Lubricators. Compounds to les-sen the friction in machinery, and to prevent the bearings from rusting. Lubricators must possess a certain amount of cohesive and adhesive attraction. But they must also have the power to retain their cohesion and fluidity under the action of moderate heat, heavy pressure, and contact with metals and air. The oxygen of the air attacks many kinds of oils, rendering some acid and others resinous ; and moreover some oils of mineral extraction are contaminated with acids, used in their rectification, which attack metallic surfaces, the oxides of the metals thus produced increasing friction mechanically. The oxides of metals have the power of saponifying vegetable and animal oils, and no doubt this combination often takes place when oils of this kind are used on rusty bearings. The soaps formed by the union of the saponifiable parts of oils with metallic oxides are hard and insoluble, and are, therefore, much less perfect lubricators than the oils themselves. Some oils, more particularly those extracted from petroleum, are volatile, and evaporate as soon as journals become slightly heated. Oils possessing these defects are unfit for purposes of general lubrication. Probably nothing else has ever been discovered that possesses in so high a degree all the properties desirable in a lubricator as good, pure sperm oil. There have been, however, some close approximations to it in oils extracted from petroleum. Many of the latter are, nevertheless, very inferior. Some excellent lubricating oils are also obtained from various seeds. The olive and the castor bean furnish oils very good for lubrication. Olive oil is, however, too expensive for general application to this purpose. (See No. 1495 (Bancroft's Process for Refining Lubricating Oils).)

1540. Sperm Oil as a Lubricator for Heavy Machinery

1540. Sperm Oil as a Lubricator for Heavy Machinery. The superiority of winter sperm oil has been fully established by experiments made during 14 months, on the car and locomotive axles of a leading line of railroad; these went to prove that when using mineral, animal or fish oils, it required from 100 to 400 per cent, more of these oils to keep the temperature of the journals below 100° Fahr. than when winter sperm oil was employed; and in no instance could the pressure on the car-shaft be raised to 8,000 pounds with any other oil. It was also established that under various velocities, the amount of this oil consumed in lubrication decreased in almost the same ratio as the velocity; and as the velocity and the requisite amount of oil was diminished, the pressure could be increased without any increased consumption of oil.

1541. Booth's Axle Grease

1541.    Booth's Axle Grease. This popular axle grease is made as follows: Dissolve 1/2 pound common soda in 1 gallon water, add 3 pounds tallow and six pounds palm oil (or 10 pounds of palm oil only). Heat them together to 200° or 210° Fahr.; mix, and keep the mixture constantly stirred till the composition is cooled down to 60° or 70°.