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Oily exhaust from my Say-Mak


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I have a problem with oily exhaust from my Say-Mak. When I first got my hammer about 2 years ago I had it vented inside the shop. This proved to be a bad because it vented oil mist into the shop and made me feel sick. I ran a rubber exhaust hose the kind used on boats outside the shop this has worked well. The hammer is in daily use and there is now a oil stain on the side of the building and oil contaminated soil under the exhaust. Is there a way to avoid this. I have been using oil as prescribed by Tom Clark with the oilier valve set as he told me to do it. If I turn down the oilier the hammer runs hot so using less oil is not an option. I don't like the fact I am polluting and I fear one day the town might come down on me for it. Where I live people get ticketed for dumping oil even small quantities.

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Go to Walmart and get a washable, the reuseable type air filter build a frame to hold it and a drain tube to a reservoir. The filter should stop any oil from escaping. I’ve never tried this, but it should work. Test it first, you may have to double it up if the exhaust is too strong

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There are a few options for an air/oil separator. What kind of CFM and pressures are involved here?

One possibility is having a bucket or barrel with a lid, the in will be a tube going to the bottom, then filter material, and the out at the top. Filter material can be a simple as window screen loosely crumpled into the space.

Phil

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Good suggestion PK. I used to use a 55gal drum with the pipe going to the bottom with a bunch of holes in the pipe. Then I filled the barrel with drill turning (they don't pack down like small chips) and packed them in good. The oil condensed on the chips and collected in the bottom

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Good suggestion PK. I used to use a 55gal drum with the pipe going to the bottom with a bunch of holes in the pipe. Then I filled the barrel with drill turning (they don't pack down like small chips) and packed them in good. The oil condensed on the chips and collected in the bottom


Thats a great idea. I have a Sayha that has the same problem. Thanks
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I have used my hammer for 8 years. I worked with Tom from the begining of his assocation with this hammer. You are opening the oil valve way too much. My valve is open about 1/8 turn. As long as you have an oily film on the ram you have enough oil. If you use the hammer for extended periods it will warm up. Of corse it should not smoke or smell hot but friction and compressed air will create heat. Inside the cover on top of the rear cylinder there are 2 check valves if one or both of these has come off you will get excess oil in the exhaust. You can check this by removing the mufflers turn on the hammer hold yuor hand over each pipe one should blow the other suck If not you have a problem with the check valves.One way to test for enough oil is to hold a clean piece of paper over the exhaust with the hammer in use if you have a LIGHT mist you have enough oil.
Phil

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I have the oil valve set to 1/8" of a turn. But sometimes I do give it a touch more because my hammer runs a bit hot from time to time and bogs down mostly in hot weather. In fact my piston once seized at this oil setting. I called Tom and he told me this had happened on one other new hammer but did not elaborate. All in all I am happy with this machine. I like the 55 gal drum idea. Where to get 55 gallons of swarf though?

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I have the oil valve set to 1/8" of a turn. But sometimes I do give it a touch more because my hammer runs a bit hot from time to time and bogs down mostly in hot weather. In fact my piston once seized at this oil setting. I called Tom and he told me this had happened on one other new hammer but did not elaborate. All in all I am happy with this machine. I like the 55 gal drum idea. Where to get 55 gallons of swarf though?


got a lathe?

Phil
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Turn up something for the chip. Select your feed/speed/depth to create a heavy curly curl that tends to stay attached to itself instead of breaking off. (alright this may be silly)

Or call up a machine shop and ask as you probably need close to 200# to fill the whole barrel. I think a layer or two a few inches thick supported on screen or wire mesh with air spaces in between would do the trick and weigh a whole lot less though.

out to exhaust
layer of chip
screen
air
air
air
layer of chip
screen
air
air
air
in from hammer.
sump drain (optional, you can disconnect the "in" and put a vacuum pump down as needed.)

The idea is to slow the air down for a while and provide surfaces to stop the oil, so filling the barrel entirely should not be necessary. Heck, an empty barrel will stop some of your oil, so you can fill over time as you make appropriate chip doing work.

Phil

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Turn up something for the chip. Select your feed/speed/depth to create a heavy curly curl that tends to stay attached to itself instead of breaking off. (alright this may be silly)

Or call up a machine shop and ask as you probably need close to 200# to fill the whole barrel. I think a layer or two a few inches thick supported on screen or wire mesh with air spaces in between would do the trick and weigh a whole lot less though.

out to exhaust
layer of chip
screen
air
air
air
layer of chip
screen
air
air
air
in from hammer.
sump drain (optional, you can disconnect the "in" and put a vacuum pump down as needed.)

The idea is to slow the air down for a while and provide surfaces to stop the oil, so filling the barrel entirely should not be necessary. Heck, an empty barrel will stop some of your oil, so you can fill over time as you make appropriate chip doing work.

Phil

I understand the concept. No way am I going to spend a couple days making chips. I have to eat is there anything I could just buy off the shelf?
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Sorry Grant if the hammer is making nearly full strokes 20 or 30 seconds is long enough.


As fr as turnings I get some from big plumbing shops. pipe threading makes really nice curly chips. If you take a container for them to dump there pan in they are happy to help you out.

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Say Tim,
Why bother with the drill chips? The idea is to catch the oil! The only reason I can see for filling the barrel whith anything is perhaps to quite down any noise. If the pipe just dumps into a sealed container that should be enought to solve your problem.

Dick

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How could it dump into a "sealed container"? How would it "exhaust"? Put your mouth over the end of a bottle and blow. How much air can you blow into a sealed container? We're dealing with a mist, the chips give a labyrinth with a large surface area for the oil to condense on.

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