Gib Repair for American Pacemaker Lathe

[@RobertGracie]

This is precisely what I need after a long day at work, an Abom79 video to come home sit down and put on my big TV :D

[@ScottHamilton-ys2cm]

For those who are suggesting that a new gib should be made, well, it's not quite that simple. The dovetail of the way and the slide, also has wear. To make a new gib, and fit it to a worn dovetail, would not give better results than what Adam is doing by shimming. If he were scraping the entire cross slide assembly, then fitting a brand new gib would be proper.

[@johnsherborne3245]

@@SteveColluns-hm2xx what is a professional? Does getting paid for something make someone magically more competent. I am a sparkle, and I’ve seem some truest awful work by professionals.

[@johnsherborne3245]

@@SteveColluns-hm2xx a slang expression for an electrician, ie some one who makes sparks.

[@ScottHamilton-ys2cm]

@@SteveColluns-hm2xx No, not 30% correct. Building up a gib is a very common repair, that is what Adam set out to do, and he did it correctly. I was responding to those that were suggesting that he should just make up a new gib. Well, its not so simple. It is more complicated because it would require that the new gib be machined then finish scraped to match and fit the slide geometry. This is where the real problem comes in, how do you fit the new gib to a dovetail that is known to be worn? You can't just scrape the adjustable side of the way, without affecting the guiding edge. So in a nutshell, what Adam did was a repair, and fitting the entire slide assembly is a major undertaking, as Adam touched on. The goal was to take up the excessive slop in the slide, and that is what he accomplished.

[@jrb_sland]

Keith Fenner uses a torch and a hose with running water to thermally straighten his propeller shafts. But your technique is more sensitive for a smaller piece of steel. As a retired electronics type, I'd have just hit it with a hammer, but that's what separates you pros from us amateurs... Great video, Adam! Thanks!

[@cpcoark]

Yes. A video on a pump oilier would be great. Also the different types of grease, zerk, oilier fittings would be highly educational.

[@michaelgillen3537]

Hey Adam. I have the zerks on my Bridgeport so I use a modified grease gun to oil it: take out the spring/plunger and cut off the bottom of the cartridge tube to a suitable height (taller holds more oil). Weld a plate on the bottom to seal it. Use it by turning upside down to pump the oil into your zerks at grease gun pressure! Done. You store it right-side up and the oil never leaks out; never had a drop leak out. Hope this helps. I bought the same plunger you tried using: it only works well when vertical.

[@johnchamberlain5435]

Thanks, Adam. This is the kind of stuff I come to see. Little ways to improve a machine for a big difference in how it works. Much appreciated.

[@wazza8610]

Just machined some gibs myself for the z axis on a cnc machine. Cut them to length and then faced them a few thou oversize. Cut in the oil grooves into the slideways material with a 6mm ballnose. And then the maintenance guy who is a wizard scraped them and fit them, it took him all day but we managed to rescue the machine between us. Good times. ❤

[@martinchabot_FR]

I prefer 1mm radius corner end mill for oil groove, this is the best match to a dedicated oil groove end mill, which is mainly unobtainium (except in Switzerland, with a hefty price tag).

[@TheStealthbob]

I would have called the first shim good enough...guess that makes me NOT a machinist. I always appreciate the no compromise approach

[@TheTnicoletti]

We keep our black max in the refrigerator. It helps with set time a lot. It all depends sometimes you want it to set fast sometimes you don’t. Just a tip

[@alan-sk7ky]

Best place for threadlock, keeps it 'fresher' longer etc.

[@prodoverjeff2876]

I have saved old worn gibs by attaching feeler gauge stock to them using gasket adhesives. Works great and if you ever have to take it apart, it's easy and looking at the feeler, right away you will know how to replace it. Measuring bow with a feeler did help. The worst thing I ever found about scraping tapered gibs is bowing can increase with each scraping pass.

[@Dudleymiddleton]

That is a beautiful old machine so nice to see it well looked after!

[@davidvik1451]

I have a zerk lubricator like the first one you showed that i us on my mill. I had mixed feelings about it until I noticed it worked very well on zerks that were within 45deg of vertical. All the zerks on my mill are now aranged so that the I am pushing down when pumping the oiler and it has been working fine. I will need to do deal with shimming the Y axis gib on the same mill, so this was very good info.

