The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Am I that uncoordinated with a grease gun?

Seems like every time I change the cartridge in my grease gun I make the biggest mess. I done it many times over the years and I still haven't mastered the process. Greasing the truck is the fun easy part....'till I have to changes the cartridge. Eventhough it comes in a nifty cardboard tube, I get more grease on the outside of the gun than inside! What a mess I can make. Good thing for rubber gloves!

steppenwood,

Do you have the proper gun for cartridges? I can do it glove less and get nary a speck of grease on me! Here is my procedure...compare it to yours!

These are 14 1/2oz tubes. Gun goes empty. Partially unscrew top from barrel to break vacuum. Pull plunger out and lock. Unscrew barrel and pull out empty tube. Remove plastic cap and insert new tube. Pull tab and remove little cover. Screw barrel to pump, release plunger...all done.


Stuart

I had the same problems as you did until the fellow in the parts store showed me. Like Stuart I can now do it spotlessly. However before - ugh!

Sounds like Murphy's law, rule #1, if something can go wrong, it will. I'm just glad I didn't realize that something could go wrong.

Wow! Thanks alot atomarc for the heads up. I've never thought to pull the plunger back BEFORE I push it all together. I didn't even know that handle could be pulled back! Seems like the whole thing wanted to explode in my hands....that's a good visual, ain't it?

Ah, sometimes the little things, can make a big difference.

By the way, you have a great looking '45.

John

His truck is awesome... I would freak if I got grease all over the truck too!

Wow!

first time or two it was messy then i was told how to do it, and i can do it without getting dirty now, just takes a little practice and know how

hehehe... Rusty Rod routinely rassles with rogue rambunctiuos grease guns while ramming randy cartrides into said grease gun.

Thats worth a snicker.. :p

no, you arent the only one that could mess up loading a gease gun...........thanks for the post and the tips.........I can't wait to try doing it the correct way..

Me too.

GLOVES? hahaha, I have to put the sotrage ZIP locks on my hands I get that stuff up to my ELBOWS! hahaha, I AM glad that I am not the only one! LOL!

BTW, the exclamation was in reference to your truck, not the grease gun!

A little girlie tip (ok guys let the jokes begin...) is to use nail polish remover on your hands. Happened to me a few weeks ago and I washed my hands with nail polish remover and the grease can right off. Little harsh on the hands, but better than scrubbing them raw.

Heres a MANLY tip... if you know you are going to be getting grease under your fingernails, get a bar of bath soap and scrape your nails across the soap, so that the grease cant get in there... makes clean up a bit easier...

Lori, i use the Orange hand cleaner to get the grease off.... that or old gasoline. :rolleyes:

With MAN tips like like that its no wonder Mrs Rusty has stayed with you so long!

The hand cleaners like Gojo, etc. all do a good job of removing the grease without drying out the hands like acetone (nail polish remover) will. Good tip regarding the soap under the finger nails before you start. I'll have to try that next time I'm going to be working on anything that is extremely greasy/grimy.

I usually trim my fingernails before I work on the truck so that there isn't a place for the grease to hide.

That's why I use gloves. They sell those thin surgical type disposables at Costco. 3 boxes of 100 count for about nine dollars.

Thanks: JLucas, Niagara, and Orchidskip.

Use atomarcs routine and add ,push empty tube out of gun with plunger. Saves grabing end of tube. Why are we so worried about dirt under finger nails if we are working on 50+ year old grease carriers (trucks) :hammering:

I'm glad to know that there are other intelligent people out there that made a mess of the process too. Thanks for the tips. I don't know why I never figured that out.