Are All Grease Guns As Messy As Mine?

[SMSW]

I have an old Sears Craftsman grease gun with the long lever arm (not pistol type grip) and a flexible hose. I fill it with standard chassis/wheel bearing grease bought at auto parts stores - NAPA, Valvoline being two brands on my shelf. I use this infrequently, maybe 4 times a year, and every time I do, oil that has separated out of the grease drips out of the plunger rod on the back end of the gun, usually down my arm. It also tends to cover most external parts of the tool, and I now approach the tool wearing disposable gloves.

Filling the gun is by definition a dirty job and I accept that. (It's using the tool that gets me.) I pull the plunger rod all the way back and to one side, latching its groove in the slot on the back. The pump mechanism/head is then unscrewed from the body, and I fill it using (literally) clean tuck pointing tools, pushing the grease down into the cylinder. Reassembly and a wipe down completes the job. Since I don't use much grease, I was never interested in filling the gun with a pump type filler. Years ago I tried a grease cartridge, but replacing the plunger end was too much of a chore. Too, while doing so, I managed to dislodge the spring loaded pump rod. The front of the gun was still unscrewed at the time, and the entire contents of the cartridge was pushed out of the tube in one quick, smooth motion. Never went there again.

Are all brands of grease guns this messy? I store mine wrapped up in rags, in a doubled paper bag with either cardboard or newspapers under the gun to catch any oil that leaks. Has anyone found a grease that does not bleed oil? Do they package grease in a caulk style tube that is foolproof?

 

[Obo]

I reload mine like you do vs buying a replacement tube. I find the temps make a huge difference in if the grease separates. Warm temps are the worst. I keep mine over a bunch of rags to prevent the drips from ending up on the concrete floor. If I didn't require a pressurized option to pop on a zerk, I'd just use the squeeze tube grease with no gun required.

 

[David Fyffe]

Refill with a cartridge.
The end with the plastic cap(remove cap first)goes into the gun first. Remove metal pull tab and screw on the end with the lever and hose.

 

[ReSTored]

I have a mini cartridge gun and it leaks a small amount between uses.

The regular size one leaks a lot, it's a pain. You can minimize this by wrapping a small baggie or piece of plastic wrap on the tip and using a few elastics to keep it in place. This + hanging it tip down will reduce between use leaking to a minimum.

 

[Upt' North]

Yes.

 

[ST1100Y]

Observed the separation also on Moly Paste...
It does not happen with my Marine Grease...

 

[TourNut]

I use NAPA pistol grip gun , flex hose , NAPA moly grease . : Have to warm it up next to a furnace register so it feeds the pump without an air bubble that stops it - AGAIN ! I wrap a paper towel around the plunger rod end w/ twist-tie . Very annoying tools .

 

[motornut]

Yes

 

[SMSW]

I neglected to describe one additional feature provided by Craftsman to further the mess. After filling, it is inevitable that there will be air in pockets in the grease. If I unscrew the head of the gun a couple of turns, a small hole is uncovered at the top of the cylinder and the spring pressure on the follower will force the air out and then a thin worm of grease. A pocket of oil gets a good squirt until the grease reappears.

This is one tool nobody has asked to borrow.

 

[Skunkape]

I don't have one but if my present grease gun ever fails I may try the "Lube Shuttle". Do a search, it's a little different take on the grease gun. Pretty highly thought of in the tractor world. Looks way less messy.

 

[St-Gerard]

Lincoln grease gun , flexable line, replace gease nippes when start pucking out the side. Have had to change out the part on the end of the hose a couple of times over forty years of use. I use cartiages with wheel bearing grease not chassis grease. Still a messy job , but cheaper than replacing parts.

 

[RaYzerman]

Check around a farm supply, Harbor Freight or hardware store... I got a plastic wall mounted bracket which has a removable drip tray...... the only thing I grease with the gun is the lawn tractor zerks. Sold the tractor, now what?

 

[SMSW]

... the only thing I grease with the gun is the lawn tractor zerks. Sold the tractor, now what?

Get an old car or tractor and restore that. It will have zerks.

 

[rogo]

Lincoln pneumatic grease gun. I usually go through a cartridge in a weeks time ,so no seepage.
Yes it can be messy, even for a professional grease monkey.

 

[SMSW]

I don't have one but if my present grease gun ever fails I may try the "Lube Shuttle". Do a search, it's a little different take on the grease gun. Pretty highly thought of in the tractor world. Looks way less messy.

Looks very nice, but I will take a guess that few folks on this website would pop for one. Standardly messy guns sell for anywhere from $15 up to around $40USD. The Lube Shuttle styles go for around $65 and up. The grease goes for $30 up to $120 for 14 oz. Are they serious? A one pound plastic tub for chassis/wheel brng grease can be found at auto parts stores for $10 and up.

The Lube Shuttle system may eliminate the drip from the bottom of the gun, and the mess associated with filling it, but if there is any separation of oil and base in the cartridge, there will be leakage out the tip if the gun is held hose down. It will be cleaner but not a white glove clean activity. Some years ago I balked at buying a highly rated, 'lifetime' grease gun for $40...not about to pop for a cleaner gun for twice that plus expensive grease.

I even bought a cheap air powered grease gun. I've used it a few times but dragging out the compressor and hose got old for only half a dozen zerks on my truck. This version is as messy as the manual variety.

 

[catcher]

In my previous life, I would easily go through a box of a dozen cartridges every year. Had two grease guns, one with a flex hose and pistol type pump, and one with a longer lever and a piece of solid tube. Secret weapon? Always have a selection of rags close by, you'll need 'em! Yes, there's a trick to preventing an air lock when swapping cartridges.