MACHINERY LUBRICATION- INDIA MARCH-APRIL 2020 | Page 32

LUBE-TIPS
The “Lube-Tips” section of Machinery Lubrication magazine features innovative ideas submitted by our readers.
Smoothing Out Bulk Grease
After scooping out grease from a bulk container, ensure the top surface of the remaining grease in the
container is level. Do not leave the grease surface with pockets or cavities. This will cause bleeding of the
base oil from the grease thickener into these zones. In order to use the grease in such a case, the separated
oil would need to be worked back by agitation. This should only be attempted if there is no risk of dirt
entering the bulk grease during agitation (from the container, tools or grease surface).
No-Mess Filter Removal
This technique can help you avoid a mess when changing your vehicle's
oil and filter. Horizontally cut a recycled 2-liter plastic soda-pop bottle
in two pieces, about halfway up. Slide either half over the loosened filter
and spin the filter until it is unthreaded and drops off. Hold the cupped
filter in position for a minute or two to catch any leakage from the filter
housing before removing. This can eliminate most of the mess, even on
a nearly horizontally mounted filter.
Slight Vacuum Solves Problem
Have you ever threaded in a drain plug not quite right or had the
drain plug washer not seat properly but didn’t want to drain out all
the new oil? For many small-sump machines (gearboxes, etc.), you
can apply suction via a shop vac with a clean rag over the fill hole.
This will create a vacuum, allowing you to momentarily remove
the drain plug and reinsert a new one with hardly a drop lost.
Did You Know?
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30 | March - April 2020 |
Selecting the Right Piping
When retrofitting gearboxes for service and filtering, consider using
stainless- steel piping instead of black iron piping. After a rather short
period of time, the inside of the black piping begins crusting and
flaking off into the gear oil, giving false testing results. This is more
predominant in high humidity and frequent wash-down areas. ML
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