipers |
| My lathe does not
have any wipers for the ways on either the carriage or the
tailstock. I would like to install them but I really don't want to
drill and tap holes in my lathe. Scott (7411) |
| Drill
and tap. It isn't going to hurt anything get some felt and a brass
hold down and be done with it. mike (7417) |
| You could
theoretically make your own way wipers by cutting out a triangular
piece of felt and just sticking it behind a V-shaped piece of
steel/aluminum that you would attach to your carriage by means of
epoxy somehow...maybe by taking a straight piece of steel/aluminum,
about 3/16" square, epoxying one end to the back of the "V" on the
felt holder and the other end on your carriage.
Bilal (7419) |
| Try calling
SouthBend lathe company see: http://www.southbendlathe.com I
believe someone told me a few months ago that they got way wiper
felts from South Bend. Ted (7420) |
| Go to the
"photo" section of
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jobshophomeshop/
and click "Way Wipers" Johnny "What a waste of thumbs that are
opposable, to make machines that are disposable". Ani
(7424) |
| Felts for
headstock |
| I have a 9" Model
C, The vintage is about 1935. It has a head stock with the oil caps
on the top. The oil wicks on this head stock are also on the top.
They live in a channel about 3/16 by 1/8 deep. I replace them with
felt wicking I purchased from Duro-Felt products#5 White aspen Ct.
Little Rock AR. 72212. This was 3/16 round and worked fine. I
recently purchased a "newer" headstock on EBAY This one has the oil
caps on the side with a large oil container The primary holes
leading from the reservoir to the bearings is 1/2 inch in diameter.
There are two secondary holes at the end of the bearing area which I
believe to be oil return holes. The ends of the bearings seem to
have Vee groves for (perhaps) some kind of packing to stop the oil
from being "slung" by the spindle. I contacted SB by e-mail. They
sent my inquiry to LeBlond who sent me two exploded drawings of
headstocks. One of which was my original headstock. The second had
insert sleeve bearings and neither was the "new" head stock or had
any information on wicking. Does anyone know: 1)What kind of wicking
is should use? 2)Where can I get it? 3) Are the two small holes oil
return holes? 4)Is the groove for some sort of seal? 5) What kind of
seal? (9798) |
| The grooves are
supposed to be there to catch the oil and let it run down the
groove into the return holes. Don't pack them No seal in groove.
Frank (9801) |
| New Felts,
South Bend 13" |
| I am rebuilding
(partially disassembling, cleaning and painting) a "new" 13" South
Bend (CL8175C, sn 5500TKL12). Is there a source for new felts for
this lathe? Or, is there a source for felt stock, from which I could
make new felts? How often should these be replaced? Of particular
interest is the way wiper felt, but if a complete felt kit is avail,
I'm sure I'd replace them all eventually. Mark (10320) |
| McMaster
Carr sells hard felt in assorted thicknesses. You want a hard pure
wool felt for this application. Another source is old men's hats you
can sometimes find in thrift stores. Just see if the label says 100%
wool. Stan (10321) |
| I couldn't find
replacements easily here, so sat for a couple of hours or more,
kneading the old, iron hard headstock oiler felts between my
fingers, in hot water and detergent. They eventually came up like
new, although a dirty grey. I've checked from time to time since
re-assembly, and they are working fine. A spot of sticky silicone
grease held them down in the hole sufficiently while re-assembling,
and less tricky than using a long feeler. Len (10322) |
| Mark- All new felts
are $3.00 each. Rose Marvin (10358) |
| Mark, I am in the
process of rebuilding a 10L and tried everything before I went where
I should have gone first, for wicking felts, that's Rose at Leblond.
I was never able to find any material that when cut into the small
strips needed in the apron that was strong enough to tie on the
posts without tearing or if it had the strength, did not have the
capillary action needed to get the oil up to the shafts. I also got
my way wipers from them. I know $3.00 a piece is high but you get
what you pay for and if we never buy from them they may disappear.