[@markanderson5342]

I really enjoyed watching this. Thank you for doing it. Your pursuit of accuracy is awesome!

[@TedRoza]

G'day Adam. Excellent video on the Gib mods, straightening & shimming the gib worked out really well.

[@jacobbyrd7374]

Look up a Trabon gun (aka oil purge gun) for your oiling system. Pumping oil at high pressure is what those are made for and it would probably work very well for your application.

[@ohsnapfit2096]

I got excited when you showed the black max, as I just started using it for a product, but when you started spreading it with your finger I started yelling "hurry! Hurry!" at the phone

[@Cliff_Anderson]

Great result!

[@krugford]

I've got a couple of those Push n Lube oilers for my lathe. I think the problem with them is that they are extremely difficult to get the air bled out of them. I fiddled around with them for quite awhile before they suddenly just started working. I took a wood dowel and applied quite a bit of pressure to the backside of that plastic piston while stroking it on a fitting. I have one for flush fittings and one for the regular looking grease fittings and they both now put out a decent amount of oil per stroke. I also have a project on my backlog to modify a small grease gun to use oil instead of grease. It surprises me, with sheer number of these types of fittings and old and new lathes, that there isn't a great solution out there that I could find.

[@airgead5391]

Awesome! You improved it by a factor 20 !!!

[@MyLilMule]

I did a similar repair to the table gib on my K&T horizontal mill. Instead of using feeler gauges, I calculated the shim thickness by multiplying the taper ratio to the distance I needed the gib to move. Since most tapers are 1/4" per foot, if I need to move the gib 1", then adding .020" to the thickness of the gib gives me that movement. I think my math is correct. Realistically, the center of the shim could have been completely removed.

[@JeremiahL]

Get that air bubble out of your oiler and it should work better. With the bubble in there, you just compress the air, like an air bubble in a hydraulic line. Good luck

[@waxore1142]

Agreed

[@KiLL3RabBit]

If it can't push past the air bubble it doesn't have the power to push past the check valves. Just like a hydraulic line

[@JeremiahL]

​@@KiLL3RabBit The check valve on that fitting he used is for grease. The oiler doesnt produce the pressure required to over come the check valve.

[@phikuchel6113]

Alemlube make an oil gun

[@KiLL3RabBit]

@@JeremiahL yeah that was my point. Thank you for saying exactly what I said

[@samrodian919]

Adam with the grease gun type oil fitting you made, the check valve is designed to work under much higher pressures. Some grease guns run up to 10,000 psi if you can get the tip apart you could put a much lighter pressure non return spring in there and your oil can should be able to overcome the check valve spring and oil the cross slide ok. It's a good idea you have come up with, just needs a little tweak!

[@per-erikhansson2154]

Appreciate your videos because of your knowledge and, above all, your humility. I just wanted to mention that on all machines I have come across with gibs like that, there is a screw on the opposite side of the gib that you have to back out to be able to advance the gib and reduce the play. I am not saying the Pacemaker is built like that, but it might be worth investigating since it would make future adjustments easier.

[@TheUncleRuckus]

@ABom79 I think the issue with that hand pump oiler is the Air Bubble in it, I think what's happening is the air bubble is compressing on you so it's not allowing the oil to get pushed through. If you could find a way to remove the bubble it might work for you. Just a thought. 👍👍

[@bobtherat99]

Keith Rucker showed an special oil gun a few months back. It looked just like a grease gun but was made especially for oil.

[@claytonWells-tr8yl]

His machining videos and project videos are awesome

[@brandontscheschlog]

Store the Loctite 380 in your refrigerator and it will give you some more time to work with it and it will also make it last longer.

[@pedrobatista4439]

I converted one of those small grease guns to work with oil and that's how I lube the ways on my Bridgeport. All it took was to machine a piston out of nylon with an o-ring and put it on the tube of the grease gun. Works perfectly, although I do have to push the piston in as I use the gun.

[@wazza8610]

That granite plate is really something. Beautiful piece of kit. Jealous 😂

[@swedishpsychopath8795]

It is a swedish invention.

