Oil in Air Nailers

[Lance Mirrer]

Hi All,

I have several air nailers that have not been used in years. picked one, worked for a handful of nails than died. I'm thinking that before using these, I should oil the seal s and mechanisms to avoid a dry plunger just ripping the seal.

Am I on the right track?
Is it correct to add a small amount of air tool oil in to the hose connection before starting?
Is the small amount enough? Or should I disassemble and oil the internal parts?

Thanks for you help!!!

Lance

[Matt Day]

You’re supposed to add a couple drops of oil each time you use it.

[Mike Henderson]

You’re supposed to add a couple drops of oil each time you use it.

That's what I do. Keeps things operating. I often use sewing machine oil because I have a lot of it.

Mike

[Jim Andrew]

If you have not used the nailer in a long time, the O rings are probably decayed, but putting some gun oil in the nailer is a good thing. If the O rings are shot, you can order a set if the gun is not obsolete.

[Mike Kees]

I oil my nailers and staplers a couple (4-5) drops daily.When a nailer starts to act up I will pull it apart and clean it out with paper towels then apply a very thin coat of white lithium grease on the cylinder and o-rings and reassemble. In my experience too much oil is as bad as none. Hope this helps,Mike.

[Brad Barnhart]

if your guns are settin' for a long period of time & no use, especially if they aren't in cases, or have caps on the ends, drop a few drops of oil down their throat once in awhile & shoot a few nails thru them. The oil will help keep the o rings & piston lubed, & runnin' a few nails thru it will keep the driver from sticking.

Make sure your compressor is drained. Blowin' moisture into your nailer is bad news! You'll see why when you tear it down. You can use golf tees in the air nipples to help keep dirt & junk out of the nailer, if it don't have a cap. jm.02.

[Jerry Bruette]

At work we use Marvel Mystery Oil in all the air line oilers and I use it at home too. Two or three drops is all you need. It does a good job of oiling and seems to do a good job of keeping the cylinders and seals clear of gunk from water in the lines. Has a pleasant wintergreen smell too.

[Dave Zellers]

At work we use Marvel Mystery Oil in all the air line oilers and I use it at home too. Two or three drops is all you need. It does a good job of oiling and seems to do a good job of keeping the cylinders and seals clear of gunk from water in the lines. Has a pleasant wintergreen smell too.

After starting out as a hand nailer as a ute, nail guns were introduced to our area and the repair guy told us to use 12-15 drops in our spike guns (3 1/4") in the morning and again after lunch. That might be a bit heavy but these guns were going constantly all day long. Smaller guns definitely use considerably less. My 23 ga pin nailer takes oil and I use maybe 2 drops.

Love the Marvel Mystery Oil reference! I still have a half quart that has to be 35 years old leftover from when I used to pour in into my old 65 Chevy step side pickup.

[Mike Cutler]

Lance

You need to oil the guns before every use. It's also a good idea to put oil in them when you store them.

[Bill Dufour]

I bought a used finnish nailer it worked okay then would not fire properly. opened it up and the cylinder was gummed with what seemed like rubber cement. rubbery, color of oil. I wonder what lube it used to be. I actually have a dropper can of gun oil sold for firearms. Looks like a 3 in one can.

[Lance Mirrer]

Thanks for the responses and advice. Will start disassembling and cleaning.

[Ken Combs]

I haven't seen this mentioned, but some newer models require no oil. My older Sencos do spec oil, my later narrow crown stapler and pinner are oil-less. I think they use a slippery plastic piston and/or seal. Those would be damaged by oil.

Bottom line, check the makers website manuals to be sure.

My first Sencos, probably 1978-9, came with grease installed from the factory. In cold weather they wouldn't fire until warmed with a heat gun. Had to disassemble, clean and use a lighter lube.