(10372) |
| Considering what
they do, they are cheap at twice the price. The price of a cheap
six-pack versus the cost for scored spindle journals or bores? Those
felts are pretty amazing the way South Bend figured it out. They are
more than just wicks. The oil goes up them, floats the spindle,
makes its way out to the slingers, and from there the little brass
drain clips duct the oil back down- the sludge settles (And when you
flush the oil reservoirs, check out what that black stuff really is
with a magnet!), and the oil is filtered through the felt. Simple as
they are, they are as effective as an engine oil pump and filter in
a car engine, yet essentially have no moving parts, and they are
really an ingenious piece of engineering. Even a cheap Yankee like
me would gladly pay many times that to know that when South Bend
chose the felt, they may well have spin-welded a few of their own
spindles till they got it right! The more I get into that old lathe
the more I respect it. Imagine! Fifty years of work on a steel shaft
spinning in cast iron! (10375) |
| Brass things
|
| I am assembling a
second 9" from parts to convert into CNC. As I acquire different
pieces and compare to my fully running and beautiful 9A I notice
things I had not paid attention to and have no idea of there
function
and adjustment. Case in point the four brass angle pieces screwed to
each corner of the carriage where it rests on the bed. What is their
function? The only thing I can deduct is that they are wipers. Jim (10346) |
| Yes; that is
correct. They are caps or covers to secure felt, bed-way
wipers. (10347) |
| Yes, they are
wipers and should have felt in them. Frank (10349) |
| 9" model A
wicks/felts required |
| The wicks and felts
are available from Leblond (they bought out South Bend's stock).
Most are about $3-4/each. Spindle wick kits cost more (2 types of
felt and a spring). Or you can get several grades of felt from
www.mcmaster.com. I have a lot of felt stock on my shelf, so I just made
what I needed (everything but the spindle wicks). (12415) |
| I used F-1 wool for
the general purpose wicks and ways wipers. It appears similar to the
original material and seems to work well so far. I did not need to
replace my spindle wicks, but I can say that F-1 would not suitable
for either the upper or lower parts of them. (12493) |
| Felt for ways |
| If there's a charity
shop nearby you can look at some felt hats sometimes you can find an
old Trilby or a Stetson depending where you live Texas or London but
the felt is there in cheap supply. (12994) |
| You can do this,
but just be careful. I spent $10 or $15 on a good-sized roll of SAE
F- 3 graded wool felt from McMaster-Carr, and this stuff is the real
deal. I suppose it's a matter of preference, but I didn't want to
take a chance with a lower-grade felt. Anyhow, I've got a fair
amount of this left. I've already offered some to the first fellow
that wrote, but have enough to send out tailstock- and saddle-sized
chunks for those that want any. Just e-mail me off-line with your
address and what you're looking to replace. I've also got a bit of
felt wicking left that I bought directly from LeBlonde. I tried to
cut my own strips from larger stock, but they just didn't fit very
well. The "factory" felt was nice F-1 white felt and fit perfectly.
For as cheap as it is ($3 or so per foot) I'd suggest buying a
couple strips in different sizes from LeBlonde if you plan on
replacing your wicks/wipers. Jeff (12999) |
| Take a look at
www.durofelt.com Lots of
different kinds of felt here, I used the
"wicks" (for old paddle fans) on my 405 9" headstock. Jim B. (13000) |
| I agree with Jeff, for
the little cost buy the real McCoy! With that said I got my felt for
free by talking to an orthopedic nurse friend. She brought me
several strips of felt (two different thicknesses) that is wrapped
around the limb before a cast is put on! Works great for the
saddle/tailstock wipers. Also replaced the way wipers on my
Bridgeport "M-head". Tim (13001) |
| Spindle wicks
|
| I have searched the
archives and it looks like everyone says to just order the South
Bend replacements. Has anyone actually done the Spindle Wicks just
ordering the felt from McMaster Carr. What exactly did you do? My
springs still look good. (14759) |
| I did just that,
pulled out the old felt and put in new SAE-F1 felt rope 3/8 inch. On
the old wicks the bottom was loose felt so you have to make the new
ones a little shorter. The old wicks come out as a short (about an
inch) piece of rope and then loose stuff. I sized mine about half
the difference. You may have to screw the felt into the spring but
it is no problem to do. The stiffer felt is a better wick than the
loose stuff. The spring keeps the felt against the spindle so you
may have to adjust the size of the wick a little. JP (14763) |
| Felt size on a
heavy 10 |
| I have a heavy 10"
south bend with a threaded spindle and need to know the size of the
felt for the spindle bearings. I want to order some from McMaster
Carr but don't want to tear it down until I get some. Also is there
any other felt anywhere on this machine. I just got it this last
weekend so I don't know a whole lot about it yet.
