THE OIL-PIKES (OILERS)
Set of manual oil-pikes (oilers)
Automatic oil-pike (oiler)
What are oil-pikes (oilers) used for?
Oil-pikes (oilers) are the instruments intended to collect and then deposit a precise quantity of lubricant on each of the lubrication points of the movement. Today they come in two main forms: the manual oil-pike (oiler), the traditional instrument of the horologist (watchmaker), and the automatic oil-pike (oiler), more recent, which incorporates an oil reserve and a dosing mechanism. The coexistence of the two forms reflects the diversity of service situations: one favours the finesse of the gesture and the visual reading of the drop, the other favours the regularity of the volume deposited.
The manual oil-pike (oiler) consists of a thin steel rod whose tip is shaped to retain a small quantity of lubricant by capillarity. This tip is flattened and then slightly hollowed, sometimes split, so as to present an area to which the oil naturally adheres when the point is dipped into the oil sink. The rod is mounted on a cylindrical handle, made of wood, metal or synthetic material, whose colour generally indicates the size.
The Automatic Oil-pike (oiler) comes in the form of a cylindrical body incorporating an Oil reservoir and a spring-loaded Pusher that controls the expulsion of a calibrated quantity of Lubricant at the tip end. With each press on the Pusher, a defined volume of Oil is carried to the end of the Hand, ready to be deposited on the application point. The Automatic Oil-pike (oiler) is generally used to lubricate counter-pivot bearings and shock-protection systems that do not require disassembly. The principle frees the Horologist (watchmaker) from repeated back-and-forth trips between the Oil sink and the piece, and guarantees a dosage consistency independent of the fineness of the gesture. This tool has spread with the requirement for repeatability specific to series assembly.
The Automatic Oil-pike (oiler) is essential in repetitive operations and assembly lines, where dosage consistency prevails over tactile sensitivity, and where productivity requires reducing manipulations between the Oil sink and the piece. In both cases, absolute cleanliness of the tip, the choice of Calibre suited to the application point, and the quality of the Oil used remain the primary conditions for successful Oiling.
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