[@utidjian]

Alemite 4035 Heavy Duty Oil Gun is what you can buy directly. Looks and works like a regular grease gun but has a piston designed for oil. Down side is they ain't cheap. It will set you back $200-$350 depending on where you buy it. Amazon has the highest price and longest lead time. I was faced with the exact same dilemma with an old Wells-Index vertical mill at a place I used to work. I tried a several of those little hand pump oilers and they just were not up to the task. All the ways on all the axes had zerk fittings. Some prior users had been pumping wheel bearing grease into those fittings for years! It wasn't possible for me to take the machine down and pull all the axes apart to clean out all the grease. I needed a way to pump clean way oil into the fittings and flush out as much as I could. None of the grease guns on the market, with the exception of the Alemite 4035, that I tried are designed for holding oil. ALL of them leak past the reservoir piston seal. Some more than others. Fortunately virtually all the grease guns on the market have a standard sized cylinder which is close enough to white plastic drain pipe. I just needed one with a good sealing setup in the head (O-ring or good gasket.) Next thing to figure out is the type of threads it uses and whether my lathe could thread at that pitch. Threaded one end for the pump head and the other end I glued on a cap with a large pipe taper plug for filling. It works. Have to hold the pump inverted because there is no piston to keep the contents forced into the head. That old Wells-Index works buttery smooth now. I am more than happy to help you get it sorted out so if you need more info let me know in the comments here. I am also a member on practicalmachinist. Great video Adam.

[@lectrician1]

I modified a harbor freight mini grease gun with a flexible hose . you take the plunger out and seal the hole in the back with some silicone. fill the chamber with way oil. You should have no leaks. Put your grease fitting on the zerk and pump the handle and it will pump the way oil thought the zerk. Important: you have to hold the oil filled chamber upside down so gravity will feed the oil through the gun, otherwise you will just be pumping air. After you are finished lubricating, store the gun right side up so the oil doesnt leak out of the crappy threads that hold the chamber to the head.

[@colinfahidi9983]

Excellent. Well done!

[@petermcneill80]

Iv never really found a system of oiling I’m happy with. Iv found all the oil guns iv been able to source leak everywhere inc the fit better the nipple ( zerk ) and the gun. Another commenter said s as about stripping out a grease gun and welding up the end that sounds a pretty good idea although it still leaves the issue of leaking at the nipple ( zerk ) itself. Iv changed the lathe at work to a concave type oil nipple like a little kitten plate almost with a lightly sprung ball in the middle you just oil with a regular oiler. I was attracted to these as no 1 can come along and pump grease into them and you don’t need a “special” oil gun down side is they aren’t very good on anything other than a horizontal surface for obvious reasons. I’d be very interested if you shot a video on oiling and the various oil guns and hard ware that’s available for this job 👍🏻

[@jasonmcnair7561]

Hi Adam, when cutting thin stuff like that shim stock, it is better to use multiple light passes rather than the one heavy pass. Let the knife do the work. If cutting too heavy, the knife can get deflected by the wood grain underneath and lead to a less accurate cut. Light cut also keeps blade sharper for longer too. All the best from Oz.

[@wilsonlaidlaw]

Adam, my personal view from working on Vintage Bentleys, is that it is best to use button fittings for oil points and Zerks for grease. I then use a Tecalemit button oil gun for the oil points and a Tecalemit grease gun on the Zerks. That way you don't end up greasing locations that should be oiled. These oiling guns may be difficult to find now but I would suggest contacting the Bentley Drivers Club of America as all Vintage Bentley's use these button oilers. They may well sell new ones.

[@dawsy20069]

Just dissasemble the grease tip remove the check valve and replace it with a pass through of the same dimensions we have done it for our work lathe. not sure what brand the tip was though.

[@MatthewRulla]

Excellent job bending the gib. I remember when Richard King demonstrated bending a Bridgeport X axis gib by over the corner of my granite plate to demonstrate how malleable gibs are, I was shocked. It's amazing how much force they can take to straighten. Your shim stock solution should last many decades on that big lathe.

[@tnmonty501]

I actually don’t know why I’m here , I’ve turned plenty of wrenches but never machined anything but can’t quit watching 😂

[@grahamstretch6863]

I have 2 of those plastic grease guns, they work well with grease! For oiling I have a normal old grease gun, I took the piston spring and plunger out (it was the type with a notch in the rod and a keyhole in the cover) and used 2 washers and a 1/4 nut and bolt with a load of silicone gasket to seal the plunger hole. Fill with oil and keep it hanging nozzle upwards so it doesn’t leak out past the pump mechanism, in use providing the nozzle is basically pointing below the horizontal it pumps oil a treat. I’ve bought oil guns and they all piss oil all over the floor past the piston hence my modification of the old grease gun!

