How To Refill Grease Guns Mini, Large, Vintage, or Modern

How to refill or replace a cartridge in all styles/types of grease gun.

3 ways to fill them:
-Hand Pack with paddle/putty knife
-Stick the end into a grease bucket and suck it in
-Replace the prepacked cartridge

Grease Gun Cartridge History.... The earliest patent mention I can find is around 1952 in which they are designing a dual filling grease gun to accept the new style cartridges that have been on the market for a few years. So this puts the first cartridges being readily accessible in around 1950. If you have other info confirming or contradicting this, let me know.

[DoingItCheap]

No matter how much I know, the one thing one learns as they grow older, there is always something to learn every day. I have filled a lot of grease guns, but I never thought to pack the head and to unscrew the cylinder a few times to burp the air. Thanks again for your awesome videos !

[tankerboysabot]

When i was in the army i was a tanker and we used grease guns a lot for track tension and other things. One trick i learned for getting the air out was to hold it by the spring loaded handle and swing it in circles kind of like a softball pitcher but wed do it about 5 or 6 times and that would pack the grease back towards the squirt nozzle and then release the spring handle and good to go.

[helicopterjohns]

Thanks for bringing back some memories.
I was the purchasing agent for the local public transportation authority for about 38 years. In the early days we purchased grease in 120 lb. drums. We had an air operated grease gun that would easily fill those old grease guns with the fittings on the top. We also used the air operated grease guns in the service bay pits for greasing the fittings on the transit buses. That was a long time ago. Ha Ha
John

[Jory]

This brings back memories of greasing wash rollers... 1.4km of wash chain, with a pair of rollers every 10cm or so.
When they finally got us a pneumatic grease "doser" they called it, it was like a god send. It came on wheels with a 30 gallon steel drum of grease.

[dudesons]

Thank you for the video! I got my grandfathers old grease gun and for the life of me couldn’t figure it out. Now onto greasing up the old truck! ✌🏼

[daningram]

Fantastic video. I’ve never primed a grease gun before and now I truly have learned that, that’s been my problem many times!
Thanks brother!

[jaredking]

I appreciate you!! Thank you for sharing all of the tricks that make working on things enjoyable. When you don’t know how to do something and things break or need maintenance it can be frustrating but when you know these little tricks fixing things is fun!! Thank you! ( I’m making this comment in reference to your entire library of videos not just this one 😜)

[kengamble]

Working on the farm in the 60s the bucket type was all we had to fill the guns, probably because it was cheaper ! 😊
Glad to use ones with the cartridge nowadays !
Thanks for sharing and take care. 👍

[papabits]

Your the only guy I’ve seen prime a grease gun, I try to explain it to people but they never listen, good job.

[TheShadeTreeFixitMan]

The most fun process in being a mechanic...LOL Thanks for the memories Moe.

[fanger]

I always bought the Sears large tubs of bearing grease. Used a putty knife or my fingers to stuff it in the tube. Only problem I had was, trying to avoid getting an air pocket formed under the last bit of grease. Sometimes, out in the yard I would go in the woods and get a green branch and carve the bark off down to the green wood and run that down to pop the air bubble. Oh, happy days! Thanks for the memories.

[garfield]

Now if they would just put grease fittings on cars like they used to.
Neither me or my wife's daily drivers have any grease fittings.

Also don't forget if you switch from cartridges to vacuum loading you may have to flip the rubber plunger in the gun.

Some shops are going back to grease bucket and pump.
Bulk grease is cheaper and there is less packaging waste.


I love that you don't have a musical intro that wastes time.
Thanks for giving us content instead of padding the clock!

[notfastuc]

Never seen a gun with a grease zerk on it ..I have filled the old ones from the bucket...What sucks is you get the gun full bump the rod and have a big blob of grease plop out on the shop floor

[andrewcheatle]

Very informative, have an old Swiss non cartridge Wanner gun & didnt know how to fill it - but now I do! Many thanks

[jacobbrizammito]

This is a history lesson on grease gun design.

[splibb]

It's like you read my mind. I have 2 different ones I'm doing tomorrow. You are the man!!!

[JOEZEP]

This had me think back to when I loaded my first grease gun. What a mess LOL. It took a little while & quite a few rags before I figured it out. Stay well, Joe Z

[BigFarles]

I use your heat on zerk tip all the time. I’m a fan of Lincoln pistol grip guns. I actually bought a new one a few years back. It makes greasing so much easier. I do like your priming tip. I’m going to try that.

[FFVoyager]

Great vid, reminds me that I have to refill my mid 60's(?) Swiss made (think quality watches) Wanner.

In the UK we still get 500g tubs of grease with the metal insert that you can push down the open end on that quickly fills the body.

[paulgumper]

When I was in the Army we filled them from a bulk bucket. I always enjoyed watching the new guys suck up a gun full of grease and forget to lock the plunger back. Bloop, a big grease-turd on their shiny boots! :)