The Home Machinist!

hello,
i am interested in changing the fluids on my EMCO V10P.

does anyone have any recommendations on an online source for the 10W and 140W oil recommended by emco?
i know i can get the 140W at an automotive store, but finding 10W locally has not been easy...maybe a lawnmower shop?

also, my lathe is setup in a room i built in my barn, in winter the room temp varies from the 30s to the 50 deg F, should i be using a thinner oil or maybe a multigrade?

I have been using 10-30 Castrol oil for my V10.

The quick change uses regular 90 gear oil.

As for the mill head, mine uses 10-30 also.
Some of the older heads required gear oil I believe.

_________________
There are no problems, only solutions.
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Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa

Jose,

I'm glad to hear that you're using multigrade. I was wondering if that would work - the manual says 140W, but I remember how gooey 140 gets in the cold, and wondered if that might put an undue load on the motor.

Straight 140 is hard to find. Some old Ford tractors used it in the gearbox, so a farm-equipment place might be able to get it for you.

In NJ, I was able to get straight 140 from a local NAPA shop - the kid behind the counter at first gave me the "Wha', you got two heads?" look, but when I persisted, he looked it up in the book and there it was. Took a week for delivery, cost about $8 a quart.

Best, -Pete

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Pete in NJ

well that really simplifies things, thanks guys. i really dont want to have to order the lubricant.

i was wondering if 10w30 would work, i figured it would be great for my conditions, cold start up, so the oil will be a little less viscous, then as it gets up to running temp it will thicken up.

i thought i had read in a couple places that the QC gearbox and mill head takes 140W??! (im sure its not that important, as long as theres oil in it, right? )

jose, i have the same unit as you, the purdy green and the 6spd mill head.

just flipped through the owners manual for the milling head and it only lists the oil as emco "special" oil p/n xxx xxx...

i guess it makes sense that one would use the same oil in the mill as in the headstock, but why have i read that it uses the same as the QC gearbox?

The 4-speed mill head on my V10 was filled with grease, and the book says "lithium grease". The old grease looked more like dried-out soap; I had to scoop it out with popsicle sticks. I think I read that the 6-speed mill heads used gear oil.

The headstock should have non-detergent oil in it. Detergent oils are formulated to keep particles in suspension so they get grabbed out by the filter. In a non-filtered system, you don't want any particles floating around in the oil, they should fall to the bottom.

BTW, I found 10W non-detergent oil in 10-quart jugs -- several lifetimes' worth -- at Tractor Supply Co...

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Pete in NJ

after checking through all my literature that came with the machine i found this:

im curious if i will be able to find 10w-30 NON-detergent. seems like a stretch considering that would be less than desirable for an automobile!

I have no option, straight 30W oil cannot be found at chain auto part stores anymore.

I am using 80/90 gear oil for the quick-change gearbox only.

The logical choice in my mind since stright 30 oil cannot be found is to use Vactra 30 http://www.grainger.com/1/1/57203-vactr ... grade.html

Here are my two cents about lubricants gathered with years of working with machinery and automobiles:

1) Automobiles need high quality oils of the specified grade because of the extreme conditions of the machine. High heat and high friction on parts that are spinning at high speeds.

2) For less critical equipment, like lathes and the alike I think that the range of lubricants does not have to be as critical as cars.
Excluding high speed machining like CNC mills and lathes.

3) I have never seeing a comment or data showing that if you use 20W instead 30W in the gear train of the lathe the life will be reduced to half.

4) Gear oils are used so they stick to the gears as they rotate keeping them always covered.
In situations like the quick-change box in a lathe that has openings to the outside, my feel is that a thicker lubricant will keep the oil from splashing out the handle gap.

5) As the word that detergent oil will deteriorate the seals, most machine tools use sealed bearing at the two spindle sides. Never seeing proof of that.

Lubrication was two jobs to do. Reduce friction and keep parts from oxidation.

In a nut-shell, trying to be exact on the recommended lubricants may not be need if a close one of good quality is used.

I think that Vactra oils cover pretty much the whole spectrum.

_________________
There are no problems, only solutions.
--------------
Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa

well i went ahead and bought 2 gal of 10W at tractor supply co. if anyone is local to me ill be willing to fill up your gearbox!
i figure ill save a little for another oil change sometime in the next decade, and use the rest as chain oil in the chainsaw!
also went with 85/140W for the mill/QC gearbox.

okay, now that im looking at the lathe, headstock drainplug is in an extremely inconvenient location! how is one suppose to drain the oil without getting it everywhere!?

to what level should i fill the QC gearbox?

That drainplug is one of the few things that's badly-considered; I don't think there IS a way to avoid a mess, unless you can get a shallow pan - kind of like an ice-cube tray - under the bed.

I suppose you could suck the oil out with a baster - you can get those in the local "dollar store".

There's an earlier post with a pic of the hangtag, that specifies the fill amounts; my manual agrees with them: .21 liters in the headstock, .25 litres in the QC box. The headstock oil should be at the center of the little sightglass.

My OEM manual says the (four-speed) milling unit should be lubed with grease: "Kluber lubrication St 15/400 PP or equivalent" (whatever that is!)

HAH !! My Edelstaal manual says "No. 1 NLGI grade heat-resistant lithium-base grease" and "Never fill the gearcase more than half-full".

I hope this helps.

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Pete in NJ