[@rexmyers991]

Amazing repair of a worn gib. Nice job, Sir

[@bigbloodaxe]

Practical solutions to practical problems are your strength Adam, Excellent work!

[@JohnBare747]

Ah, some upcoming Chip Porn. Can't wait for that. Always love those piles of blue chips.

[@PeterWMeek]

I first started watching your channel when you and Keith Fenner were doing a sort of "competition" to see who could take deeper cuts on the lathe. You threw in some advice on grinding tools for heavy metal removal. Good to know that there will be a return to those big-chip days, at least for a test run.

[@shane5809]

I have an old 70's Myford ML7 lathe and have the same issue using those push oil guns, even the expensive Myford brand oil gun was frustrating to use and got oil everywhere but in the fitting. So I bought a slipper pete mini grease gun off of amazon removed the plunger rod and sealed the bottom of the gun with a machined flat "coin" of aluminum with a cut to size piece of rubber on top of it, so that when you screw the bottom cap on it squeezes and seals it. I fill it with oil by unscrewing the top only. All threaded areas have teflon plumbers tape on them including the top and bottom of the grease housing. When I use it , I hold it upside down (this is key) , and when I store it , I just hang it right side up. I use it with the flex hose that's included and the coupler locks on to the zerk nipples nicely. I get little to no leaks and its very convenient to use.

[@Abrikosmanden]

That's such a cool repair/adjustment! It's great how you are able to share your knowledge and experience in this easy to follow, calm, and interesting way!

[@johnmf6096]

​@@SteveColluns-hm2xxthe only things that's pathetic is your comments. This is like the 3rd one. You're a grown man; act accordingly.

[@wolffengineering7038]

Oh look, another emotional breakdown from Cryin Steve Colluns. He just can’t control himself! Poor little fella.

[@rickdenney5772]

I used a shim just like this on the cross slide of my South Bend 14-1/2. I cut a notch in it for the adjuster screw, and did not use adhesive. The only time the back side of the gib slides on anything is during adjustment-a loose shim works perfectly. I call this a repair, not a restoration, but either way it sustains a state of good repair even on an old machine.

[@paulcopeland9035]

If you listen to the video, he also called it a repair with restoration due in the future.

[@raymondhorvatin1050]

Seems like a fine repair and it really took up the slack good job

[@zzztech13]

This was a FANTASTIC lesson!! Thanks Adam!!

[@Paul-FrancisB]

Perfect, enjoying watching the refurbishment of the big old iron, even mine is smaller and English.

[@higginsjimmyjh]

some people may find this boring... Haha i love this stuff .. love the video...

[@SuperDave21]

Adam I sure do enjoy your channel. I love machining, did it for a little while but not long enough! Cheers to you and yours!

[@mcbhomis]

Start wit a 3oz grease gun. Make an oil tight cap for the bottom of the body to replace standard bottom cap. Fill with oil and run it upside down, so no pistol is needed as the oil flows by gravity into the pump when upside down. Made one of these for my Millrite that runs similar Zerk fitting on the ways and screws, I did add a flexible hose to make it easier to get onto some of the fittings while keep the pump upside down.

[@euclidallglorytotheloglady5500]

Hey Adam, I actually use luer lock syringes for oiling. They work great.

[@donfinch862]

Well done Adam, good result. The rubber bucket in grease guns can be turned around to work with or without a cartridge. Should work with oil, not that high of a pressure you'll be using

[@lecnac855]

Excellent tutorial as usual.well done

[@mdvener]

Always a learning experience watching you do what you do best. Thank you.

[@ΓιαννηςΓριζοπουλος]

Always excelled job. Congratulations Adam. John Grizopoulos retired machinist from Greece.

[@jasonhull5712]

Hey Adam, for your oil pumping solution I’d recommend you look into a compressor oil transfer pump from a HVAC supply company. I have one if you want to get the part number but they are a simple hand pump that is pretty powerful. That’s been my favorite method to date. Also works great for headstock oil changes and anything else that requires transfer of thicker viscosity oils in quantities from a few ounces to a gallon. They run 70 or so bucks on sale or 100 for the top shelf versions. Uses a standard 1/4” flare nipple and can easily be converted to many different sizes from there. I believe the threaded nipple is actually 1/8” NPT if memory serves me correct. Good stuff. 👍🏻

[@transmitterguy478]

Adam, take that grease-fitting oiler you made apart and replace the spring with a much lighter one, that's what I did.

