Lubricators: What do you use?

[bmwpower]

I'm doing some research to see if I should install a lubricator in my air setup in my garage. I was thinking of the Filter/Regulator/Lubricator kind.

Currently, I just drop some oil in the tool before I use it, but I wonder if I should just go with a lubricator?

Are these things a hassle to deal with?

Does it do a better job than just dropping oil in the tool before use?

I guess you have to get additional hoses now to be used only for oiled air (in case you want to use oil-less air)?

[Canadian Charlie]

If you only want to run air tools I say go for it, but if you want to spray paint don't do it

[bmwpower]

I may want to spray at some time. Can I just install a different leg for the air tools (with the lubricator) separate from the spray leg (without a lubricator)?

[kartracer55]

When you go to use ablowgun you will blow an oily film over everything. Honestly, Its not worth it unless you make an extra drop for it. Say, pick the main drop, and have 2 hoses come off of it... one oiled and one not. But really, its not that difficult to put a few drops in. They recommend a few drops after every 8 hours of usage, which is a really long lube interval... once a day if your a pro wrench.

Have you thought of an in line oiler? you mount it between the hose and the tool.
http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/TA-98500.html 9$ Buy a whip hose, put this on the end closest to the main hose and youll never have a problem with it getting in the way.

Jim

[Steve_S]

I use an inline oiler. I installed a male quick-connect on one side and a female on the other. Then I just connect it to whatever tool I want to use.

[MXtras]

I would not use an oiler but there are pros and cons.

Use an oiler locally - not globally. I just oil my tools individually......sometimes.

Scott

[BoostAddiction]

Use an oiler locally - not globally. I just oil my tools individually......sometimes.

I thought I was the only one that just shot a couple of drops down the tool connector when I fired them up!

I actually have an FRL that I haven't hooked up. I may not ever do it as in may case anyway, it just doesn't really seem necessary.

I suppose if I did painting it would, but I do that about once every five years.

-Will

[stimpy]

we had one till someone grabbed the wrong hose and wasted about $500 worth of paint and 8 hours of prep time @$75 hr X 2 people (even the owner goes braindead when hurried) . so now we have manual oilers , if you use the tool you oil it , we bought the type of bottles that you use for ketchup ( little pointy nozzle and holds a quart ) and its in a cup holder on the side of the tool box so you grab a airgun then add a couple of drops and wala ! also there is no chance of ruining another paint job and we have used all the hose in the shop to paint a semi that wouldn't fit thru the door of the shop .we couldn't have done that otherwise .

[eschoendorff]

I have one of those in-line oilers on the end of a whip hose. The whip hose (only about 3') connects to the main hose, then the oiler, and then the tool. So basically anything that I use the whip hose for gets lubed. The main hose is all virgin air.

What do you guy like to use for air tool oil? I'm currently using some of that Marvel air tool oil ...

[bmwpower]

I use Coilhose Pneumatics oil. I can't stand the way it leaks from the top of the bottle though. Makes a mess.

[Uncle Buck]

I use Marvel oil too.

[W-Cummins]

we had one till someone grabbed the wrong hose and wasted about $500 worth of paint and 8 hours of prep time @$75 hr X 2 people (even the owner goes braindead when hurried) . so now we have manual oilers , if you use the tool you oil it , we bought the type of bottles that you use for ketchup ( little pointy nozzle and holds a quart ) and its in a cup holder on the side of the tool box so you grab a airgun then add a couple of drops and wala ! also there is no chance of ruining another paint job and we have used all the hose in the shop to paint a semi that wouldn't fit thru the door of the shop .we couldn't have done that otherwise .

So what you do if your going to do this at all, is make the oil free lines with diffrent connectors on the ends than the ones you use on oiled tools and lines. Then you use that same connector on the air only tools That way you can not mix them up.

[fireman]

I would not use an oiler but there are pros and cons.

I just oil my tools individually......sometimes.

Scott

Same here. Been doing it for 25 years and have never had a tool failure.

[stimpy]

cummins with auto paints like dumont going for 400 a gallon( any color) without the chemicals (more$$$) is it worth a little time and effort to oil manually ,in our case yes . and alot of the auto oilers over oil the tool putting the mist into the air and on your clothes ( and being we are a fabrication /bodyshop air contamination must be kept to a minimum ) . you only need a little drop every 8 hours of usage . and the last time we had to switch hoses was when one broke at the coupler end, when we were out (forgot to restock ) of replacement ends 2 hours after the Big box closed , so all I did was grab another hose and hooked up and continued,if I didn't have an extra dry hose readily avalible ( search /make sure the hose wasn't contaminated ) the paint would have potted and we would have lost alot of money instead I was out of 2 minutes ( the time it took me to open the mandoor to the grab a hose and walk in ,purge and hook up ) with a DIyer I know of nothing more than to beP.O.d by having my work ruined because someone forgot to check the hoses ... or worse yet changed out the fittings because they don't fit... we had a mechanic that worked for us a while back that had his air hose with the dryer and oiler attached to the side of his roller box with just enough hose to get around the car on the lift,but like you suggested he had totally different fittings than the rest of the shop and the setup he used was a milton . BTW we use marvel mystery oil .