Thanks Steve - it looks like the Kondia mills were designed to run with grease. Here is an email I got back from a former service tech:
"...strictly from memory the lower bearings would be filled with grease......the new bearings which you bought should be in plastic wallet with preservative oil. Wash this off with clean solvent or kerosene and replace with high speed spindle bearing grease. ( should be obtainable from bearing company such as SKF (sold in tubes like toothpaste size!) Do not pack bearing with more than 30% grease in volume as this can result in bearing overheating..."
Today I made a few of the missing parts. Nothing too complex - the quill lock handle and the handle for the rack pinion.
The original quill lock thread was bent and chewed (not sure how), so I made one. My original attempt was with some mystery steel and the threads chewed rather than cut. So, I decided to turn up an old bolt, as I didn't have a M8x1.25 long enough. Once the thread was cut, I turned down the head until it was a press fit into a large nut. I then used the nut to tighten the quill lock and establish a suitable location for the handle. Once done, I drilled and tapped a hole for a M6x1.0 thread and turned off the hex. Next was to make the short lever to finish off the handle.
Next was the handle for the ram pinion gear. Again, I chose a suitable bolt and made the handle, and some mystery steel to make the knob.
All external threads were single pointed on the lathe. There are 1.0, 1.25, 1.5 and 1.75 pitch threads there. Changing out the gears takes longer than cutting the threads!
Original quill lock next to the new one:
Press fit into a scrap nut:
A little 'hot glue':
Finished piece:
Ram pinion gear handle (top) and quill lock handle (bottom):
Ready for use:
"...strictly from memory the lower bearings would be filled with grease......the new bearings which you bought should be in plastic wallet with preservative oil. Wash this off with clean solvent or kerosene and replace with high speed spindle bearing grease. ( should be obtainable from bearing company such as SKF (sold in tubes like toothpaste size!) Do not pack bearing with more than 30% grease in volume as this can result in bearing overheating..."
Today I made a few of the missing parts. Nothing too complex - the quill lock handle and the handle for the rack pinion.
The original quill lock thread was bent and chewed (not sure how), so I made one. My original attempt was with some mystery steel and the threads chewed rather than cut. So, I decided to turn up an old bolt, as I didn't have a M8x1.25 long enough. Once the thread was cut, I turned down the head until it was a press fit into a large nut. I then used the nut to tighten the quill lock and establish a suitable location for the handle. Once done, I drilled and tapped a hole for a M6x1.0 thread and turned off the hex. Next was to make the short lever to finish off the handle.
Next was the handle for the ram pinion gear. Again, I chose a suitable bolt and made the handle, and some mystery steel to make the knob.
All external threads were single pointed on the lathe. There are 1.0, 1.25, 1.5 and 1.75 pitch threads there. Changing out the gears takes longer than cutting the threads!
Original quill lock next to the new one:
Press fit into a scrap nut:
A little 'hot glue':
Finished piece:
Ram pinion gear handle (top) and quill lock handle (bottom):
Ready for use:
Hunting American dentists since 2015.