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RE: BIX...how much oil?

Posted by NewbieBaby (A) on May 6, 2008 at 09:39:28

In Reply to: BIX...how much oil? posted by joncat on May 6, 2008 at 07:51:41:

I am not familiar with the Bix bearing in particular, but am familiar with others. My approach to lubing the bearing (assume shaft and sleeve type) is this:

Thoroughly clean the well and shaft of all lubricant or other foriegn materials; it is absolutely dry.

Add lubricant of choice using a syringe that permits drop-drop-drop... of the lubricant into the well without it touching the sleeve wall on the way down.

You hafta firgure out how much to add.

Lower the spindle, absolutely without any lubricant applied, into the sleeve well. Absolutely do not rotate the spindle in the dry sleeve bering. When the spindle gets to the bottom of the lubricant charged well, it will stop moving due to hydraulic resistance.

the idea is to leave the platter in this aspect for a day while gravity pulls the platter/spindle down to the bottom of the bearing well, and the lubricant is forced upward in the bearing such that any air space is evacuated ahead of the advancing fluid.

I interpret that the "scaping" you hear is metal on metal due to not evacuating the air space. Putting a lubricated spindle into the bearing well creats a fluid film barrier to air escape.

My opinion is that it is not a good thing to run the platter in this condition. If the bearing materials are sufficiently hard, there should be no damage of consequence.

Put a mechanic's stethescope on the spindle, and you can hear what is going on.

If you can push the spindle/platter down against a spring type action, then air is trapped in the bering well.

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