What use for spindle lube old Delta drillpress

[Jim C Bradley]

Hi to all of you brains,

I have an old Delta drill press I inhereted from my father. He purchased it in the 50's (maybe a little earlier). The spindle felt a tiny bit sluggish on the return up, after drilling. I took it out. The spindle was slightly tacky. There was no rust or other problem. The tacky was a clear, very pale orangeish (that a word?), color.

I cleaned the spindle. What do I put on it before returning it to its home in the drillpress? A very thin layer of some kind of grease? Some special oil? Other?

Model 14-207 with spindle 972 (yes I have the original papers that came with the drillpress). There was NO information specifically on the spindle and lube. All it said was the ballbearings were sealed and lubed for life.

Help will really be appreciated.

Enjoy,

Jim

[Steven Wilson]

a light coating of grease

[Bill Huber]

I have an old 1970 Sears and I use White Lithium grease on it. I have only pulled it down one time and cleaned it good and then used the Lithium grease, this was in 1984 and its still doing good.

I can't tell you the brand, the tub has all the information worn off.

[Gary Muto]

It sounds like the original lube or rust inhibitor dried out and was causing friction. I just use motor oil, sparingly. If it's good enough for and engine, it's good enough for my drill press.:cool:

[Jim C Bradley]

I have an old 1970 Sears and I use White Lithium grease on it. I have only pulled it down one time and cleaned it good and then used the Lithium grease, this was in 1984 and its still doing good.

I can't tell you the brand, the tub has all the information worn off.


Thanks Bill
Enjoy
Jim

[Jim C Bradley]

Hi,

Thanks guys. I have not got a handle on how to make replies end up where I want them so this is Thanks to all of you who responded.

Enjoy,

Jim

[Gene O. Carpenter]

Jim,
LubriPlate! Black and Silver tube,,slippry stuff,, one of the old lubricants that was used in most gear cased tool.

[David G Baker]

Try not to mix lubricants, some mixtures will cause more problems than they solve. If you can tell what the original lube was, try to use the same type.

[Kyle Kraft]

David,
That's good advice especially when working with gearboxes, engines, and most anything else with a sump. When starting out with a clean slate (or quill in this case) the OP could use either an oil or grease of his choosing without risking compatibility problems.