Oil hole covers?

Some of my oil holes have these little metal ‘covers’ on them. Well, they seem to drink in oil. Are these necessary to keep on? When I got my press, it was missing a bunch and I’ve been thinking about removing the rest. Think that’s okay, or just keep the ones I have on?

image: oilhole.jpg

oilhole.jpg

Log in to reply   9 replies so far

They are nipples and you need an oil gun such as the one that comes with the Heidelberg to pump the oil in. I wouldn’t remove them, they stop crap going in the oil hole.

What press is this on? It looks like the frame of a C&P from what I can tell.

Ideally you’d leave them on and get an oil gun. If you can’t find a suitable oil gun then you’d do better to remove the nipples than to not oil those points on the press at all.

McMaster Carr and Grainger also sell ‘oil cups’ that could be a suitable replacement if you are concerned about debris making its way into the oil holes.

Brad.

Thanks!

It is a C&P 10x15. I did not receive an oil gun when I purchased the machine from someone. Are they easy to find? I don’t have a problem taking them off, I guess just wondering if debris would be a big problem.

If by “drink oil” you mean you use lots, perhaps a previous owner installed grease zerks and used bearing grease in those spots. Bearing grease would stay put longer than oil. You can get a grease gun and bearing grease at an automotive parts store.

That does definitely look like a grease zerk in the photo.

Rick

Grease nipples, Oil pots/reservoirs, (with caps) = Horses for courses, grease nipples (basically 2 kinds) LOW pressure, with simple plunger, type pump, with concave nozzle and no clamps or jaws, supplied to/with many machines, nice to be traditionally complete but not essential, any straight plunger pump, will do the same job.

High Pressure, virtually always with Bell Shaped fitting (as pictured) for accepting HIGH PRESSURE, grease gun with Snap On, 3 or 4 Nozzle/Nipple clamps, Perhaps, look up on, Google, *WANNER* (SWISS) High Pressure, grease guns, including Nipples and adaptors for virtually every situation.???

High pressure Grease points, under normal House operating conditions, (i.e 7/8 hours running daily over 5 days) would usually be greased weekly, by pumping in to the point, until grease could be seen leeching out from the shaft/bearing involved, rule of thumb, if it can be seen coming out it must be going through.!!!

Flip top Oil Pots, (drinking oil) yes!! fairly normal, usually vertically mounted, (under machine conditions) the Caps flipped daily, or even hourly, under sustained work load, filled with oil, caps flipped shut, and monitored frequently.
Usually within a few hours of the initial installation of the machine, some joker has BENT the, (Metal) spout of the ordinary squirt can, any aftermarket squirt can, will do the same job, so replacement with a plastic spout can is VIRTUALLY foolproof.!!

This operation quite normal until the advent of, (for example) Heidelberg,s One Shot central lubricating system, but still even now! with a considerate Minder, under actual field conditions, the one shot, operated several times on a long run.
The Thompson British Auto Platen, (similar to the H/berg) had/has a slightly different approach, to, on the run oiling, they utilised flip cap oil pots, in some cases, but in several others around the machine, were small reservoirs, with a whole battery of felt wicks, constantly supplying several oil points, via capillary action, of course the pots/reservoirs were not topped up near the end of the run or the day.!!
If my credentials, (posted by third parties) are looked up, (i.e. The Counter Press re Pilcrows) The Monotype pictured shows at far left, first shot, low pressure grease nipples, on what looks like 2 gun barrels, greased weekly with low pressure pump gun, supplied by Monotype, and same shot, halfway between the *E* in Monotpe and the small Dome/Curve of the camshaft box, pictured Flip Top Oil pots!!! TOPPED UP, almost Hourly, when Running Sustained, Around the Clock, or Double Day shift, quite normal.
Flip Top Oil pots normally spigot, Push Fit, to enable the flip top to be orientated conveniently.. . Still available in The States, Maybe… OR plug the open oil holes, with trimmed down, felt, Ear Defenders, between oil ups.???
Best Shot and apologies, U.K. Spec, only, but hopefully transferable, in part.!!!

Thanks everyone!

And, while we’re on this topic, I have spring loaded caps (atop those small cylinders) on my C&P 10x15, some of which were distorted or removed before I got the press. It would be nice to replace these if possible. Are such available and how are they attached to the body of the press? Thanks, Neil

Most often the lube fittings are just pushed in sometimes requiring a tap with a hammer and a specially cupped tip punch to drive them home or if desperate a hollow tube that will surround the nipple tips but still bear on the base to get them home.
I should add that there are screw in types too and are likely to be similar in thread type to any hydraulic appliance of the machines era.
Few companys made their own custom threaded fittings of this nature .
As for some being missing it may be the ones with the fittings are those you should grease and the plain holes are for oil ,not being that well versed on american treadles it is more likely one of you will havea dfinitive answer.