Steam & Excursion > Take 'er in for a grease job.

In the thread re 1" scale steamers, Bob3985 wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On 844 and 3985 we wore gloves to help keep our
> hands clean. No need for extra toppings on our
> lunch hamburgers.


You've never seen dirty gloves until you've seen gloves used while greasing side rods!

-Larry Doyle

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You got that right Larry. Sticks of thick Marfak grease coated in powdered graphite to help lube the grease guns.
That's why we used one set of gloves for greasing/ lubing and another for the general work.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

LarryDoyle...
Where is the steel, tubular ‘finger guard “?

It was part of the well-quipped, factory equipped, Alemite pneumatic hard grease gun.

Years ago, Don Smith, the HICO office manager arranged to purchase Alemite grease gun sticks from the Union Pacific Storehouse.
Their product was rolled in flake graphite, to prevent the grease sticks from dragging on the grease feed-tube
( “ finger crusher”).

I strongly advise using the UP’s practice of rolling the grease sticks in graphite flakes. The second benefit is in long term storage...the flakes keep the greas separated , and easily grasped , even if stored for years on warehouse shelves, often in very hot warehouses...
The flakes resemble rolled cornflakes
Do not use powdered graphite ...

Best of luck..

W.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/18 16:51 by wcamp1472.

During the SP 4449 New Orleans Worlds Fair "death march", from Portland to NO and back, I found it much easier to "shoot the rods" with bare hands. The rod pin grease was sodium soap thickened "grease", and thus when the stuff oozed out of the rod bearings, it was mostly soap. Simply cracking the tender water firehose fill valves provided just enough water to wash one's hands with that excellent quality soap (which still had a little oil in it). I tend to hate gloves, and prefer to fire with bare hands, and even if things get REALLY HOT in the cab, simply using a soft cotton rag does the job.

Hotwater said:
“ I tend to hate gloves, and prefer to fire with bare hands, and even if things get REALLY HOT in the cab, simply using a soft cotton rag does the job.”

Every video of a British locomotive crew is the same way....

Posted from iPhone

That why when asked how are you feeling you reply, With my hands.

LarryDoyle Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In the thread re 1" scale steamers, Bob3985
> wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > On 844 and 3985 we wore gloves to help keep our
> > hands clean. No need for extra toppings on our
> > lunch hamburgers.
>
>
> You've never seen dirty gloves until you've seen
> gloves used while greasing side rods!
>
> -Larry Doyle

Or grease cakes while celler packin'!

wcamp1472 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> LarryDoyle...
> Where is the steel, tubular ‘finger guard “?
>
> It was part of the well-quipped, factory equipped,
> Alemite pneumatic hard grease gun.
>
> Years ago, Don Smith, the HICO office manager
> arranged to purchase Alemite grease gun sticks
> from the Union Pacific Storehouse.
> Their product was rolled in flake graphite, to
> prevent the grease sticks from dragging on the
> grease feed-tube
> ( “ finger crusher”).
>
> I strongly advise using the UP’s practice of
> rolling the grease sticks in graphite flakes. The
> second benefit is in long term storage...the
> flakes keep the greas separated , and easily
> grasped , even if stored for years on warehouse
> shelves, often in very hot warehouses...
> The flakes resemble rolled cornflakes
> Do not use powdered graphite ...
>
> Best of luck..
>
> W.

Wes,

How are roller bearing rods lubricated? I'm a retired diesel hog and have seen most of the large steam engines in the west but none with roller bearing rods.

WP-M2051 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wcamp1472 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > LarryDoyle...
> > Where is the steel, tubular ‘finger guard
> “?
> >
> > It was part of the well-quipped, factory
> equipped,
> > Alemite pneumatic hard grease gun.
> >
> > Years ago, Don Smith, the HICO office manager
> > arranged to purchase Alemite grease gun sticks
> > from the Union Pacific Storehouse.
> > Their product was rolled in flake graphite, to
> > prevent the grease sticks from dragging on the
> > grease feed-tube
> > ( “ finger crusher”).
> >
> > I strongly advise using the UP’s practice of
> > rolling the grease sticks in graphite flakes.
> The
> > second benefit is in long term storage...the
> > flakes keep the greas separated , and easily
> > grasped , even if stored for years on warehouse
> > shelves, often in very hot warehouses...
> > The flakes resemble rolled cornflakes
> > Do not use powdered graphite ...
> >
> > Best of luck..
> >
> > W.
>
> Wes,
>
> How are roller bearing rods lubricated? I'm a
> retired diesel hog and have seen most of the large
> steam engines in the west but none with roller
> bearing rods.

From what I've seen with N&W 611, they are greased only once a day, with soft grease, similar to the soft grease used on automobile suspension fittings, back in the old days prior to today's modern "no-service" suspension components.

CPRR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hotwater said:
> “ I tend to hate gloves, and prefer to fire with
> bare hands, and even if things get REALLY HOT in
> the cab, simply using a soft cotton rag does the
> job.”
>
> Every video of a British locomotive crew is the
> same way....
>
> Posted from iPhone

Firemen in Australia don't use gloves either just a bit of cotton waste