[GreenKeys] Teletype Oil (Ad Nauseum)

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce Gentry" <ka2ivy at verizon.net>
To: <GreenKeys at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 10:39 AM
Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] Teletype Oil (Ad Nauseum)


> Keelan Lightfoot wrote:
>> I've been reading the GreenKeys archives, and It's 
>> surprising how often the topic of oil comes up here. 
>> Without re-opening the subject for debate, I just wanted 
>> to throw something out to the group.
>>
>> The oil is a nice light straw colour, has no smell, and 
>> contains very little extra 'stuff'. Now my teletypes 
>> don't need to smell like rancid lemons soaked in used 
>> motor oil, and at $16 a gallon (compared to $6 for 3 fl 
>> oz of the stinky stuff) I'm saving money in the long run 
>> too!
>>
>> Just thought I'd share.
>>
>> - Keelan
>>
> The oil used in hydraulic elevators has very few 
> additives, has
> excellent anti-wear properties, and is 10W.   It is 
> blended to minimize
> aroma, many customers object to their buildings smelling 
> like a garage.
> Make friends with an elevator mechanic in  the service 
> department,  and
> you should be able to get a gallon can or jug for a cup of 
> coffee and a
> donut.  They have tens or hundreds of gallons of it in the 
> shop or
> stashed on jobs.
>
>   Bruce Gentry, KA2IVY    Elevator Constructors Local 62, 
> retired.

     I did a little research on oils and greases. I am no 
expert plus I don't yet have a Teletype machine. Here are 
some comments.
     1, Lubrication seems to be a rather complex subject, 
I've been trying to learn what I could for some time. My 
interests were in special lubricants for fine machinery such 
as clocks and camera shutters but I also wanted to find out 
as much as I could in general. I found out what a "grease" 
is and the difference between the applications of greases 
from oils.
     2, There are a couple of manufacturers of specialized 
oils and greases. Two are The Nye Company, who has been in 
business since the days of whale oil, and Kano Labs another 
old-line company. The Nye product line is much more 
extensive.
     3, There are several specialized lubricants for 
aircraft some of which have applications elsewhere. An 
example is the grease specified by Collins for use on the 
gears and cams of 51J and R-390 receivers. It has a mil spec 
number but is available as Aeroshell No.7 among others. I 
have some and find it to stick much better than general 
purpose white lithium grease or synthetics like Mobil 
grease. Perhaps not suitable for Teletype machines.
     4, The kind of lubricant depends on what its for. 
Different types are needed for helical gears, hypoid gears 
(probably not found in Teletype machines), and very with the 
material. Greases are needed where an oil might run off the 
object but greases need sliding action to stay distributed. 
The amount of pressure and the speed of rubbing surfaces is 
important. Temperature range is important. Some oils and 
greases are more resistant to moisture (washing off) than 
others.
    Modern oils and greases are much more resistant to 
oxidation and consequent hardening than were traditional 
ones. Some oils and greases have better anti-oxidation 
qualities than others.
    The oil originaly used on Teletype machines appears to 
have been one supplied by Teletype under a "KS" number. KS 
is a prefix used by Western Electric for items made by 
outside suppliers (means Kearny Spec). Is the spec for this 
oil available somewhere? It would be interesting to know 
what exactly it specified, perhaps no more than the 
viscosity.
     Since these machines are getting old and probably fit 
the catagory of precision equipment the choice of a 
lubricant should be done with some care to mimimise the wear 
and strain, I presume that replacement parts are not so easy 
to obtain so preserving the existing ones is important. 
Also, many newer lubricants are "slipperier" than older 
ones, this is connected to the wear rate but also affects 
the smoothness of running of the lubricated equipment.
     I have a good opinion of Nye, it would be worth someone 
who understands the requirements for Teletype service to 
contact them and discuss suitable lubricants with one of 
their specialists.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com