Gary (17358) |
| 3/8" rope and 1/8"
strip which you will have to trim to fit. There is 1/8" rope in the
apron, all of it is Wool Felt SAE grade F1. Pick up the parts manual
but not on Ebay, buy it from LeBlond or Southbend. It contains a
maintenance section which will give you all of the info you need.
The photocopies on Ebay are not always complete, I got hosed on that
from 'an honest merchant?' in Connecticut. The felt wipes on the
saddle and tailstock are 3/16" and you can buy precut pieces from
LeBlond when you get the manual. JP (17359) |
| There if felt all
over this machine. I placed an order last weekend from SB for
several parts, and several items were felt. There are the sizes that
JP described, as well as 256x3, 256x7, and 256x2*. The 256x2 is no
longer offered by SB, and you may have to get it from McMaster.
There is only one bearing that requires the 256x2, and it is for the
(obsolete) single tumbler gear box. I am going to try to customize
the 256x3 to get it to work in my gear box. There are two kinds of
headstock bearings for the Heavy 10". The most popular is the one
that uses a replaceable brass bearing. This can be determined by a
quick visual inspection of the bearing caps. If there are two Allen
screws at the very top of the cap, you have the brass bearing type.
I was not fortunate enough to have this type, and I was very lucky
that my bearings were not in bad shape. Both types take the same
kind of felt wicking (called capillary oiler by SB). When I tore
mine down, my wicking was crystallized, and the spring retainers
were broken. be careful when pulling them out for inspection, they
cost $14 a piece from SB. Several months ago, I was cheap and
bought the Manual on CD on eBay. It only cost me $15. It was a PDF
file of a poorly scanned copy of the manual. None of the pages are
missing, and I don't feel too cheated since I saved quite a bit of
money. If you are on a budget, then the CD is acceptable. You can
probably find this CD on eBay again, since the seller relists the
auction all the time. (17363) |
| Chris, what manual
did you get and how different is it compared to the army manual than
the one from the dropbox one cited in the faq? dennis (17364) |
| The Manual that I
bought (on CD ROM) is a copy of the 10"-24" Lathe Manual (#CE3458)
The Military one gives exploded parts views for the 9" and 10K
lathe. The one I bought has some maintenance sections (Headstock,
Apron, Taper Attachment....) like the Military manual. For Heavy 10"
the Military Manual will not work. (17365) |
| Felt for lathe
|
| Are there any
suppliers of felt in the SE PA area? I need to replace the felt
chevrons on my 9A. Bob (17458) |
|
www.McMaster-Carr.com
They have just about anything you need. They ship out of Atlanta Ga.
(17460) |
| Responding to the
felt question, I was unable to find thick enough felt to make the
wipers for my shaper. I checked with a local upholstery shop and he
suggested using a spray on fabric glue to stick several sheets of
fabric shop felt together. I did and I was able to make very
satisfactory wipers. Note that you should make the contact side of
the wiper larger than the pattern if you use the old wiper or the
retainer as your pattern. Greg (17474) |
|
www.mcmaster.com
has thick felt and you can order online. Bob (17476) |
| I guess that is the
way to go. What thickness would be correct for the wipers of an SB
9A? Thanks Bob D.(17489) |
| You might try
ordering from McMaster Carr. I don't know what thickness you need,
but for example 12" X 12" 3/8" thick wool felt sheet is $20§§-$25§§
depending on grade. Another Option is if you know someone in the
hospital. I've seen up to 1/4" think stuff used for under casts and
in wound care clinics. Bob (17490) |
| Last year someone
here pointed me to: http://www.durofelt.com/ This turned out real
good for both felt wicking and flat felt. Reasonable and fast!
Worked out good for me. RZ (17492) |
| MSC has a couple
types of felt available in 1" strips 5'long I bought a strip of the
"hard" gray felt in 1/4" thickness. It looks like it will work out
well. Cost was about $5. I am going to make a template an cut up a
dozen of them. I will still have 4'left to make some tailstock
wipers LeBlonde will sell you precut wipers for $5 each. Gary
(17499) |
| Felt size for
SB9 model A |
| I
am trying to find the specifications of the oiling wicking felts
used for all parts of the SB 9" lathe. I am in the frustrating
position of having a machine shop that is 350 miles from home (it is
at my retirement home in the country and I'm far from retired...)
