A great oil dispenser for traditionals!

J

jamesbeat

Joined
Jul 26, 2009
Messages
314
Even a guy like me has a good idea from time to time.

I had one today, and I thought I would share.

I have been looking for the ideal oil dispenser for a while, but I never really got along with any of the things I tried.

I have one of those needle dispensers, but I found it rather fiddly to use.

Someone on another thread likes torn off paper matches, used like a brush.

I really liked this idea, but that involves remembering to buy matches (I quit smoking a couple of years ago) and it's still a bit messy having to dip the matches in a container of oil.

I remembered an old Lee-Enfield oiler (or rather greaser) I used to have - a brass container with a screw-on cap that had a dauber built into it.

If only there was a small container or bottle that had something like a torn-off paper match built into the lid...

The answer of course is a nail polish bottle.

I scrounged one off my wife, thoroughly washed it out with acetone, and filled it with my favorite oil.

(That is a 50/50 mix of baby oil and laxative mineral oil if you're interested - not too runny, not too thick, reasonably food safe)

It works like a charm. The container is a good size, and the brush is just right for applying exactly the right amount of oil.

The whole package is self-contained and convenient to use.

If you don't have acetone, I'm sure nail polish remover would work equally well to wash out the bottle.

Just remember to leave it open somewhere warm overnight until the solvent is all evaporated away.

If you respect your wife's belongings, I believe you can also buy empty bottles for people who like to mix their own nail polish colors.
 
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Good idea...I started using a 15ml steel needle tipped bottle a few years back, they are widely available, and the steel needle tip makes tiny drops possible to apply right where you need them. The nail polish bottle would work very well too.
 
Yeah I tried those. I never got on with them, always found them to leak when inverted and squeezed.

I might have just had bad ones though because I know a lot of people swear by them.

Edit: another thing I like about the brush is that I can use it to 'paint' oil along the inside of the backsprings.
 
I use a pipette to oil my knives, it is very precise and keeps the oil stored neatly. They are also super cheap! I do like the nail polish bottle though, that is a great idea:thumbsup:
 
When I was a teenager, my younger brother gave me some fine mineral oil he had bought for the toy train set he had outgrown. It came in a small plastic bottle about the size of a typing correction fluid bottle, with a similar brush and screw-top lid. It was ideal for oiling my pocket knives, and since I only had a few then, lasted for years. I've asked about the product in hobby shops without success, but then it would be well over 40 years ago that my brother bought the oil bottle ;) :thumbsup:
 
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Today, I generally use one of those Boker 'oil pens' :)
 
I use a cleaned out eye drops bottle.

I opened up the whole just enough to fit a section of pen ink stick in ( could just use a coffee straw or wd40 straw )
Then quickly heated the ends with a lighter so it doesn't push through or pull out.
This leaves a lip I can pull it out with since the cap pushes it in.
 
Jack Black said:
When I was a teenager, my younger brother gave me some fine mineral oil he had bought for the toy train set he had outgrown. It came in a small plastic bottle about the size of a typing correction fluid bottle, with a similar brush and screw-top lid. It was ideal for oiling my pocket knives, and since I only had a few then, lasted for years. I've asked about the product in hobby shops without success, but then it would be well over 40 years ago that my brother bought the oil bottle ;) :thumbsup:
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How is that possible?
Train sets are (or were) a popular hobby with adults.
Considering the cost of locomotives, cars, buildings, and other accessories ... they can't be aimed at the kid market.
I recently saw an HO scale steam era locomotive that cost over $1,000.
Unless things have drastically changed since I was a kid, that is considerably more than their monthly allowance ... if not their annual allowance.
 
I just use these...ten one-ounce bottles for under $7.

I can be a sport and have one each for various lubricants, solvents, CLPs etc. No leaks, (thus far), no muss, no fuss.

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I use one like this below, filled with some of my Norton honing oil (light mineral oil). It's especially good at applying ONLY one drop at a time, unlike some dispensers that tend to ooze or drip too much, even with small tips. I also use the same oiler for applying a couple or three drops to my diamond hones when sharpening with them. Very handy.

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I use a medicine dropper, similar to, (but finer tipped than), the one below, for mineral oil to be used on oil stones. Puts a nice drop right where I want it. The one I've had for several years has a clear plastic sleeve that fits around the dropper when not in use and I store them upright in an old plastic vitamin bottle on the work bench.

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I use a .5 oz needle/bottle, the gunsmith supply house sells them. They don't leak like others have a tendency to do.
 
Hello Gents & any ladies, I haven’t used oil for sharpening in over 15 years... when I use stones , I give them a squirt with “ Simple Green Soap” a float all of the crud out of the stones and wipe clean with old T shirt or newspaper then just a squirt when I start and one for the finishing stone...——————————— Give it a try, I’ve found they sharpen faster with less mess.. You may remember old timers using Kerosene ??? Same idea! Let the stone cut and save the oil for machinery ..,
 
I took my EDC Benchmade 710 apart last night for its annual cleaning and oiling.
After removing the blade and the two washers, I wiped everything down with Q-tips dipped in Stoddard Solvent (the stuff in WD-40 that makes it work so well) soaked the washers, hosed down the springs in the Axis lock with the solvent, kept wiping with Q-tips until they came out clean, and then let everything dry, which took about 9 seconds.

For reassembly, I put ONE drop of 'SuperLube' oil into each Axis lock, worked the action, then removed ALL excess with a lint-free cloth. I put ONE drop of 'SuperLube' oil onto each washer, rubbed it into both sides, then wiped off the excess with the ling free cloth. Put a drop of oil inside the pivot hold in the blade and wiped off the excess, then re-assembled the knife. I adjusted the main Torx screw so I had the action I wanted, wiped the blade down with the almost-oily lint free cloth, and I'm good to go for the next six months when I'll give it another drop of SuperLube oil.

Don't want it too greasy. :)


Stitchawl
 
I have a WW I era oiler I inherited from a great uncle who was in the war -- probably one that fitted into the buttstock recess of a Springfield or Lee Enfield. It's about a 3/8" diameter steel tube, plated, with a knurled screw top with a stem down into the reservoir. I fill it with BreakFree; works great for dabbing a tiny bit of lube onto critical areas.
 
Super lube is also food safe product . I use the oil mostly and have used grease in Seb but actually prefer the Seb grease.
 
lex2006 said:
Super lube is also food safe product . I use the oil mostly and have used grease in Seb but actually prefer the Seb grease.
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I also use both Super Lube products. Great for many uses around the home, firearms and knives.
 
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