Is my pneumatic nail gun jamming because I've never oiled it?

Question

My nail gun has been jamming, i just recently read that I'm supposed to be oiling it which i have never done. Where do I oil it?

Also i wanna know if you guys think this is my problem by telling you what happens: nothing wrong with air pressure and not my firing pin because it will leave a indent in the wood but just no nail sometimes and sometimes two nails get jammed in or one nail is half way out and half way still in gun with another nail behind it.

Any ideas on what my problem is?, could all this be because lack of oil??? Thanks for any help. I am a beginner with all this.

Answer 1

Instructions for both of my pneumatic nailers state that every so often put a few drops of nail gun lube oil in the fitting that the compressed air hose attaches to. I put two or three drops in every time I use it. A small bottle of oil came with the gun. I got a larger bottle at Lowe's.

I triggered a nail on my 18 ga brad nailer when there was already a nail stranded in the tip. I had to take the tip apart and extract the mess. One nail was welded to the channel and I had to twist it off with needle nosed pliers. This was due to improper air pressure setting on the tank; I was going back and forth between the 18 ga brad nailer and a 23 ga pin nailer, and forgot to change the pressure setting on the tank.

Your nailer might need a full rebuild, but I would first clear the nail jam in the tip, following instructions for this, and then put a good amount of oil in the air hole and then connect the air supply, let it sit for an hour and see if this will force oil into places it needs to be. If it is still unresponsive, let it sit with the pneumatic hose fitting up and see if the oil will drain down to where it the sticking is.

If this doesn't work, you could take the pressure cap off and put oil in there. Removing the pressure cap might be a challenge if you have never done it before. You might have to send the gun for professional repair.

Answer 2

Several of my guns require oil in the inlet and the top of the mechanism. If the the piston doesn't fully return this can jam the gun, also any drag in the spring pressure can cause jambs because the rack of nails is not held tight. When building I start the day with a couple of drops of a 20 weight machine oil in the inlet fitting and on the moving parts, and if I notice moisture in the gun exhaust I will make sure to drain the tank or water separator depending which compressor I am using but always mid day or whenever needed as the moisture flushes the oil out.