I deal with old fractional HP fans and pump where the life must be
extended beyond what you'd usually do when replacements are still
available. Ages go from 15 to 30 years.

Around bronze and even steel sleeve bearings there's usually conical cup
of sorts to hold the bearing and, originally in some motors a type of
grease that over time dries up and leaves a brown powder that cannot be
reconstituted, even with fresh oil. It looks like old sawdust and turns to
powder when prodded at. I can pack oiled felt in place of this stuff, but
what is this material? Is there something better than scraps of felt to
keep those olive-shaped bearings oiled for as long as possible? The amount
of wear they suffer by the time they cook out and seize up is not good, so
they need even more oil than when they were new.

On Wed, 1 Sep 2021 23:54:43 -0000 (UTC), Cydrome Leader
<presence@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:

>I deal with old fractional HP fans and pump where the life must be
>extended beyond what you'd usually do when replacements are still
>available. Ages go from 15 to 30 years.
>
>Around bronze and even steel sleeve bearings there's usually conical cup
>of sorts to hold the bearing and, originally in some motors a type of
>grease that over time dries up and leaves a brown powder that cannot be
>reconstituted, even with fresh oil. It looks like old sawdust and turns to
>powder when prodded at. I can pack oiled felt in place of this stuff, but
>what is this material? Is there something better than scraps of felt to
>keep those olive-shaped bearings oiled for as long as possible? The amount
>of wear they suffer by the time they cook out and seize up is not good, so
>they need even more oil than when they were new.

Felt and 10W oil is the best I ever came up with. Used to use 3 in 1
now it's whatever full synthethic I have on hand.

Randy

randy333@aol.com wrote:
> On Wed, 1 Sep 2021 23:54:43 -0000 (UTC), Cydrome Leader
> <presence@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:
>
>>I deal with old fractional HP fans and pump where the life must be
>>extended beyond what you'd usually do when replacements are still
>>available. Ages go from 15 to 30 years.
>>
>>Around bronze and even steel sleeve bearings there's usually conical cup
>>of sorts to hold the bearing and, originally in some motors a type of
>>grease that over time dries up and leaves a brown powder that cannot be
>>reconstituted, even with fresh oil. It looks like old sawdust and turns to
>>powder when prodded at. I can pack oiled felt in place of this stuff, but
>>what is this material? Is there something better than scraps of felt to
>>keep those olive-shaped bearings oiled for as long as possible? The amount
>>of wear they suffer by the time they cook out and seize up is not good, so
>>they need even more oil than when they were new.
>
> Felt and 10W oil is the best I ever came up with. Used to use 3 in 1
> now it's whatever full synthethic I have on hand.
>
> Randy

Just curious about 3 in 1. Does that stuff still gum up like old cooking
oil? I haven't used it in years and warn people to not use any version of
it on motors. My personal favorite over-engineered oil is Lubit-8. It's
really good on small motors, and even works fine in small radial ball
bearings with no issues. It does not gum up or dry out.

On Mon, 13 Sep 2021 19:09:10 -0000 (UTC)
Cydrome Leader <presence@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:

<snip>
>Just curious about 3 in 1. Does that stuff still gum up like old cooking
>oil? I haven't used it in years and warn people to not use any version of
>it on motors. My personal favorite over-engineered oil is Lubit-8. It's
>really good on small motors, and even works fine in small radial ball
>bearings with no issues. It does not gum up or dry out.

"3 in 1" is a brand name with different products. They sell an oil
specifically for electric motors:

https://www.amazon.com/3-IN-ONE-Motor-Oil-3-OZ/dp/B00065VGUC/

They also sell the generic oil you're thinking of...

I've been using the electric motor version on my furnace blower motor
and its belt driven squirrel cage for many years now without issue.
Also in a big 20 inch fan I place in a window for overnight cooling. My
can is very old, maybe 30 years. So I don't know how it compares to the
stuff sold nowadays...

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI

Leon Fisk <lfiskgr@gmail.invalid> wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Sep 2021 19:09:10 -0000 (UTC)
> Cydrome Leader <presence@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>>Just curious about 3 in 1. Does that stuff still gum up like old cooking
>>oil? I haven't used it in years and warn people to not use any version of
>>it on motors. My personal favorite over-engineered oil is Lubit-8. It's
>>really good on small motors, and even works fine in small radial ball
>>bearings with no issues. It does not gum up or dry out.
>
> "3 in 1" is a brand name with different products. They sell an oil
> specifically for electric motors:
>
> https://www.amazon.com/3-IN-ONE-Motor-Oil-3-OZ/dp/B00065VGUC/
>
> They also sell the generic oil you're thinking of...
>
> I've been using the electric motor version on my furnace blower motor
> and its belt driven squirrel cage for many years now without issue.
> Also in a big 20 inch fan I place in a window for overnight cooling. My
> can is very old, maybe 30 years. So I don't know how it compares to the
> stuff sold nowadays...

lol, 20" box fans are sort of my test of oil. The problem is the new fans
are so terribly made the plastic falls apart in about a year and the fan
blades slip and fall off the motor shafts as they're so thin and poorly
made.

