Cuppa
8th July 2013, 06:24 PM
It had been a long time, so long that I could't remember the last time I did it, but therein lies the problem! I had vague memories of it being an absolute pr*ck of a job & very messy to boot.
So when I dug out the trusty old Muralt grease gun that I've had for over 30 years to do one of those two minute jobs which always take longer, & found the grease gun was empty I knew it was not a joyous occasion. For those unfamiliar with this lubricating essential it looks almost identical to this.
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2013/07/35.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuppa500/9235675103/)
When you unscrew the end you find that attached to the T handle is a length of chain holding a large spring, which in turn pushes onto a plunger. It is this plunger which ensures the grease is pushed down to the business end of the grease gun, ensuring that pumping the handle does not just pump air. Having removed it I set about the messy business of filling the tube with fresh grease, finding one of MrsTea's long handled spoons from the kitchen useful for the task. Then came the really fun part, re-inserting the plunger, spring & end cap. After several aborted attempts because the task proved impossible (& ever increasing amounts of grease getting spread everywhere that grease should not be spread) I reasoned that the problem was that I had overfilled the bloody thing. So lots of puggling to extract much of what I had already put in, & I was beginning to resemble one of those sticky papers that are use for catching flies. Grease everywhere. But I was persistent. Each new attempt after the removal of a bit more of the grease saw me getting closer to achieving my goal of overcoming the pressure of the spring & being able to screw the end cap back on........ but with well lubricated hands the job continued to prove difficult. I swore & cursed at the designer of the instrument of lubricating torture, how could such a commonly used tool be such a pain in the friggin arse to refill. Asking myself that question, aloud, & at quite a volume suddenly had this grease covered & frustrated forum correspondent slapping the side of his head. Well almost, but I was smart enough to realise that my hands were covered with grease, & thus avoided the need to degrease my hair. The penny finally dropped! I was trying to fill the bloody thing from the wrong p*ssing end! Duh & double duh! When I finally removed the 'nozzle end', emptied all the grease out, inserted the plunger, spring & end cap, refilled the gun & replaced the 'nozzle end cap', it all proved quite simple. It was about half way through doing that, that I remembered going through exactly the same bloody process when trying to fill the gun in the past! I wonder if I'll remember before I start next time it needs filling?!
Anyone reading this who didn't know what I was doing wrong until the end? ;)
Cuppa
So when I dug out the trusty old Muralt grease gun that I've had for over 30 years to do one of those two minute jobs which always take longer, & found the grease gun was empty I knew it was not a joyous occasion. For those unfamiliar with this lubricating essential it looks almost identical to this.
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2013/07/35.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuppa500/9235675103/)
When you unscrew the end you find that attached to the T handle is a length of chain holding a large spring, which in turn pushes onto a plunger. It is this plunger which ensures the grease is pushed down to the business end of the grease gun, ensuring that pumping the handle does not just pump air. Having removed it I set about the messy business of filling the tube with fresh grease, finding one of MrsTea's long handled spoons from the kitchen useful for the task. Then came the really fun part, re-inserting the plunger, spring & end cap. After several aborted attempts because the task proved impossible (& ever increasing amounts of grease getting spread everywhere that grease should not be spread) I reasoned that the problem was that I had overfilled the bloody thing. So lots of puggling to extract much of what I had already put in, & I was beginning to resemble one of those sticky papers that are use for catching flies. Grease everywhere. But I was persistent. Each new attempt after the removal of a bit more of the grease saw me getting closer to achieving my goal of overcoming the pressure of the spring & being able to screw the end cap back on........ but with well lubricated hands the job continued to prove difficult. I swore & cursed at the designer of the instrument of lubricating torture, how could such a commonly used tool be such a pain in the friggin arse to refill. Asking myself that question, aloud, & at quite a volume suddenly had this grease covered & frustrated forum correspondent slapping the side of his head. Well almost, but I was smart enough to realise that my hands were covered with grease, & thus avoided the need to degrease my hair. The penny finally dropped! I was trying to fill the bloody thing from the wrong p*ssing end! Duh & double duh! When I finally removed the 'nozzle end', emptied all the grease out, inserted the plunger, spring & end cap, refilled the gun & replaced the 'nozzle end cap', it all proved quite simple. It was about half way through doing that, that I remembered going through exactly the same bloody process when trying to fill the gun in the past! I wonder if I'll remember before I start next time it needs filling?!
Anyone reading this who didn't know what I was doing wrong until the end? ;)
Cuppa