Grease Guns, lube ports and grease nipples

[Paulatic]

I read Mick’s grease gun review well over an hour ago. I’m still smiling
He read the instructions I think that’ll be a first for mankind.
On reflection though I’m sure he read them after doing it and not before. That’s the way I usually do it anyways.

[Mick F]

Ah, this time you are wrong!

I had Brucey's words ringing in my ears, and having got the thing out of the box, I saw no bleed screws at all. Maybe there is one, but it was an Allen fitting and not a thumbscrew thing that is normal or where it might be useful. I was concerned that it wouldn't bleed very well, so I read the (scant) instructions.

I needn't have worried. It was fine.

[resus1uk]

My 1953 Higgins trike has grease nipples on the rear axle, BB and headset. Later Rogers trike doesn't have lubrication points.

[whoof]

Speedplay pedals have a hole in the outboard ends covered by a screw.
Remove said screw and inject the grease. Easy peazy.

I have Speedplay Frogs on my Moulton, and if the fancy takes me, I'll remove the Campag pedals on Mercian and fit Frogs instead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x1hst38NpA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2RWuzq-mFg

These are the same 'grease guns' that I've been using on the Speedplay pedals. I have been asked in the chemist 'what do you want these for' when I tell them they usually stare at me blankly.

[Brucey]

..... To bleed it? It didn't seem necessary at all.

The instructions tell you to pull the plunger back and lock it, then fill the grease gun and to fit the gun end but unscrew it a few turns. push the rod into the gun and pump the handle until grease comes out. Then screw the gun end tight....

this is in lieu of having, ahem, a proper bleeding arrangement. In fairness there shouldn't be much air inside a decent grease cartridge; the idea is that the air at the end of the reservoir is let out via the screw threads.

I've used guns of a similar type and if you do get air in the workings, it can be a proper PITA to sort it out.

BTW I dunno what grease you have, but doubtless it is not the optimum grease for the job in hand.

cheers

[Mick F]

Not taking it out to check the exact.
From what I remember, it was lithium and had EP additives. It was described as multi-purpose for bearings and suspension and chassis.

The way I see it, if I can get grease in that Moulton suspension pivot once a month, it won't really matter if it's not perfect for the job.

[AMMoffat]

In 2002 (I think it was) I bought a pair of yellow alloy off road pedals, with ball bearings, but they lacked any meaningful seal at the crank side..
.. So the first time I had the pedals apart I drilled a 5.5 mm hole in each of them, cleared out all the metal swarf, fitted 6 mm self tapping grease ports (re-checked for swarf again) and built them up. About every quarter of a year a pump fresh grease into them (from my grease gun) and wipe off the old grease that comes out of the crank end and the little breather hole I put in the pedal caps.. Throughout the life of the pedals I've fitted them to 4 of my bikes and despite many years of use.. I've only had to adjust them 3 times... The bearings have now become silky smooth... plus I've saved myself the time & bother about pulling apart my pedals every year to re-grease them.

From where can one acquire 6mm self-tapping grease ports?

[rjb]

Bit of a late posting, interweb has been down for a couple of days. Here's my selection, 2 tecalemit guns, the nice lever action one looks very similar to the wanner models, a pump action one I use filled with oil to lube my lathe. A tiny Nubrex I picked up recently in a junk shop, couldn't resist it and 2 recycled syringes. One I use on my Hubs and the other is filled with finish line for use on cable inners.

Perhaps we need a thread about lubrication. Drilling a grease port in hubs is well documented, and also pedals is another area. I have drilled a hole in the polyamide shell of a sealed fag bottom bracket but recall someone who ground holes in a Shimano type square taper cartridge, sealed the cups with silicon sealant and poured oil down the seat tube. Leaning the bike down was not advised.
Didn't suntour introduce grease guard on items like bottom brackets and headsets. Good idea but short lived.

[Brucey]

lots of grease nipples here

https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=1&keywords=nipple&singlebutton=

most are a bit pricey if you buy them two at a time but there is a kit for about ten quid that has over a hundred nipples in it (including x60 M6 threaded ones) which is pretty good value if they are any good. My local car spares shop sells little bilster packs of ten nipples for about a fiver; choice of 1/4" or M6 tapered thread.

It isn't unusual for a hardened nipple with a tapered thread to be used as a self-tapping device into a soft aluminium part that is drilled but not tapped. A conventional self-tapping thread form probably won't work, because it needs to provide a grease-tight seal.

If you want an unobtrusive fitting in something like a pedal, an M3 csk screw can be fitted into a drilled and tapped hole, provided the body wall is thick enough. You will need a nozzle type grease gun of course.

cheers

[Brucey]

a short but helpful article on greases here

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/1352/grease-basics

cheers

[resus1uk]

The Higgins grease nipples are Tecalemit 3/16 BSF.
Different to find cheaply..

[JakobW]

Based on a recommendation over on LFGSS I picked up a tube of Shell Gadus S2 V220AD 2, which seems to have a bunch of corrosion inhibitors and EP additives; I use a cheapo Dualco gun for application. I suspect it's not quite fluid enough to be Brucey's ideal, but for the tenner or so I paid it should last me another decade or two...

[Brucey]

Based on a recommendation over on LFGSS I picked up a tube of Shell Gadus S2 V220AD 2, which seems to have a bunch of corrosion inhibitors and EP additives; I use a cheapo Dualco gun for application. I suspect it's not quite fluid enough to be Brucey's ideal, but for the tenner or so I paid it should last me another decade or two...

I didn't recognise that name so I looked it up and it has appeared as a result of a rebranding exercise; at previous times it has been known as Alvania HDX and Retinax HDX. It is a pretty good MoS2 bearing #2 grease with corrosion inhibitors. If injecting it into hubs with rudimentary seals it will work very well, unless it gets into the freewheel mechanism, where a #2 grease can cause the pawls to become a bit sticky.

In the normal run of things the pressure inside a hub during greasing never gets so high that grease is forced directly through the freehub body; it comes out of the ends first. However if the grease is fluid or separates much then the freewheel mechanism will be lubricated in service but if the grease is too thick and doesn't separate at all then it can run dry or let water penetrate the mechanism from the LH side of the freehub body.

Since I have not used that particular grease in a freehub I don't know what will happen exactly; do you hear the pawls working? If so, it may mean that the mechanism is running a bit dry. However if there is almost no noise, and the freewheel picks up cleanly then it most likely indicates that all is well inside the freehub body.

cheers

[JakobW]

I haven't noticed any untoward noises from the freehub, but I presume if I do hear something a squirt of a thinner lube in there should sort things out?

[Brucey]

I haven't noticed any untoward noises from the freehub, but I presume if I do hear something a squirt of a thinner lube in there should sort things out?

yup.

Although it wouldn't surprise me if it still has some Brucey style SFG in it, unless you have been to the moon and back....

cheers