Is your 3 in 1 in a blue can?

On Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:24:07 -0000 (UTC)
Cydrome Leader <presence@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:

<snip>
>lol, 20" box fans are sort of my test of oil. The problem is the new fans
>are so terribly made the plastic falls apart in about a year and the fan
>blades slip and fall off the motor shafts as they're so thin and poorly
>made.
>
>Is your 3 in 1 in a blue can?

Yes, it is. Date in some info on back of can is 1994. Couple pictures,
front and back here:

https://postimg.cc/gallery/Tnv3K7m

I recently tried using some generic Hydraulic Oil in a small turbo
fan. Similar to this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MEH1I2/

It worked well for a couple weeks and then seized up while in use. It
is SAE 10 oil. Caught it before melt down. Back apart, used 3in1 from
blue can and back running again. Needs a lighter oil or maybe a bit more
play in the sleeve bearings. Pulled from neighbors trash bin a few
years ago and was too stiff to rotate. Used 3in1 back then too, ran for
maybe 5 years before needing attention again...

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI

On Tue, 14 Sep 2021 09:52:59 -0400, Leon Fisk <lfiskgr@gmail.invalid>
wrote:

>On Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:24:07 -0000 (UTC)
>Cydrome Leader <presence@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:
>
><snip>
>>lol, 20" box fans are sort of my test of oil. The problem is the new fans
>>are so terribly made the plastic falls apart in about a year and the fan
>>blades slip and fall off the motor shafts as they're so thin and poorly
>>made.
>>
>>Is your 3 in 1 in a blue can?
>
>Yes, it is. Date in some info on back of can is 1994. Couple pictures,
>front and back here:
>
>https://postimg.cc/gallery/Tnv3K7m
>
>I recently tried using some generic Hydraulic Oil in a small turbo
>fan. Similar to this:
>
>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MEH1I2/
>
>It worked well for a couple weeks and then seized up while in use. It
>is SAE 10 oil. Caught it before melt down. Back apart, used 3in1 from
>blue can and back running again. Needs a lighter oil or maybe a bit more
>play in the sleeve bearings. Pulled from neighbors trash bin a few
>years ago and was too stiff to rotate. Used 3in1 back then too, ran for
>maybe 5 years before needing attention again...
Have had good luck with some stuff I have labelled as Duratrode as
well asSyon TufOil. I also have a little tube of Chevron Handy Oil
ISO15.

They are both very thin and I have used them on computer fans and all
kinds of other small fractional HPmotors (and other fine apparatus)

On Tue, 14 Sep 2021 15:15:35 -0400
Clare Snyder <clare@snyder.on.ca> wrote:

<snip>
>Have had good luck with some stuff I have labelled as Duratrode as
>well asSyon TufOil. I also have a little tube of Chevron Handy Oil
>ISO15.
>
> They are both very thin and I have used them on computer fans and all
>kinds of other small fractional HPmotors (and other fine apparatus)

Thanks! Might have some TufOil around. I have some old Shell Handy Oil
but was reluctant to try it. That little fan is actually pretty quick
to take apart. Might be worth the effort to just experiment on it. Fan
season will be winding down pretty soon though...

Was going to try some SAE 5w Synthetic motor oil when I get some. Randy
already mentioned having good luck with Synthetic oils...

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI

On Tue, 14 Sep 2021 17:43:27 -0400, Leon Fisk <lfiskgr@gmail.invalid>
wrote as underneath :

>On Tue, 14 Sep 2021 15:15:35 -0400
>Clare Snyder <clare@snyder.on.ca> wrote:
>
><snip>
>>Have had good luck with some stuff I have labelled as Duratrode as
>>well asSyon TufOil. I also have a little tube of Chevron Handy Oil
>>ISO15.
>>
>> They are both very thin and I have used them on computer fans and all
>>kinds of other small fractional HPmotors (and other fine apparatus)
>
>Thanks! Might have some TufOil around. I have some old Shell Handy Oil
>but was reluctant to try it. That little fan is actually pretty quick
>to take apart. Might be worth the effort to just experiment on it. Fan
>season will be winding down pretty soon though...
>
>Was going to try some SAE 5w Synthetic motor oil when I get some. Randy
>already mentioned having good luck with Synthetic oils...

