17 Apr
2016
17 Apr
'16
5:22 p.m.
If they use sleeve bearings, take a close look at the material.. does it
have the sintered look of oil-impregnated bronze (Oilite)? Are there
channels in the bearing to allow the distribution or retention of grease?
Those fans tend to run at pretty low RPM, so a very light bodied grease,
like the Phil's Grease for bicycles, would be fine to use. Otherwise, you
can just punt and use 20-30W motor oil. And yes, if you have a high-end
synthetic like Royal Purple 10-40 that is great. The RP oil is the go-to
for the guys on the antique fan site I visited when repairing my 1930s
Emerson Junior table fan.
The RP is really pricey, like $10/qt but a single quart will last several
guys a lifetime of small lubing tasks.
On Sun, Apr 17, 2016 at 5:54 PM, Noel Chiappa <jnc at mercury.lcs.mit.edu>
wrote:
From:
drlegendre
There are so many types, sources & grades of
lubricating oil out
there,
it boggles the best of minds.
Speaking of lubricating oils... I've recently been cleaning/etc some of
the ~4" boxer fans that the earlier PDP-11's use in large quantities.
Some of the IMC fans (sleeve bearing) in the machine didn't really want to
turn; on taking them apart, they were absolutely full of dirt, and when
cleaned, spun up nicely.
However.. what lubricant should I use on them before putting them back
together for the long term? I assume I should use _something_? But the
machine's going to be sitting a fair amount, so I don't want something that
will dry out and/or gum up. What do people recommend? Would a 20SAE oil, as
used on small electric motors, be OK, or is that in danger of turning into
gummy stuff if left sitting for too long? Is there e.g. some silione-based
stuff which is long-term capable?
Thanks in advance for any/all advice!
Noel