Recently installed a Colchester Student in my garage. The gearbox oil levels are pretty low. Anyone have any ideas what to top them up with? (can I
buy suitable from halfords or the like?)
And, what would a suitable coolant be? The suds sump was full of what looked like oil when I picked the machine up. That is far too messy!! What is
what white soapy stuff?
What model of Student?
My Mk 1 (round top) manual says
Headstock = Shell Tellus Oil 27
Gearbox = Shell Tellus Oil 33
When I tried to get some of this I was told that they were no longer available (it is a 1952 lathe after all!) and they recommended Shell Tellus Oil
100. On reading about this subject, this is probably too high a viscosity.
Difficult to get in small quantities though... 
Loads of info here.
[Edited on 27/9/11 by David Jenkins]
I have about 25lt of Renolin cl 32 which apparently is suitable for gearboxes, its whats in my gear head lathe box. Otherwise get some differential oil from a tractor supply place. I have done both.
Yup, I also have the Mk1 roundtop. Looks to have had little use! Came with just about every optional extra that Colchester did bar the hydraulic
coppying attachment,
That forum makes interesting reading.
Any idea what coolant is?
I had the same problem, oil change, in my old Colchester Master.
The oil I put in was the best match for the old Tellus, and turned out to be an oil used in hydraulic systems.
Find your local hydraulics supplier and get the heaviest hydraulic system oil he can supply. Apparently, the hydraulic oils have the additives to
reduce wear in gear pumps mainly, but also in cylinders and valves, so match up to lathe use fairly well.
Cheers,
Nev.
The coolant is what is known as 'suds'. This is a mixture of an oil and water with around 5% oil to water. Any decent tool supplier will be
able to supply. There are different oils depending on what you are machining but for a parrallel lathe you'll find a general purpose oil.
It sounds like you've got what is known as 'whole oil' in there at the moment. This is rarer in a non CNC machine and as you say it is
messy. I'd drain and rince before going over to suds. Your oil supplier will give you the proper method.
HTH
Mike
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
Recently installed a Colchester Student in my garage. The gearbox oil levels are pretty low. Anyone have any ideas what to top them up with? (can I buy suitable from halfords or the like?)
And, what would a suitable coolant be? The suds sump was full of what looked like oil when I picked the machine up. That is far too messy!! What is what white soapy stuff?
Tellus is (was) Shells hydraulic oil
The number is the viscosity in centi stokes i believe. Tellus 37 is your standard everyday non synthetic hydraulic oil.
I very much doubt you need gear oil. Much too viscous .
Hi before you drain the coolant take a little out and mix with some water if it mixes together easily then its probably the stuff you want.
If soluble oil is left for a fair amount of time the water evaporates leaving what looks like plain oil behind this can be topped up with water.
when you use the lathe and run the coolant its the water evaporating into steam that does the cooling.
hope this makes sense Ray
I would drain the coolant and flush out the tank well and then obtain some synthetic cutting fluid, this is diluted about 40 to 1 and works well for
most metals without smelling like the soluble oil type coolants.Having worked in machine shops for years I quite like the smell of soluble oil but
many people don't.
Paul
The Rocol fluids are quite pleasant to use - I usually dilute them as appropriate then fill up a squirty bottle and spray the work as I cut. You don't end up with gallons of rancid cutting fluid in the storage tank...