Help! G0602 problem!

[Jmay]

This is what happened to me. I have had a Grizzly g0602 for a while hadn't used it much lately so I decide to wipe it down oil it up and lube the stupid ball boilers and run it a a minute just to lube it up good. Well then the stupid ball oiler over the spindle bearing collapsed. I then ran a screw down in the oiler and pryed it out, but the damn ball stayed in and I can't retrieve it. I tried magnets, shop vac, even dab of glue on a welding rod.

My attempts have failed. Not sure if the ball could cause problems with the bearing if left or if it can get past the race. I have not ran it since this happened. I haver turned it by hand and looking down the hole to see if the ball moves or anything. The passage still flows oil. Should I disassemble the spindle and see what I can do or leave it? Not sure how hard it is to tear down. What would you guys do?

[KEJR]

How big is the ball?

[Jmay]

A tad smaller than a bb.

[Glug]

Pictures or it never happened.

Is it possible the screw pressed the ball in, jamming it? Is there a second oiler for another spindle bearing? If so you might remove it. That would allow you to measure the orifice size below the ball, and tell you whether there is a risk of the ball migrating further into the bearing. Assuming they are the same.

Could you pressurize the bearing to create backpressure? Is there a sight glass? You could possibly remove the sight glass and then use air pressure to blow it out. Or maybe make a temp seal over each side of the bearing and then backflow with air.

[Jmay]

Well yes I might remove the other and see how big the opening is. Yes I do believe the screw method I used may have contributed to the problem. I will try air, but I think the outer race may be in the way of blowing up from the bottom side of the hole.

[Glug]

If the screw pressed it in, there's the potential that it is really wedged in there vs. merely resisting removal due to surface tension, vacuum, etc. Estimating how deep it was friction fit might be useful to know. If it was forced in over a distance of 1/4", that might change your approach to removal. In that case it seems unlikely air is going to get it out.

I figure you're going to want to replace that other ball oiler, so removing it now is no great loss. A better understanding of the bore contour might give you an idea how stuck it is, whether there is a risk of losing it in the bearing, etc.

[Arcane]

Is there any way you can stick a very small hose or tube down into the hole and onto the ball and get your mother-in-law over to suck on the end and see it comes out?

[BCRider]

The sight glass on my lathe screws out. Possibly if you could do that and run a small magnet on a wire down there and IF the ball fell through to the bottom you might be able to pull it out.

If you don't luck out with finding it I hate to say this but I don't think I'd want to turn on the lathe knowing that ball is in there. Not without knowing how much room there is between the rollers and roller cage in the bearing and if the ball could stir around and fit. So I think you're looking at a strip down unless you manage a miracle and retrieve it.

[Alistair Hosie]

Arcane has it use vacuum with a small hose spend some time setting it up then yeh-baby ,Alistar

[Willy]

I suspect the oil channel down to the bearing is probably a rough cast hole rather than a drilled hole. This probably why oil still goes thru past the ball, just hung up in the casting.

Obviously you can touch it if you tried retrieving it with glue and a welding rod.
If you have a welder you should be able to tack a rod onto the ball and retrieve it that way. I realize it is a very small ball and you don't have a lot of room to direct the rod directly onto the ball so an insulating sleeve would probably be an asset.

[Jmay]

Sucsess!!! I filed the hole a little to remove any big rough stuff then adapted shop vac down to super tiny 2 stroke engine fuel line and shoved down hole and in the other hand I had my air blowing nozzle pushing air up the through the bearing race. I also shot some silikroil in and immediately simultaneously hit the air and ran the vacuum. The old suck and blow combo with a little lube got it.

[Willy]

Great news, glad you got it solved.

You'll probably be needing one of these to replace damaged one.
It also might be an idea to change your method of oiling or the oil can itself for oiling them. Once you find an oil can with a spout that fits the ball oilers they aren't so bad. Must have at least twenty or so around the shop on various tools and they haven't been a problem.

[tmarks11]

McMaster Carr has replacements.

You can either buy the press-in ones that are what you had in there already (although McMaster's look like a better quality), or buy the little press-in oiler cups that provide a little reservoir (halfway down the page, I think you need the press-in vs. threaded version):

https://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-oil-cups/=157k0up

Another alternative is that you could get some "drive in grease fittings", and adapt a grease gun as an oil dispenser.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#grease-fittings/=157k506

[Guido]

WOW____talk about law of supply and demand, take a look at the Mcmaster pages, five bucks each for a quarter inch oil cup?

I find plastic caps, i.e. thread protectors, a dime a pack, fit snugly over anything like an eigth inch tube, and larger. Fit a drilled, turned piece of brass to the oil hole and top off with a plastic cap. Even available in colors.

[Jmay]

WOW____talk about law of supply and demand, take a look at the Mcmaster pages, five bucks each for a quarter inch oil cup?

I find plastic caps, i.e. thread protectors, a dime a pack, fit snugly over anything like an eigth inch tube, and larger. Fit a drilled, turned piece of brass to the oil hole and top off with a plastic cap. Even available in colors.

I ended up taking air tool nipples and drilling about 7/8 of it .25" leaving a little and pushed mig welder tips down till it stopped the screwed a 3/8 coupling on. For a lid I put beer caps with those small round magnets glued on the underside. Its not exactly press fit but a little dab of clear silicone on the nipples part that holds the balls in the quick coupling holds it fine. Plus not to much of a pain to remove if I needed.