[@simonscott1121]

The thing is, as soon as you tighten up that gib it's going to conform at least a little to the static external face anyway. So unless you're willing to pull it all apart again and check the flatness of that static face you're probably better off doing exactly what Adam is doing.

[@johanjansen6828]

Excellent I have learned a lot, thank you.

[@stephenmorgan8510]

I'm definitely interested in a pump oiler too. I've searched for something designed to oil though the zeros on my tabletop mill without finding anything.

[@steccato]

I’m one of the noobs who’s watching to learn. Can you explain how the gib would get bent? And if you put it back in the cross slide wouldn’t it just bend again?

[@Colosimoto]

I use one of these. Marine Quicksilver 37299Q2 Pistol Grip Grease Gun. It pumps oil nice with no mess. Just refill the tube with whatever oil you like.

[@HolyDiver22]

You could snap a rubber gasket to the back end of the grease piston and drop the oil straight in. There’s a lot of similarities b/t the grease gun and a caulk gun. Great information in your video! I had a few takeaways from it, and I will apply those in the future as I’ve had a lathe do just the same thing. I threw it out for parts.

[@joestill3106]

Get yourself a Wanner brother. Either the push pump or small trigger type. Made in Switzerland and not cheap but will do the job properly and forever.

[@waxore1142]

I noticed it's hinging on the granite plate in the exact spots you put the clamps to cut the shim.

[@ydonl]

Maybe... but I don't think the bluing showed that, so... maybe something else going on? Maybe.

[@joewhitney4097]

Great repair Adam, this was interesting to me and I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing.

[@34k5]

I’m sure others have said it but there is an Alemite oil gun that looks and acts like a grease gun, but is for way oil. I use it on my old chinese 12x36 and a bridgeport

[@34k5]

Update: The model is ‘4035’

[@yupyup4020]

Try Part # W54219 at advance auto parts. It’s a needle greaser tip. I don’t think they have a pressure spring in them.

[@BruceBoschek]

Excellent! Thank you.

[@seansysig]

Solid rejuvenation with pressing bend out and shimming. Less than 1/2 a thousand is huge improvement.

[@wdgreen6612]

For an oiler for the grease zeros I had a old hydraulic hand pump for a 30 ton ram that I was not using anymore so I cleaned it up and put a lock and lube grease gun fitting on the end of the hose and filled the hand pump with way oil. Off I went, does not leak, works great!

[@paulshermet535]

I just added that before seeing your post, and another persons.

[@BigCool95]

there are tools that are meant for unclogging grease zerks, they are meant to be filled with an oil and pushed through the zerks. you could use one of them for your oiling needs

[@johnmessenger7292]

Adam, I think you need to pull the oiler zerks off and make sure that you can push through them, and that there is not other blockage in the system that little spring loaded ball should be easy to pump through.

[@garethhoward3995]

I'm not sure the name of the piece but it screws onto the end of the grease gun in place of the standard coupling with 1/8" NPT. It has about a 1/4" diameter tube about 1 1/2" long with a short truncated taper with a hole in the middle. It is meant to push into a zerk far enough to depress the ball and the taper seals the hole somewhat. Most auto parts stores carry them as they were used to grease the drive shaft universal in older vehicles where the standard couple won't fit. It might not seal well enough for you, but doesn't cost much to try. Really enjoy your channel!

[@gocanux15]

I need to repair the gibs on my new-to-me Okuma LS, I was dreading making them from scratch. This looks much more straightforward, I think I'll give it a try! Worst case, I'm making new gibs, which I'd be doing anyways.

[@MichaelOfRohan]

Same ol Abom, same ol work, same ol everything. I can always come back to this channel and get consistency, honesty, and good work. Your channel is one of few sir, and I thank you for that. Id name along Abom the likes of ben eater, this old tony, and ave. Their styles are their own and they wont change that for anybody. Great, smart people.

[@GenericAnimeBoy]

Enjoyed the video of the inspection and straightening. That last little bit you're detecting there in the middle may just be a hollow from the wear.

[@seanzarrinkouh7356]

Hi Adam, Alemite sells this oiler that you may consider (Alemite-4035 Heavy Duty Oil Gun). Sean

[@jackheath8184]

Double Boost has an oiler for his Harison lathe and Always Sunny in the Shop got his from Mcmaster Car (video on it). cool gib repair video. thanks for sharing.

