Tecalemit cycle gun

[montello1984]

I have got my hands on one of these.

Questions,

Is it for grease or runny oil? I believe it is a grease gun.

How do you fill it and how does it work?

[Vorpal]

I think it's just a part of a grease gun? I'm not sure, but that would be my guess.

[montello1984]

I think it's just a part of a grease gun? I'm not sure, but that would be my guess.

I don't think so, this is the complete item.

Found this ...

http://www.flying-scot.com/miscellaneous/bicycle/technical/tools/tecalemit.html

[Brucey]

to fill it easily, you need the 'tecalemit easy filler tin'

I have no idea how it works though!

cheers

[RJS]

I found one a while back going through some old bike tools of my fathers, great I thought, now I can oil the BB and headset on his old Hawkes filled it, tried it, it didn't work If any one knows how I might get it working, I'd be very grateful
Cheers, Rob.

[Brucey]

If the grease/oil gun has a simple concave end fitting (as per the one illustrated) then it is designed to be used with domed nipples. A very common problem with little-used lubrication systems is that the nipples (on the bike or w.h.y.) are clogged with rust and dried grease etc.

I've used many other grease guns including other small tecalemit models (like the 'next size up' as supplied with motorcycle tool kits at one time) and they don't seal that well, they don't have bleed circuits, but they are often internally simple, with no internal check valves. This all means that they need a fair amount of skill to use properly, and they often don't work at all well unless they are connected to a lubricant fitting that has a (working) check valve built into it.

If you fill them with grease, there can't be any air in it at all. If you fill them with oil, they only work one way up.

It isn't at all clear to me that the depicted unit is actually meant for use with grease, because there does not appear to be any means for air to enter the reservoir to replace the grease as it is used (or is there a hole I can't see?). When used with oil, I would expect air to enter through the shaft on the return stroke even if there is no other hole. I would presume that when you are done using it, the shaft can be pointed upwards and depressed (without pumping oil out) before the cap is replaced.

cheers

[531colin]

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53119&hilit=tecalemit&start=45

[Brucey]

sorry Colin, I deleted flash player from my machine so I can't see your pics.

cheers

[531colin]

Think I've deleted them, and I can't copy over from Adobe or wherever they are now.....
Anyway, mine was exactly the same as the current one, and Greybeard has got it now, as far as I remember.

[rjb]

They came in bigger sizes too. Here's a 10" one. I inherited this one from my dad who worked at the Plymouth factory up to 1980's. this one has thick oil in it. The days when we would grease the nipples on our Austin A35 on a monthly schedule are long gone. Do any modern cars have grease nipples now? The only thing I have with grease nipples is an old Myford lathe.

[jb]

They don't need an air bleed as the plunger sinks down the barrel as the lubricant is used up, I had a similar thing that came with our Ajax lawnmower

[montello1984]

Had another look at it today; basically when you take the cap of a plunger pops out which I am assuming sucks grease into two holes in it that are inside the body. Then as you push the nozzle into the body a plunger should push grease out the nozzel.

I will have a play with it at the weekend.

My suspicion is that the grease will be a bit too sticky to flow into the holes; I suspect I will try it with oil first.

[RJS]

Just had another look at mine, I'd put grease in it, with the age of the bike, (1938), I think I should've put oil in, got out what I could, put oil in, a few presses on a rag huzza it works As Brucey says, its just concave end and domed nipples on the bike, will it push oil in that's the next thing to find out.
rjb, what section did your dad work in? I worked there '63 to'68.
Cheers, Rob.

[Brucey]

They don't need an air bleed as the plunger sinks down the barrel as the lubricant is used up, I had a similar thing that came with our Ajax lawnmower

the larger telescopic guns (as depicted above) have a two-stage telescopic action, including a second piston inside the reservoir; this pressurises the grease (as you push on it) and this (together with a check valve, commonly) gives you a fighting chance of expelling air from the system. However if such a gun is used with a clip-on fitting, it needs to be unclipped for each and every air bubble. This gets pretty old pretty quickly.

The smaller tecalemit guns typically don't have any means of pressurising the reservoir; the high pressure pump is only ever filled by a partial vacuum and this only occurs if the gun is used on some kind of fitting with a check valve in it.

The next-size-up small (~5" long) brass tecalemit guns are designed to be used with grease (up to #2 consistency), but only work properly if the grease fill is air-free, and the floating piston (usually made of cork) is in good condition.

cheers