Lubricating a Edison Standard

[hearsedriver]

I know this is a tired old topic for most here but, Im about to disassemble, clean, and lubricate my Model B and cant find a definitive answer to a couple of questions. First, does every gear get greased or, should I use oil on the top gears? Is conventional wheel bearing grease too thick for the gears in these machines or should I stick with something like petroleum jelly? I have been using a gun oil called FP-10 on my Victors on all of the bearings. What oil do you recommend for bearings? Thanks

[12jslater]

From personal opinion I grease every gear bellow the bed plate with lithium moly grease. inside the bearing cups of the guvnor I use lithium moly grease and then keep it lubricated ever so often depending on how much it is used with a drop of sewing machine oil. I use grease on all shafts that pass through motors "chassis" and again periodically oil them with a small drop of sewing machine oil. The belt pulley gear however I tend to use oil as I find that sometimes they don't want to spin very freely with grease but if they spin reasonably free I will grease the shaft point and then drench it oil put the gear back on this acts as a thick oil/thin grease. Oil the guvnor pads and oil the guvnor shaft sometimes they are very stiff,and oil tensioner arm shaft. Rachet gear with oil and ratchet arm pivot point with oil.

On top I use grease on all gears if the gear cover is present if not oil as grease is unsightly. Oil all bearings except mander all bearing which requires grease. Oil carridge rod ,oil the feed screw. And oil on the bearing end of the gate for the maderel. If it has 2 and 4 minute gearing oil the gear surface in my opinion regularly and oil the surface it moves upon.

This is assuming you have fully cleaned and are rebuilding everything if not just lubricating, oil all bearings grease all gear surfaces.

I use sewing machine oil and lithium moly grease for everything.

Sorry for being so long winded.

[Chuck]

I use a mixture of vaseline and graphite in the spring,
and around on the few gears near the spring barrel.

Toward the later, faster-turning portions of the gear-
train, I use 20W50 motor oil from an eyedropper bottle.

At the governor bearings and gears, I use sewing machine
oil. Sewing machine oil also goes into the mandrel
bearing.

The topworks gears and pivots, the carriage guide rod,
the carriage sliding way support, and the
feedscrew and it's pivots get 20W50 from the
eyedropper bottle. That stuff is thick enough that
a fresh application of it to the carriage guide rod
is just the thing before any serious recording session
because it takes up the free play.

[hearsedriver]

Thanks to everyone !

[52089]

Personally I never use anything thicker than sewing machine oil on a feedscrew/half nut. Anything thicker than that tends to bog things down and rob power. I tried silicone spray for that a long time ago and it works great for a very short period of time. Then it evaporates and you have to start over.

[hearsedriver]

I'll be taking this one apart tomorrow but tonight, I oiled it up pretty good and it still just bogs down when I place the reproducer on the cylinder. If I apply a slight amount of upward pressure on the carriage, it plays fine. Seems like it is putting too much pressure on the half nut. Maybe its just in need of cleaning but, is the carriage adjustable to where it puts less pressure on the feedscrew?

[12jslater]

Yes you'll find there are two screws on the back of the half nut you can adjust it here

[hearsedriver]

Ok. None of the screws are adjustments on mine. 2 hold the half nut to the flat bar and the other 2 hold the bar to the carriage . I'm guessing I need to use a shim ?

[12jslater]

what model standard do u have?

[hearsedriver]

It's an early B.