[@TomTalley]

10 to .5....not too shabby...thanks. great video of the instruments...

[@thisoldphoney3448]

For oiling zerk fittings I just use a small grease gun. It does not leak no matter which way up I store it. But I have to use it upside down because there will be an air bubble in the can. No getting rid of that. Try it. It will cost you next to nothing

[@seanparker5737]

I actually use a silicone vacuum hose on the end of the oiler can and it works fine for pushing oil into the zerks. Might be about 1/8 "I.D. hose. You just need to make sure you don't pop it off from the pressure. But yea, thats my quick fix to oiling through a grease zerk with an oil can.

[@bombardier3qtrlbpsi]

Put the end from the plastic pump onto the oil can. Nice job on the gib repair👍

[@thefixerofbrokenstuff]

I use a chainsaw tip greaser to oil my stuff. It looks about like your little plastic push greaser but it has a point instead of a cup.

[@ronnydowdy7432]

❤ Working better now. Good job.

[@taogotos]

As usual, spotless job, so satisfying. Some years watching and loving your videos.

[@paulshermet535]

I hooked a porta power pump to a grease fitting to force oil into a clogged grease path for spring pins. It will do what you need. You can see the output of each stroke by pumping into a container. Just use a small pump because you don't need 10,000 psi.

[@paulteirney3587]

Alemite Lever Action oil gun Model 4035 is for oil and sounds like the oiler you are after.

[@stevennederhiser7125]

That is an easy one! Clean up a old grease gun, remove the plunger cup, rod, and spring. Braze a disc on the rear cap to seal it. Take the cylinder and Teflon tape and seal this to the head of the gun. I use a flex hose and hold gun vertically to fill and use. Twist the brazed cap on and your ready to go.

[@johnmcmickle5685]

You have to have enough pressure to get the ball in the grease fitting on the machine to open and allow the oil to pass.

[@Svideoplayer]

@adam: remove the check valve in the grease zerk, cap it if you like. Oiling will be much easier.

[@richardandrews6754]

As you have gone to the trouble to make the adapter for the grease gun fitting can you dismantle it and remove the check valve altogether, that should work as the oil can has check valves in it already to stop the oil returning. The fitting you have made would be straight through just the same as the standard oil can tip. worth a try at least.

[@ronwilken5219]

Adam, the Myford lathe's of old used oil zerks exclusively. They had a custom made oil gun, which are now un- obtainable, the originals that is. Myford UK sell a Swiss made oiler which they recommend as the replacement. I believe a company named RDG Engineering also sell them. Only problem is they cost far more than I'm prepared to pay like over $100 plus about the same in shipping. I have a Myford ML 7 and for it I use an oil gun from Princess Auto, our equivalent of Harbour Freight. It's not great but at least it gets some oil where you want it but also makes a mess doing it. As to your modified grease attachment you need to open the fitting and reduce the spring pressure. It's designed to hold back thousands of pounds of grease pressure in what ever bulldozer you're trying to grease. Your oil can might produce 5psi at max so it'll never overcome that spring's tension. I'd even go so far as to suggest removing the spring altogether and see what that does. Might make it a little messy but it also might get oil where you want it . Regards from Canada's banana belt. 🤞🇨🇦🍌🥋🕊️🇺🇦🕊️🇺🇲👍

[@Jonathanbaker]

Loving the job Sir. Have used ptfe to build up lie you have. Good respectable job 👍 pro

[@markp5726]

I've only seen that type of hand oiler used for the press-in, flush fittings specifically intended for oil - the same kind you can oil with a normal oil can. Are the zerks original? I wonder if someone replaced whatever it had with actual grease zerks, which have a check valve spring strong enough to displace grease (and probably too strong for a hand oiler).

[@ChainsGoldMask]

Well done

[@dougmottert2258]

Great job Adam .

[@Bluswede]

For the oiler: I'd assume/guess that there is some sort of spring behind the check ball in the grease gun head that you showed. I'd take a stab at disassembling that and investigate the possibility of moving to a lighter spring.

[@joshclark44]

I don't know if you saw my comment or were going to do this anyway, but thank you Adam!

[@undaware]

Works for me. 80/20 principle and you got it 99 the way there.