What is oil?
Oil is a coating for a journal, or in other words is a lining between
bearings.
Did you ever stop long enough to ask yourself the question? I doubt it.
A great many people buy something to use on their engine, because it is
called oil. Now if the object in using oil is to keep a lining between
the bearings, is it not reasonable that you use something that will
adhere to that which it is to line or cover?
Gasoline will cover a journal for a minute or two, and oil a grade
better would last a few minutes longer. Still another grade would do
some better. Now if you are running your own engine, buy the best oil
you can buy. You will find it very poor economy to buy cheap oil, and
if you are not posted, you may pay price enough, but get a very poor
article.
If you are running an engine for some one else, make it part of your
contract that you are furnished with a good oil. You can not keep an
engine in good shape with a cheap oil. You say "you are going to keep
your engine clean and bright." Not if you must use a poor oil.
Poor oil is largely responsible for the fast going out of use of the
link reverse among the makers of traction engines. While I think it
very doubtful if this "reverse motion" can be equalled by any of the
late devices. Its construction is such as to require the best grade of
cylinder oil, and without this it is very unsatisfactory, (not because
the valves of other valve-motions will do with a poorer grade of oil)
but because its construction is such that as soon as the valve becomes
dry it causes the link to jump and pound, and very soon requires
repairing. While the construction of various other devices are such,
that while the valve may be equally as dry it does not show the want of
oil so clearly as the old style link. Yet as a fact I care not what the
valve motion may be, it requires a good grade of oil.
You may ask "how am I to know when I am getting a good grade of oil."
The best way is to ascertain a good brand of oil then use that and
nothing else.
We are not selling oil, or advertising oil. However before I get
through I propose to give you the name of a good brand of cylinder oil,
a good engine oil as well as good articles of various attachments, which
cut no small figure in the success you may have in running an engine.
It is not an uncommon thing for an engineer (I don't like to call him an
engineer either) to fill his sight feed lubricator with ordinary engine
oil, and then wonder why his cylinder squeaks. The reason is that this
grade of oil cannot stand the heat in the cylinder or steam chest.
If you are carrying 90 pounds of steam you have about 320 degrees of
heat in your cylinder, with I20 to I25 pounds you will have about 350
degrees of heat, and in order to lubricate your valve and valve-seat,
and also the cylinder surface, you must use an oil, that will not only
stand this heat but considerable more so that it will have some staying
qualities.
Then if you are using a good quality of oil and your link or reverse
begins to knock, it is because some part of it wants attention, and you
must look after it. And here is where I want to insist that you teach
your ear to be your guide. You ought to be able to detect the slightest
sound that is unnatural to your engine. Your eyes may be deceived, but a
well trained ear can not be fooled.
I was once invited by an engineer to come out and see how nice his
engine was running. I went, and found that the engine itself was
running very smooth, in fact almost noiseless, but he looked very much
disappointed when I asked him why he was doing all his work with one end
of cylinder. He asked me what I meant, and I had some difficulty in
getting him to detect the difference in the exhaust of the two ends, in
fact the engine was only making one exhaust to a revolution. He was one
of those engineers who never discovered anything wrong until he could
see it. Did you know that there are people in the world whose mental
capacity can only grasp one idea at a time. That is when their minds
are on any one object or principle they can not see or observe anything
else. That was the case with this engineer, his mind had been
thoroughly occupied in getting all the reciprocating (moving) parts
perfectly adjusted, and if the exhaust had made all sorts of peculiar
noises, he would not have discovered it.
The one idead man will not make a successful engineer. The good engineer
can stand by and at a glance take in the entire engine, from tank to top
of smoke stack. He has the faculty of noting mentally, what he sees,
and what he hears, and by combining the results of the two, he is
enabled to size up the condition of the engine at a glance. This,
however, only come with experience, and verges on expertness. And if
you wish to be an expert, learn to be observing.
It is getting very common among engineers to use "hard grease" on the
crank pin and main journals, and it will very soon be used exclusively.
With a good grade of grease your crank will not heat near so quickly as
with oil and your engine will be much easier to keep clean; and if you
are going to be an engineer be a neat one, keep your engine clean and
keep yourself clean. You say you can't do that; but you can at least
keep yourself respectable. You will most certainly keep your engine
looking as though it had an engineer. Keep a good bunch of waste handy,
and when it is necessary to wipe your hands use the waste and not your
overalls, and when you go in to a nice dinner the cook will not say
after you go out, "Look here where that dirty engineer sat." Now boys,
these are things worth heeding. I have actually known threshing crews
to lose good customers simply because of their dirty clothes. The women
kicked and they had a right to kick. But to return to hard grease and
suitable cups for same.
In attaching these grease cups on boxes not previously arranged for
them, it would be well for you to know how to do it properly. You will
remove the journal, take a gouge and cut a clean groove across the box,
starting in at one corner, about I/8 of an inch from the point of box
and cut diagonally across coming out at the opposite corner on the other
end of box. Then start at the opposite corner and run through as
before, crossing the first groove in the center of box. Groove both
halves of box the same, being careful not to cut out at either end, as
this will allow the grease to escape from box and cause unnecessary
waste. The chimming or packing in box should be cut so as to touch the
journal at both ends of box, but not in the center or between these two
points. So, when the top box is brought down tight, this will form
another reservoir for the grease. If the box is not tapped directly in
the center for cup, it will be necessary to cut other grooves from where
it is tapped into the grooves already made. A box prepared in his way
will require but little attention if you use good grease.