JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,902
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Post by JonL on Sept 8, 2020 5:24:05 GMT
My little bottle of Steam oil will not last me long, and when I asked some of the other model engineers at my society where they get their Steam oil the most common answer was "well I bought my drum in the late 80s...." or similar....
My bottle came from Clevedon Steam but it's a blank bottle so I've no idea of grade or the various fatty additives they use. I enquired about buying some from someone at the club as they have a large drum but they were reluctant to part with some (I did offer money! I wasn't trying to nick it....).
May I ask where you get your Steam oil from? It's for a normal piston type lubricator.
As an aside Ive been using normal mineral motor oil for the motion work, I'm assuming that's ok?
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Post by coniston on Sept 8, 2020 6:55:07 GMT
Hi Nobby, I buy mine from Heritage Steam - www.heritagesteamsupplies.co.uk/oil-greases.html - only because they are local to me. I have found their 'Universal Steam Oil' to be excellent for both steam lubricators and for oiling motion work so I only have one oil can in my toolbox. Both Polly Model Engineering and Blackgates advertise selling steam oils and I suspect the other ME suppliers also supply it. Chris D
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smallbrother
Elder Statesman
Errors aplenty, progress slow, but progress nonetheless!
Posts: 2,268
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Post by smallbrother on Sept 8, 2020 7:43:15 GMT
Either from an exhibition or Polly Models for me. If paying postage I try and order some other bits and pieces too.
It comes in 1 litre bottles so 1 (or maybe 2) bottles per season I reckon.
Pete.
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Post by chris vine on Sept 8, 2020 13:32:16 GMT
How about Morris Lubricants? I think they sell direct. I have a 1 litre pot of their universal steam oil. However the stuff I like best is the Steam Cylinder Oil T. The T stand for added Tallow.
Chris.
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mbrown
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,713
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Post by mbrown on Sept 8, 2020 13:57:01 GMT
We use Morris lubricants on the Talyllyn - but found out the hard way that the oil with added tallow is a bad idea in displacement lubricators - the tallow emulsifies and clogs the lubricator which then won't drain properly.
Malcolm
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JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,902
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Post by JonL on Sept 8, 2020 14:20:34 GMT
I assume when they refer to compound steam oils they are not saying its most suitable for compound engines!
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mbrown
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,713
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Post by mbrown on Sept 8, 2020 15:23:57 GMT
I assume when they refer to compound steam oils they are not saying its most suitable for compound engines! Build yourself a Midland Compound (after the Britannia, of course...) and run a comparative test! Malcolm
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oldnorton
Statesman
5" gauge LMS enthusiast
Posts: 688
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Post by oldnorton on Sept 8, 2020 15:40:36 GMT
Nobby,
The 'Golden Film Universal Steam Oil' from Heritage Steam is made by Morris but is only available from Heritage, so Morris told me when I tried to buy it from them. It is formulated to be thinner than the very thick, full size steam oil and is designed for models with moderate superheats. As Chris D says it is also perfectly suitable for motion as well being similar to a nice, sticky 60w engine oil.
Norm
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neil
Active Member
Posts: 39
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Post by neil on Sept 8, 2020 17:12:09 GMT
I use oil from CBennis Supplies and Services, Chris has a shop on ebay, he lives in Southport. He Can supply little bottles or drums. lot of different steam oils, plus other oils, he is a model Emngineer and knows his stuff as well and can advise what to use. Have to also say He is a mate of mine from when I lived in Southport.
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jo479
Hi-poster
Simplex, Pricess of Wales, Prairie, N24X, LNWR Jumbo, Jeannie Deans, 7 1/4 Lion
Posts: 184
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Post by jo479 on Sept 8, 2020 17:57:05 GMT
If you have a displacement lubricator with a sight feed Don't use Compounded Steam Oil it makes a mess of your sight feed when it emulsifys,(found out the hard way) I use straight 680 Steam Oil for all my engines, then I don't have to worry which to put in what.
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Post by 92220 on Sept 9, 2020 8:13:24 GMT
GS Models, part of Western Steam, sell 2 types of steam oil.....light and standard. I bought a 500mls tin of each to see how they compared. The standard steam oil is VERY viscous, as would be expected. The 'light' steam oil is around the viscocity of gearbox oil for a car....still viscous, but nowhere near as viscous as standard steam oil.
Bob.
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Post by cplmickey on Sept 9, 2020 8:17:55 GMT
Another +1 for Pollys although I use my engines so little I'm still on the same bottle from several years ago.
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Post by daveburrage on Sept 9, 2020 8:19:22 GMT
In Stoke we have a Morris lubricants depot in the Industrial estate at Fenton. There are probably other ones around the country. They happily sell to the public. Its a while a go but I think it was £22 per gallon for steam oil last time I visited. It's a stock item.
regards
Dave Burrage
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stevep
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,070
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Post by stevep on Sept 9, 2020 10:11:11 GMT
Our club bought a 5 litre canister, and decanted it into 500 ml lots, which were then sold off to members at cost (+ a bit). Works out a lot cheaper.
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JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,902
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Post by JonL on Sept 20, 2020 23:42:27 GMT
I use oil from CBennis Supplies and Services, Chris has a shop on ebay, he lives in Southport. He Can supply little bottles or drums. lot of different steam oils, plus other oils, he is a model Emngineer and knows his stuff as well and can advise what to use. Have to also say He is a mate of mine from when I lived in Southport. This is the one I ended up going for as their pricing was the most competative and the spec seemed to be exactly what I believe I need. For the motion work I'm planning to use chainsaw oil, however the seller i purchased from is being very slow in dispatching.
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Post by ilvaporista on Sept 21, 2020 4:51:14 GMT
I use oil from CBennis Supplies and Services, Chris has a shop on ebay, he lives in Southport. He Can supply little bottles or drums. lot of different steam oils, plus other oils, he is a model Emngineer and knows his stuff as well and can advise what to use. Have to also say He is a mate of mine from when I lived in Southport. This is the one I ended up going for as their pricing was the most competative and the spec seemed to be exactly what I believe I need. For the motion work I'm planning to use chainsaw oil, however the seller i purchased from is being very slow in dispatching. Probably due to user error but I have had problems with chainsaw oil. On my double Tich I used it for general motion oiling and to feed the axle boxes. As I use the loco probably only three or four times a year it has long periods of inactivity sat on the display stand. Over time the oil thickened to a paste probably picking up dust from the atmosphere and the loco became very difficult to push along. It took a full strip down and clean to remove all of the solids. I am back to a thinner oil and all is well.
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JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,902
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Post by JonL on Sept 21, 2020 9:34:22 GMT
Ok, that's interesting. I think for regular use the chainsaw oil still has merit but maybe the last run before layup I'll switch back to something thinner.
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uuu
Elder Statesman
your message here...
Posts: 2,800
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Post by uuu on Sept 21, 2020 10:16:35 GMT
Machine slideway oil is formulated to have some stickyness, and resistance to washing away. Has anyone used this?
Wilf
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Post by ettingtonliam on Sept 21, 2020 22:58:02 GMT
Be careful about using chainsaw oil. Apparently some chainsaw oils are vegetable oil based. Now vegetable oil does, in my experience (castor oil, linseed oil) tend to clot with age and exposure to air. Not only that, but nasty things happen if things lubricated with vegetable oil then get lubricated with mineral oil. In the days when 'Castrol R' was a favourite vegetable based oil for high performance engines, topping up with a mineral oil by mistake could lead to a total blockage of the lubrication system.
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