I also saw Randy's post, I never thought of using fully synthetic for
thin instrument type oil! Has anyone tried any heat stress tests on
FSynth in comparison to 3 in 1 type oil? 3 in 1 smells quite a bit so I
would imagine would just disappear over time when it gets warm / hot in
a motor bearing. C+

Clare Snyder <clare@snyder.on.ca> wrote:
> On Tue, 14 Sep 2021 09:52:59 -0400, Leon Fisk <lfiskgr@gmail.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:24:07 -0000 (UTC)
>>Cydrome Leader <presence@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:
>>
>><snip>
>>>lol, 20" box fans are sort of my test of oil. The problem is the new fans
>>>are so terribly made the plastic falls apart in about a year and the fan
>>>blades slip and fall off the motor shafts as they're so thin and poorly
>>>made.
>>>
>>>Is your 3 in 1 in a blue can?
>>
>>Yes, it is. Date in some info on back of can is 1994. Couple pictures,
>>front and back here:
>>
>>https://postimg.cc/gallery/Tnv3K7m
>>
>>I recently tried using some generic Hydraulic Oil in a small turbo
>>fan. Similar to this:
>>
>>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MEH1I2/
>>
>>It worked well for a couple weeks and then seized up while in use. It
>>is SAE 10 oil. Caught it before melt down. Back apart, used 3in1 from
>>blue can and back running again. Needs a lighter oil or maybe a bit more
>>play in the sleeve bearings. Pulled from neighbors trash bin a few
>>years ago and was too stiff to rotate. Used 3in1 back then too, ran for
>>maybe 5 years before needing attention again...
> Have had good luck with some stuff I have labelled as Duratrode as
> well asSyon TufOil. I also have a little tube of Chevron Handy Oil
> ISO15.

I've been baffled by the Syon tufoil and lubit vs. what's sold by
Fluoramics. I spoke with the fluoramics people and they claim the Syon
stuff was counterfeit, which didn't really make too much sense as it was
sold for years and years. I buy direct from the flouramics people in NJ.
They moved to MN a few years back. I suspect they had a fallout with a
custom packager at one point, but that's all just a guess. The old MSDS
sheets on tufoil and lubit-8 are all over the place with what's really in
the stuff.

Here's a syon MSDS for lubit-8

http://www.nwrvsupply.com/msds/13-0447.pdf

And a more recent fluoramics one that's highly obscured, and 100%
worthless like all SDSs these days

https://cdnimg.webstaurantstore.com/documents/sds/antunes_2140152_sds.pdf

I sort of what to know what sort of toxic anti-rusting agents I'm
touching.

I can't locate the chevron handy oil stuff anymore. It used to come in
those ridiculous pocket oilers with the shirt clip. It was a really nice,
thin oil. It was perfect for small bearings, like you mentioned.

> They are both very thin and I have used them on computer fans and all
> kinds of other small fractional HPmotors (and other fine apparatus)

On Wed, 15 Sep 2021 08:52:21 +0100, Charlie+ <charlie@xxx.net> wrote:

>On Tue, 14 Sep 2021 17:43:27 -0400, Leon Fisk <lfiskgr@gmail.invalid>
>wrote as underneath :
>
>>On Tue, 14 Sep 2021 15:15:35 -0400
>>Clare Snyder <clare@snyder.on.ca> wrote:
>>
>><snip>
>>>Have had good luck with some stuff I have labelled as Duratrode as
>>>well asSyon TufOil. I also have a little tube of Chevron Handy Oil
>>>ISO15.
>>>
>>> They are both very thin and I have used them on computer fans and all
>>>kinds of other small fractional HPmotors (and other fine apparatus)
>>
>>Thanks! Might have some TufOil around. I have some old Shell Handy Oil
>>but was reluctant to try it. That little fan is actually pretty quick
>>to take apart. Might be worth the effort to just experiment on it. Fan
>>season will be winding down pretty soon though...
>>
>>Was going to try some SAE 5w Synthetic motor oil when I get some. Randy
>>already mentioned having good luck with Synthetic oils...
>
>I also saw Randy's post, I never thought of using fully synthetic for
>thin instrument type oil! Has anyone tried any heat stress tests on
>FSynth in comparison to 3 in 1 type oil? 3 in 1 smells quite a bit so I
>would imagine would just disappear over time when it gets warm / hot in
>a motor bearing. C+
DCepends WHICH 3 in 1 you use. Saying 3 in 1 is almost like saying
Shell or PenzOil (orwd40) these days.