# new lathe owner!! oiling record CL2 lathe



## mickthetree (31 Aug 2012)

Morning all.

I picked up a Record CL2 (old blue) lathe last week. My first lathe. I'm having some lessons form a bloke at work.

He has shown me how to adjust the bearing which is now running sweet. I've put a few drops of Record Power Lathe Spindle Oil in the filler cap which he lent me, but is there an alternative to use? 3-in-1 or something? If the spindle oil is best I'll get some of that. Just wanted to check first.

My goodness its addictive making square lumps of wood into round lumps of wood!!


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## nev (31 Aug 2012)

I am sure there is an alternative and probably at a fraction of the cost of the stuff i use on my CL2.
I thought I'd get the proper stuff and ordered one of these , which was a bit pricey. I almost choked when it arrived - the bottle is only about 3 1/2 inches tall. :shock: 
That said, a few drops at the beginning of a session is more than enough so the bottle's still going a year or two later.


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## Deejay (31 Aug 2012)

Morning Mick

The manual for the CL4 says that if the RP oil is not available

'use automotive grade 30W oil'

VW Beetles use straight 30 oil, so you might get it from a VW parts shop, or search Amazon for 'mower oil'.

Cheers

Dave


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## mickthetree (31 Aug 2012)

Many thanks Nev. That also answers my other question about how much to use!

Many thanks Dave I'll look that up also.


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## woodyturner (31 Aug 2012)

I used ordinary gear box oil on my old CL3-4 for about 9 years and the bearings were still good when I sold it and I did turn some big stuff on it and used it almost every day


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## dickm (31 Aug 2012)

Might be worth looking at the oil that is sold for (4-stroke) lawnmowers and the like. Pretty sure that is straight 30 grade, and probably cheaper than something sold for a niche market like old Beetles.


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## mickthetree (31 Aug 2012)

Cheers. For peace of mind I might get that lathe stuff. If as Nev says its going to last years it will work out cheap enough in the long run. I might get a discount at work anyway ;-)

Made my first cove this evening after some tutorial today. Not the best example, but very enjoyable.


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## dickm (1 Sep 2012)

FWIW, this topic comes up regularly on the Myford discussion group on Yahoo, and the consensus there is that any ISO 32 spec oil should be suitable for headstock (roller/ball) bearings on the Myford metal lathes, and for the slideways. This is apparently a hydraulic oil, exactly the stuff that goes into the rams on JCBs and agricultural implements. This spec was what Myford themselves recommended while they were still actually Myford.

Not sure if it would be the right oil for the Record bearings, but the ISO 32 from agricultural supplies folk is very cheap.


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## woodyturner (1 Sep 2012)

With the amount of oil needed for the record the price isn't that important I only used about 1/2lt of car gearbox oil in 8 years


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## sammo (3 Sep 2012)

Having recently suffered from a seized bearing :-( 
I now know to use a few drops of the RP-Oil before use 

I use a medicine syringe to get the oil into the small hole, so as not to waste any - these are very cheap items you can get them from Boots


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## =Adam= (3 Sep 2012)

Where is this oil filler hole?

I have a cl3 and have never oiled it :O I dont use the lathe much (due to lack of time) but want to start turning more in the next few weeks so I think I will be getting some of this before I start a big turning session!


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## henton49er (3 Sep 2012)

mickthetree":179ri1zi said:


> My goodness its addictive making square lumps of wood into round lumps of wood!!



How do you do that, then? :shock: :shock: 

I usually make my square lumps of wood into large piles of dust and shavings on the floor of my workshop! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## mickthetree (4 Sep 2012)

:lol: :lol: 

edit: making large square lumps of wood into very small, vaguely round lumps of wood and a MASSIVE pile of shavings.


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## Deejay (5 Sep 2012)

Morning Adam

*Where is this oil filler hole?
*
If you look at

http://www.recordpower.co.uk/support/page/manuals

and download the CL3 manual, it's shown on page 8 Fig 8.1


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