McCoy had his own machine shop, which he built at his home in Ypsilanti. There he created his own style of “lubricating Cup”. A Piston was set in an oil filled chamber which was pushed by steam pressure. The piston drove oil into channels which traveled to the engines parts. He received a patent on July 12, 1872. He was quite successful with this patent and was renowned in the African American community.
He was admired by the likes of Booker T. Washington who wrote about him in Story of the Negro (1909); naming McCoy as one of the pioneers of their time. He continued to revise and refine his devises, overall obtaining over 57 patents, mostly related to lubrication. His improved designed lubricating cup became a standard on many steam ships, transatlantic liners and other heavy machinery.
McCoy left Michigan Central in 1882. He became a consultant to the Detroit Lubricator company. Later The Great Northern railroad companies introduced larger locomotives. It needed superheated steam with more pressure and higher temperatures. This superheating allowed the locomotive to travel more miles per ratio of coals. This lead to problems regarding the new lubricating cup devises. Designers started to mix oil with Graphite due to its soft and greasy consistency. Graphite which is a form of carbon could withstand high temperatures because Carbon/Graphite was in a powder form it was more likely to clog the engine parts. McCoy announced he had a patent in April 1915, which corrected this problem.
In the patent document McCoy states his invention would permit the use of graphite without clogging the engine. It was called the “Locomotive lubricator” and it did work as suggested. There were other lubricators and patents but many agents they would not settle for less.So is he a “real McCoy”, maybe not the first in some instances of his designs, but definitely as an African American in those times he was a genuine pioneer.