The crux of my problem is I am trying to rebuild my SB 9" lathe, but
don't have access to it on a daily basis, and I can't easily get
parts quickly. I therefore try to get what I need ordered and in
hand prior to heading to my shop for a weekend. Sometime soon I want
to teardown and clean up the headstock and saddle on my lathe and
intend to replace the felts at that time. Is there a way to know
what I should order (from McMaster Carr) beforehand? Does anyone
have a parts manual that gives the specs for the needed felt. (17961) |
| While the felts in
the SB-9 seem very simple, they perform multiple functions. As a
minimum, they lubricate the spindle, and they filter the oil. There
are two grades of felt hardness and two diameters. There is also a
spring which maintains the proper contact on the spindle. There was
a thread several months ago about rebuilding them. you could search
the archives. The thread listed the source and the felt types. I
prefer to go to LeBlond and order them. The cost is not trivial but
having lost one headstock due to inadequate lubrication (That was a
different kind of lubrication system) I don't want to mess-up a second
one. Jim b. (17972) |
| Felt oilers on
9" headstock |
| Can someone give me
some help on the felt capillary oilers that fit on the bottoms of the
bearing journals on most Nines? I have an obscure Model 177 Nine and
the oilers I ordered from LeBlond seem to be too small to fit in the
holes in this headstock. The old ones are about 1/8 bigger in
diameter with the new ones loose. Should they be this
loose, expanding as they fill with oil, or should I try a larger
diameter oiler? Also, this headstock has plain bearings but a groove
running around the circumference at each end of the bearing surface.
I think this groove is for a felt seal to keep the oil from seeping
out the headstock. The funny part is that this groove is not
rectangular or round in cross section, but has a slant on it, like
an inverted capital A with the outboard leg straight and the inboard
leg with the slant. There is a hole at the bottom of the groove that
allows oil to drain back to the reservoir. The groove is about 3/16"
deep and 1/8" wide at the top and 1/16" wide at the bottom. Has
anybody seen this before and know what goes here? Bill (18518) |
| I was just
into my 9A installing a collet closer. The V grooves are for excess
oil collection. No wipers. My lathe is all original and the round
felts contained in coil springs are a very loose fit in the bottom
of the bearing hole. Should be about 3/8" dia. My "bearings" are the
solid iron headstock casting and the spindle is polished steel. Just
above the oil cup threaded hole is a vent hole that is also used to
insert and hold the felt down with a 3" needle before reinstalling
the spindle. RichD(18522) |
| Felt |
| I was looking for felt
stock to replace the wicks in my lathe. The McMaster-Carr catalog
has a lot of choices and I don't really know which one to get - what
are my options? I was looking at the Army manual, and it shows a
slightly different Horizontal drive unit from what I have - mine
has felt wicks instead of Oilite bearings - would anyone know the
part numbers for those felt wicks? Ray (20123) |
| Try the piano
suppliers! They have all kinds of felt of various thickness widths
and colors! If you know the original size I am sure they will have
something you can use. The player piano co, in Wichita is one, I
think their number is 316 263 3241, but the area code may have
changed and Pianotek is another in Michigan 248 545 1599. Bill
(20129) |
| Use a razor blade to cut strips . Leave a « on each
end trim after installing. Al (20132) |
| Try Rose at Parts
Works. She worked at South Bend and now has her own Company
supplying parts for South Bend Lathes and other machines. You'll get
the exact part you're looking for instead of cutting your own.
Paul (20134) |
| Heavy 10
headstock oil cups |
| Has anyone replaced
the oil cups on a Heavy 10 headstock? I need to replace the right
hand one, but it hits the headstock when screwed in. Is there a
threaded bushing I need to remove and if so, how is this done?
Dan (20275) |
| The right hand oil
cup on the heavy 10 cannot be screwed into the headstock without
interference with the casting. I found a flanged bushing is pressed
into the headstock to receive the oil cup. To remove the bushing,
thread a 1/8" pipe into the bushing, slide on an appropriate weight
(I used a large socket) and cap with a threaded end cap. Use as a
slide hammer and the bushing pops right out. Thread in the new oil
cup and tap the bushing back in place. Might want to use a silicone
bead for added security against leaks. (20352) |
| Spindle
bearing wicks length |
| What is the proper
length to cut new wick felt for the spindle bearings of a 10L? I
have new F1 3/8" dia from McMaster.
