Oil for air tools

[splitshot]

I've been using Marvel Mystery Oil from a recommendation from a friend (UPS mechanic). Ok?, or am I slowly killing them?

 

[zebrabeefj40]

Probably won't hurt them but the right stuff is cheap and available at Lowes/Home Depot. The smallest bottles will last for years at a drop before a day of use.

Nick

 

[450 DUDE]

Ya I would change it out .
From what I know MMO and aluminum are not the best of friends.

ken

 

[3_puppies]

The smallest bottles will last for years at a drop before a day of use.

Nick

after having my last IR gun rebuilt, runs like new, the shop that did the work, said it was best to put the oil in after use and tap the trigger to coat all parts with oil then put away. I was told that most damage comes from moisture left in the gun after use.

also told from the same shop that MMO air tool oil is very good, and that's what they recomend.

 

[Tools R Us]

I've been using Marvel Mystery Oil from a recommendation from a friend (UPS mechanic). Ok?, or am I slowly killing them?

Back in the day, Marvel Mystery Oil or Marvel air tool oil were the IR factory recommended lubes, until IR came out with their own branded oil. No worries, Marvel Mystery Oil is a good lube for your tools.

In the tool biz one of our sayings is, any oil is better than none! That said, you want a very light viscosity oil. Most tool manufactures (that don't market their own brand) recommend light hydraulic oil. Most "boutique" air motor oils are a light base oil with water dispersant, coloring and smell pretty added, with good oiling/maintenance program that added stuff isn't needed. Also some ATF's have a reputation for swelling some soft parts in some tools, so stay away from ATF, other than that just about any light oil, air motor, Marvel Mystery, 3 in 1, jack oil, etc will work just fine.

Obviously oil is important as a lubricant, but in an air tool it's function as a solvent is probably more important to tool life. As a tool runs it collects debris inside, from part wear, dirt from supply air and sucked in the exhaust on run down. If the tool isn't well oiled this debris mixes with the oil and becomes a lapping compound, very effective at destroying parts, the #1 cause of tools being totaled instead of needing a tuneup.

If properly oiled, even tools used in a dirty industrial application, run 14hr a day, should be clean inside, when torn apart at tuneup time. My recommendation for industrial users is, flush oil the tool at least once a day and add a couple of drips each 30min of use for lube. For an automotive size tool, flush oil by adding teaspoon or so of oil into the air inlet, point it somewhere that you don't care about getting oily, like a trash can and run it through. On a tool that doesn't get used often it's still important to flush oil, maybe every or every other day of use.

If you used enough oil, there should be fog of oil that comes out the exhaust. Pay attention to the exhausted oil, it should be the same color as you put in, if not your not oiling enough and it's flushing out large amounts of debris. Another way to tell if your oiling enough is look in the exhaust, it should be clean, if not your not oiling enough. Which leads to our second favorite saying, tools are expensive, oil is cheap, don't spare it!

 

[splitshot]

Thanks, great info, sounds like they will be with me for a while longer

 

[flintknapper]

I've used MMO for over 20 years in air tools. Good stuff.

 

[brownbear]

really any oil is better than no oil...

I neglect my air tools all time.

I have even had to use methyl hydrate in them to keep em from freezing. Damm cold air.

Gear oil is nice too. Same stuff you use in the diffs.

 

[Tools R Us]

...
Gear oil is nice too. Same stuff you use in the diffs.

I wouldn't recommend that thick of oil in air tools, a thin oil is needed to move through the tool and flush debris. Thick oils stay in low spots, reducing performance and trapping debris.

Here is a classic case, a sander that has only been in service 2 weeks, it's from a mold shop, sees ~4hr run time a day. Should be like new, but due to improper oiling is loaded up with dirt.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

I wouldn't recommend that thick of oil in air tools, a thin oil is needed to move through the tool and flush debris. Thick oils stay in low spots, reducing performance and trapping debris.

Here is a classic case, a sander that has only been in service 2 weeks, it's from a mold shop, sees ~4hr run time a day. Should be like new, but due to improper oiling is loaded up with dirt.

So what would have worked to keep it going normally for years? Would just routine lube and flush have prevented all of this dirt?


I did the flush thing on my impact gun this am, and the oil came out perfectly clean. I'm guessing it's pretty spottless inside.

 

[Tools R Us]

So what would have worked to keep it going normally for years? Would just routine lube and flush have prevented all of this dirt?

Yes. This shop has ~50 of these sanders and have no control over who uses them, so no idea who failed to maintain it. They are numbering the tools and assigning them to users, so they know who to have a chat with when I call with this kind of report. Their tools usually go ~6-8 months between tune-ups.

I did the flush thing on my impact gun this am, and the oil came out perfectly clean. I'm guessing it's pretty spottless inside.

That's the way you want it. Maintainince is a simple deal and a decent quality tool like IR is made to run pretty much daily. For the hobbyist/home user with simple maintainince it should be no problem to hand that tool down to the grandchildren, with little or no repair issues.

 

[Wile E Coyote]

MMO makes an air-tool specific product. I've been using it for a few years. I am hell on my IR angled die grinder, and it hasn't even hiccuped yet.

 

[White Shark]

I always run Bostitch oil in my nailers and air tools. I haven't had a failure yet.

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