Alemite Pneumatic Grease Dispenser

[Duckfarmer27]

Last summer I picked up this old Alemite unit at an auction - figured it was worth the risk of not working at $17.50. It came complete with a pail of grease about 3/4 full. As the pail is steel, with a wire handle and wood grip the pail is from the 60s at the latest, based on what I used as a high school guy in the mid 60s. Model of the pump is 711 C4. In contacting Alemite they dated it to the early 50s and I have a limited tear sheet on a similar but later model they came up with.

This will work for a bit and then stop. If I pull the pump out of the pail, push the grease down some and re-insert it will then work. Although the grease is old it is still the proper consistency. I'm figuring that the on/off jarring and what not might be impacting it's working as much as anything.

Anyone here ever tear into the pneumatic pump itself? I'm thinking that there might be some dried up grease in the pump itself that is causing the issue. Before I tear into it figured I would check if anyone here has experience with one of these.

Thanks.

Dale

 

[Milton Shaw]

If you have not tried it yet, I would suggest running some air tool oil through the air motor. You probably have some crud in the air motor making it stick. Over oil it and see if will free up.

 

[Duckfarmer27]

Milton -

I have not tried that but will. The 'failure mode' is that it keeps making the pssshh noise very quickly. To me that meant the air motor is cycling but coming up empty on the output, which I assume is the pressure cutoff. But I will give it a good drink of air tool oil this afternoon.

Thanks.

Dale

 

[Tony G]

Those air grease pumps usually have a disc inside with a rubber lined hole in the center for the pickup tube to go through. Disc also has lip seal around its outside diameter. It fits snuggly against the inside surface of the barrel. The disc puts downward force on the grease sort of to keep it primed. They are often missing.

 

[joecon]

It is starving for grease you have to pack it down around the end of the
tube if it is cold the grease will not flow well and it needs a follower to
keep the grease packed around the tube.

 

[randydupree]

be very careful with this machine.
I have one,and it was not working right,i was messing around with it,tring to get it pumping and it shot a load of grease into my hand.
4 surgerys were required to remove all the grease from my finger and palm.
I was lucky i didnt loose a finger or even my hand.
Be careful.

 

[gungatim]

be very careful with this machine.
I have one,and it was not working right,i was messing around with it,tring to get it pumping and it shot a load of grease into my hand.
4 surgerys were required to remove all the grease from my finger and palm.
I was lucky i didnt loose a finger or even my hand.
Be careful.

WTF? wow, never would have guessed that. I tore into a hand held air grease gun I have that never worked well and used my fingers on the end to keep it sort of pressurized while I primed it.

Thank you for the warning, usually I have to learn that stuff the hard way. I will be sure and never do that again!!!