(24089) |
| You should have the
old wick inside of a brass spring, use that one as a guide. Replace
it with the new wick that will sit on the bottom of the well. On the
lower 1/2" to 3/4" of the wick pick the felt apart so it is soft and
loose and still pushed up into the spring. The total wick should sit
1/4" above the bearing housing. You should be able to push it back
into the housing with light finger pressure and it should pop right
back up. The felt should be above the spring by about 1/8" or so.
Trim the end with a sharp razor and try to make it conform to the
spindle curvature, you want maximum contact wick to spindle. Start a
little longer than the old wick and trim it back to fit. When done
prime the wick by pouring spindle oil onto it. JP
(24092) |
| 9" SB wick
inspection |
| I'd like to inspect
my spindle wicks to verify they are wicking properly. I've dug
around in the archives and seen references to installation length
etc. but would like to know the correct procedure just to see if
they are in place and working. I assume the spindle must be removed,
something I'd rather not disturb since it seems to be fine (no play
anywhere and no heating on either bearing) but it's been unused for
many years and I want to make sure I'm not causing any damage by
using it. Mark (24202) |
| Yes you need to
remove the spindle, not a hard job. Email me and I will walk you
thru it. Or join my 10K group the file is in there. Bob (24203) |
| Spindle
bearing wicks? |
| Am I
supposed to have a cotton wick in my spindle bearings? (1922 11 inch
SB) If so does the wick just go in the oiler hole or is it also
supposed to run lengthwise along the bearing like it does on the
counter shaft bearings. Henry (24658) |
| The wicks
are SAE grade F1 felt. You can get it from McMaster-Carr industrial
supply in rope, strip and sheet form. While I do not have reference
to the 11 inch lathe for reference the others has the wick end
rubbing against the spindle journal and the other end in a well of
spindle oil ISO 22 grade machine oil. On the 10L the wick is 3/8"
rope with 1/8" rope used in the apron to distribute the same oil.
Grade F1 felt is the best to distribute oil and it is relatively
hard, the loose stuff is no good as an oil wick. It will take a
razor blade and a little patience. You can also buy the wicks
pre-cut from Leblond and probably from Parts Works as well.
JP (24659) |
| I don't own a 1922
11 inch so what I am going to say could be a lot of junk. My 1934 9C
(Model 405) is different than the later units. It has (had) oil caps
on the top and not on the side. There is a slot axially in the
bearing which is supposed to have wicks. There were no wicks in the
oil holes. On the front jurnal part of this wick was missing. The
lack of lubrication on only part of the bearing caused the spindle
to seize. I am guessing your lathe is similar. Jim B. (24671) |
| Henry, I have the
same problem with my 1922 9" model 25A. It has phosphorus bronze
"Babbit type" bearings, with overhead oil holes. It does not have
covers on the tulip shaped, press-in type, brass oilers. I'm not
sure if it ever had felt running on the spindle, and may have just
been drip oiled by hand. I am going to fit a cup type oiler with the
spring retained felt in the bearing cap. It looks like I will end up
trimming the felt to pass through the bearing top hole to rest on
the spindle. I can tap the bearing cap hole to fit a larger cup or
press some type of an insert in and tap that. Does anyone have some
expert advise here? I would like to do it the "right way". Steve
(24719) |
| Steve Wicks are
used to bring oil up from a well below the bearing on lathes with
the oil cups on the front of the head stock. If your lathe has oil
cups in the top of the bearing caps you don't need any wicks because
the oil gravity feeds. The only thing you might want to do is keep
some kind of cap over the cup to keep crud from getting into it.
Roy (24748) |
| Roy, I was pretty sure there was never a wick or cover in or
on the oil cap from the amount of dirt and crud I found in there.
