Quill Spring Issues

[gsouther78]

Hi All,
On my Mark V, when advancing the quill, it feels very "gritty" and doesn't sound smooth. I removed the quill and cleaned/waxed it, but it really wasn't very dirty. I noticed when the quill was out, that the noise and gritty feel actually seems to be coming from the quill spring. As I turn it to re-tension it, when I get to about 2 or 2.5 revolutions is when the noise and gritty/grinding sensation starts.

Thoughts on what would cause this and how to fix it?

Thanks.

[billmayo]

Yes, the quill spring will pick up a lot of sawdust and grit over time. I move the snap ring holding the quill spring housing out to the end of the shaft and flush the spring with oil or a spray lubricant. I used a moly spray lubricant on all quill springs when I rebuilt each headstock.

[gsouther78]

Would something like TopCote be a good lubricant to use in this case?

[gsouther78]

I opened up the quill spring housing over the weekend. I did not see any buildup of sawdust and no obvious signs of rust, but I used some LPS greaseless lubricant and it is operating much better now.

[ChrisNeilan]

What you might have been feeling was the spring binding up against itself. A lube job should eliminate most of that friction.