Help identifying material used in a way oiler

[shamus13]

Hi all,
I am currently stripping my 1952 Churchill NB surface grinder and upon taking the bottom table off I inspected the way oilers. These sit on springs in pockets in the ways and are fed hydraulically with oil. Both have broken or damaged springs and one is split. It's difficult to access what material it is. It's very light like balsa wood light or fibreglass and a sliver can be easily cut from it.
I'd like to know if anyone is aware of what material it may so I can make replacements or alternatively a material that could be used as this was?

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

I've seen wooden rollers used for way lubrication, no idea what kind of wood.

 

[shamus13]

I've seen wooden rollers used for way lubrication, no idea what kind of wood.

It could very well be wood, I just thought it was an odd material to use given it's not something that could wick the oil. The upper table is lubricated by spring loaded metal wheel which spin in the oil well bringing the oil onto the ways. I have been wondering if making a similar item out of felt would wick and effectively lubricate the ways.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Yes, the wooden rollers sat in a well and as they rotated would bring the oil up. Does the material in the wipers have a grain structure? McMaster has felt material in different hardness's, unsure if any are hard enough to maintain shape under spring pressure.

 

[shamus13]

You can't see any grain structure as they are they are black throughout even in the centre hence my difficulty in been able to know the material. Maybe they are that colour through years of been in oil. Given these don't rotate I wondered what material it was to be able to wick from the bottom sat in the oil well to the upper v-groove sitting against the way.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Try slicing that damaged piece 90 degrees from the first slice, if wood I think you should be able to tell if the grain structure is aligned by that test. If it cuts the same, then there is no grain structure. You might also try soaking it in acetone to remove oils, then looking at it under magnification to see if grain is oriented in one direction, or random. I've seen old felt so impregnated with old blackened oil that they looked like rubber, acetone soak showed it was felt. You might have to poke, prod, squeeze it while soaking in acetone to get the oil out.

 

[Tom A]

If it's wood, the grain would need to be in line with the intended oil flow. I know that some woods can really wick liquids - I once treated the end of a red oak timber with some of that green copper preservative stuff, and after a while, it started showing up in the side grain almost 2 ft away!

 

[M.B. Naegle]

I'd agree with dalmatian above that it's likely felt that is so packed with hard old oil, it's just become a crusty hard mass. If it chips apart it's likely rotten too, so best to use it as a pattern and replace it with new felt. IMO the grade or weight of the felt isn't quite as important as it being clean, making good contact with the surface it lubricates, and keeping it saturated in an appropriate weight and type of oil.

 

[shamus13]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I did what you suggested Dalmatian but it was still totally black however cutting lengthways again down the middle of the block revealed a wood like appearance. It was red in colour but this could still be oil staining.
So my task now is do I replicate these with wood again and if so what type of wood or go down the felt route?

Again, thank you all for you advice.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

How is it constrained in the machine? Would felt work without flopping to the side? Anyone know how stiff the stiffest felt is? I've never purchased the stiffest version.

If you want to try wood, my best GUESS would be balsa, spruce or aspen, with grain oriented to wick the oil.

 

[shamus13]

In the middle of of the ways sits the oil pocket and this part sits it that with approx. 2 mm clearance around it. The springs push the oiler against the table V so the oiler can only move a little within the pocket when the table changes direction. So if the felt is stiff enough it will sit within this pocket with minimal movement.