Another option I have is to drill and tap a drip type oiler in the
bearing cap. I thought this might be the best solution if I could
find a small brass one with shut-off and sight glass. The bearing
oil cap holes are 5/16. Steve
(24753) |
| McMaster carries
those as well. I have felt stuffed oilers on my Shaper. They seem to
control the flow of oil nicely. (24754) |
| Roy, In my
case it looks like I need at least one wick to keep the oil from
running right through the bearing. The fact that if runs right
though might have to do with damage to the spindle and bearing
surfaces. Henry (24774) |
| Steve, I had the
same problem with a 1936 9C. Here's what I'd suggest: Go to
http://www.gitsmfg.com and look at these oilers. The construction has an oil
reservoir with a standpipe in the center that extends down to a
threaded mount. The oil level is always below the top of the
standpipe. The wick loops up out of the oil, through an air space
and down into the standpipe, out the bottom and onto your spinning
spindle. When the lathe is running, the spindle removes oil from the
end of the wick, causing sufficient capillary action so that oil can
overcome the "lift" up out of the reservoir. This helps to prevent
oil from flowing when the lathe is not running. Ed (24791) |
| I ordered the
standpipe type cups from Gits as per your post. I believe they will
do the trick, if they wick enough oil. Henry, if the bearings are
shimmed for spindle alignment and the oil drops over head, it can
leak from the top of the bearing. the felt oiler should keep it in
the bearing hole and on the spindle. You must shim the caps for
proper bearing clearance. I found this last weekend that I had to
shim the front bearing (not the cap) down .002 to allow it to seat
and properly tighten on the lower bearing, I have the rear bearing
clearance at .001 right now, I have ordered spindle oil and will
re-clean the spindle and bearings and apply this oil to see if I can
lower the clearance to about .0008- .0009. If I can't, If I read the
post's correctly that .001 is OK. The slots in the bearings would
seem to be to allow the oil to flow down spindle before being wiped.
They have ends that are open to the inside top surface of the head
to allow dripping (IMHO) My front bearing clearance is about perfect
right now, but if I tighten the caps, let's say to about 30 fp it
gets tight. I would think I don't have the shims correct and will
reshim until this does not happen and the clearance remains the
same with the light oil. I am now down to working with the .001
shims. Thanks for everyone's help.
Steve (25028) |
| Oiler wicks |
| Where can I find or
what can I use for an oiler wick? Is it cotton , nylon, asbestos?
These are cylindrical , look like a cigarette filter. The other
looks like a string about a foot long and about 18" diameter.
(25406) |
| I always used wool
for packing oiler wicks. It makes a nice mat without packing too
densely. If you know anyone with sheep get a bit of clipping or ask
around for someone who shears sheep. That other probably is a woolen
string. Try a craft store for wool. Jack F (25407) |
| Grade F1 wool felt
available from McMaster-Carr in rope, strip and sheet. JP (25408) |
| You can definitely
rule out nylon and asbestos. Wicks are an absorbent material. Most
wicks are cotton but other natural fibers should work. Synthetics
are usually non-absorbent. Ted (25410) |
| Felt wicks |
| Can any
UK members of this group suggest a source for felt oilers? My sb 9a
headstock is in pieces and now almost clean. The various wicks are
solid with black gunge and need replacement. Incidentally, what is
the purpose of the bits of brass wire in the spindle bearing
drain-holes? Frank (26117) |
| I don't
know about replacing the spindle bearing wicks. Mine were also
filthy but cleaned up fairly well after several soakings in petrol.
The other 'strip' wicks in the gearbox etc I made by cutting
suitably sized slices off a half hard felt buffing wheel with a
scalpel and straight edge. I believe they are simply to encourage
the circulation of oil back into the sumps. Nick
(26156) |
| Nick, Thanks for
the ideas, I never thought of buffing wheels as a source of felt.
Trouble is my bearing wicks came out in several pieces and I think
will have to be replaced. As to the springy brass wire I had
wondered if there was a filter of some sort originally attached. It
looks like the one which pinged of a rafter will be replaced by a
modified paper clip. Frank (26158) |
| Frank Try bearing
supply places for oiler wick. Bearing Service Ltd got me some
mumble-mumble years ago with no problems. I'd be a bit cautious with
buffing wheel or other different job sources of felt. Stuff seems to
be made in zillions of grades, some of which will almost certainly
slowly come apart in oil. My brother is a piano tuner / repairer so
he has a fair variety of felts in different grades in stock. I
experimented a bit and did not find anything very good for oiler
wick. Several types were fine as wipers tho'. Surface tension
effects mean that the oil runs down the brass wire rather than
sitting in the hole with an air bubble underneath. Try it by
carefully putting some oil in the catch groove and encourage it to
fill the drain hole. Surface tension will create a little bubble
over the top of the hole and no more oil will enter until the catch
groove is more than full enough to overflow. Exactly how much oil
the surface tension will hold up depends on the particular oil,
temperature and so on. Prick the tension bubble with a pin and the
oil will run away or put the little clip in and you will see that
the oil wont build up in the hole. Works best with a brass thingy. I
didn't believe that the brass thingy did what was claimed until I
did the experiment. Clive (26159) |
| I'm sure they can
be got from the US, but at a cost I guess. Since they're pretty
critical I'd have been tempted to get the correct part for mine if
the ones in it hadn't cleaned up fairly convincingly. By the way, do
you have a supply of suitable spindle oil yet? I had a lot of
trouble finding something suitable until I phoned up Millers Oils in
Dewsbury (I think) and told them I needed something equivalent to 'Velocite
10' which seems to be one of the recommended options. They made me
up a gallon of their 'Millmax 22' which (although a hydraulic oil
officially) seems to work just fine, and wasn't at all expensive.
