Way Oil

[ironman]

I am not sure which way oil is better for my 9X20 lathe. ??? Enco has Nr 2 and Nr4. Open for recommendations. Thanks guys.
ironman (Ray)

 

[rake60]

Discussions about way lubes are entertaining to say the least.

The companies who manufacture it have very seductive ads.
'Specially formulated for high viscosity adhesion to moving parts."

In reality it's the junk that hasn't been refined to the point of being a
high speed lubricant. It also contains a good bit of recycled odds and ends.
But it's WAY LUBE so it's worth the extra cost! Or Not!

My home way lube is cheap and simple. Non-detergent 20W motor oil.

$10 for a 2 gallon jug. As the curled label on the jug shows it lasts a long time.

It's kind of like buying toilet paper.
When it's gone you have to buy more but is there really a price related performance difference?

Rick

 

[ironman]

Rick, I guess I have been doing good. I have been using 30W and now may go to 20W20. mNever did know what was so special about Way oil anyway. Thanks. ironman (Ray)

 

[shred]

Good way oil is much 'stickier' than engine oil. Vactra #2 (what Enco sells and is widely available) is not; Mobil removed the tackifiers some time ago, which isn't a problem in big industrial machines with automatic oilers. In our little machines I figure a $20 gallon every few years of the right stuff is good insurance it doesn't run off the ways before I get around to applying more. If you are anal about applying oil, it doesn't matter so much what you use. Way oil should do this when you put some on your fingers and unpinch them.

That's McMaster "Standard 68 Way Oil". $18 a gallon. Vactra #2 won't do that.

 

[jct842]

like bar oil for chain saws or chain oil for motorcycles? or maybe mixing some with 20 weight? john

 

[Deanofid]

We'll probably get the "Eye of Newt" stuff later in this thread. "Two parts olive oil, one part STP, three parts 20w-50 and a pinch of Ponds face cream", etc.
My machines are worth more to me. Eighteen bucks for a gallon of oil that is actually made for the purpose, and will last five years is dirt cheap. Buy way oil. Machine shops do...

 

[ironman]

Thanks for the info on Vactra. True, 18 bucks every few years for the right thing for the job isn't such a big expense. Thanks for these replies. ironman (Ray)

 

[tel]

BP Maccuate 68 is what I use - bought 20 litres some years back and it should see me out.

 

[Metal Butcher]

I have to agree with those that use a specific way oil, its recommended by most (not mine) machine manufacturers. And I think its a good idea. Up until last year I used a non-detergent strait 30W oil. Never had a problem with the lathe, but the mill table would stick/slip causing me some concern. I bought the supposedly 'right stuff' and felt a significant difference. No more stick/slip on the mill, and the lathe carriage traversed with a noticeable difference. I think that I have a tendency to over oil my machines, so the pint I bought last year should last me till I'm done.

With my small machines, the only way I could use-up a gallon would be to pour it on like pancake syrup! And guess who's got to clean it up. :big:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1PINT-MOBIL-VAC...681?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item439dc50d11

-MB

 

[GWRdriver]

I bought a British toolroom lathe maybe 25 years ago and the mfg's specs called for an unfamiliar oil for various parts including the gearboxes, feedscrews, and ways and the US equivalent turned out to be ISO68 hydraulic oil, available almost everywhere. Right now I happen to have a pail of Chevron AW, but a good hydraulic oil is what I've used ever since on all my machines and I couldn't be happier with it. One thing I like about it in particular is that it doesn't attract and trap chips and dust like tackier oils. Chain saw bar oil is the worst oil you can use on anything, except chainsaw bars.

 

[Maryak]

OK I'll weigh into the ways whys and wherefores of way oil. ;D

In the bad old days when we used to shoot almost every and anything that moved. One notable mammal was the sperm whale. The oil from this magnificent creature has excellent "stick slip" characteristics.

Wot's "stick slip"...................It's what happens when a slide and its' mating way progress their sliding action in a series of jerks rather than in one continuous smooth slide. This plays merry hell with surface finish.

A great deal of research was carried out to find a substitute for sperm oil - hence the fancy price tag.

Do you need this hi-tech hi-priced product. ???

Yes..................... if you are working to an accuracy of 0.0001 or higher. 8)

Otherwise................................. Ricks remedy is as good as any.

Hope this helps dispel the myth and puts things into perspective.

Best Regards
Bob

 

[itowbig]

humm i was gonna say isn't that tackier oil not so good because of the harder cleanup . i mean if its tackier then it will get finer chips in where there not supposed to be and they will be even harder to get cleaned out.
right or wrong. me i used what ever motor oil is handy and i use WD40 for cleaning everything.
i used to ride dirt bikes and that tackier oil is ok for chains till u get in the sand then u got to buy a new chain but with the lighter oil u could wash them out sorta.

 

[tel]

Do you need this hi-tech hi-priced product. Huh?

For the lathe and mill, probably not, but for the shaper YES.

 

[shred]

For the lathe and mill, probably not, but for the shaper YES.

And surface grinder. The way oil Harig used to make and specify for all their grinders had massive quantities of tackifiers in it to minimize stick-slip.

 

[Saskford]

I noticed today that in the 2011 Grizzly Industrial catalog that they now sell a way oil.
Gary

 

[rake60]

For an industrial machine that is spitting out heavy blue chips and running 24 hours a day,
the tacky way lube is a must.

For a home hobby machine making fine chips it can actually have an adverse effect.
It will hold those fine chips and turn the combination of oil and metal into an effective
grinding compound.

Most of us oil up our home machines before we use them and wipe them down after cutting.
We take better care of our machines that we do of ourselves.

If you see a machinist in a working job shop oiling or wiping down ways, it either a new guy or
someone bucking for a maintenance job to get off machining.

That's where the tacky industrial way lubes become important.
Someone gets bored enough to actually pump the manual oilers and it's good for a week.

Rick