Nick (26167) |
| I had a Leland
(Ford) tractor that used felt in the bearings on the crankshaft
maybe these will work for you they fit in the back and front of the
engines main bearings. Art (26168) |
| Clive, I tried the brass wire experiment this
afternoon and you are spot on right. I'm still going to bend up a
replacement from paper-clip wire, with all that oil around it can't
rust! I'll also scout around for sources of wicks and felt. My only
experience of piano tuning is watching but I did rebuild a player
piano about 35 years ago, we were newly married and didn't have a TV
set so that kept us amused in the winters. Frank (26170) |
| Nick, I've mailed you off group with some local
stuff; if you don't get it let me know. Frank (26171) |
| The correct felt
oil wicks are very hard, Shore A hardness of 30-40. McMaster-Carr is
online and they carry the material in cord, strip and sheet form in
many sizes. The SAE-F1 grade material, 3/8" cord is US $1.92/ft.
This is 95% wool fiber, 500 psi tensile strength. You might do well
to copy the spec info from the McMaster catalog and use that to
locate the same material locally. It is not worth saving a few
pennies by using substitute material that will not give proper
lubrication to the bearings. The bearings are much more expensive.
If you do plan to order the correct material you might consider
getting the wicks for the apron as well. On a 10L it is 1/8" cord. I
do expect you will be able to find the proper material locally now
that you can find a specification for it. JP (26188) |
| Frank, I ordered
new spindle oilers from Rose at Parts Works. They're not expensive
and you have the correct composition felt to wick properly. The
spring is to hold the felt end up against the spindle to assure a
good film of oil. You must clean the wick well with solvent and then
install the oiling wicks and push the springs down and put a small
drill in through the hole just above the oilers. This holds the
spring loaded felts down while you insert the spindle. When spindle
is fitted and bearings adjusted, before starting the spindle, pull
the drills and fill the oilers with spindle oil. Darrell (26190) |
| If you don't find a
source you prefer you might try Boxford. Don't know that they can
help but, as the Boxford was based on the South Bend initially it
seems they might have the felts. It also occurs to me, another
source might be Tony Griffiths. Anthony
(26191) |
| Frank , USA paper
clips are steel which will score the spindle! Use brass wire as the
original. Darrell (26192) |
| I bought some felt
from McMaster Carr awhile back for my 9A. You only need a little bit
of felt for the 9A and They sell it by the roll which is several
feet. Send me a self addressed stamped envelope and I'll whack you
off a piece. This is only for the felts though. You will still need
the wicks and Rose or LeBlond sell those. Ed (26213) |
| I got 1 ft of 3/8
and 3 ft of 1/8 by the foot. (26214) |
| The strip is sold
in 10ft rolls and the cord is sold by the foot. You can replace the
spindle wick with the F1 cord inserted into the old spring. It
requires being twisted during insertion like being screwed into the
brass spring. You trim the contact surface of the cord to the shape
of the spindle surface as best as you can with a scalpel and finish
the shape by rubbing it against the spindle to form the end. You
want a curved end with no mushrooming. Leave the cord end about 1/8"
above the spring end. This will give you full contact of wick to
spindle which will generate the best bearing lubrication. Install it
into the well and insure the length causes it to press firmly
against the spindle. Fill the wick with oil to prime it, press it
below the bearing surface and hold it with a pin or sharp probe or
small drill from the hole above the oiler. Install spindle and
remove the pin/awl/drill. Fill the reservoir with oil. On the 10L
there is a small piece of felt in the bearing expander used to
spread the oil over the surface. Manually oil this one as well.
JP (26216) |
