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Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

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Re: Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

#81

Post by stopagephobia »

int_19h wrote: post #79
nkurz wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you say they used "vegetable oils", do you mean they used a vegetable oil bought from the grocery store, or that they used one of the blended biodegradable oils specifically made for chainsaws? I've used both the Stihl Bioplus ( https://www.stihlusa.com/products/oils--lubricants-and-fuels... ) and Husqvarna XGuard ( https://www.baileysonline.com/husqvarna-x-guard-bar-chain-oi... ) for a couple years now, and hav…

I'm not familiar with chainsaw oils specifically, but there's a similar trend in gun lubricants, where many (non-military) ones are vegetabe oil blends with additives that are supposed to prevent gumming etc; I suspect these are very similar, if not the same compounds. There is still an ongoing debate on whether these are good enough etc. On one hand, some people swear by them, and non-toxicity is especially nice whe…

Tbh I wouldn't worry much about toxicity compared to the shit in GSR. Anecdotally I've never tried it but some people have tried something vegetable and it went sticky anyway. Cleaning guns regularly is enough of a pain in the ass already without maybe having to before going out shooting. I'd also never use it in a CCW or something ready for home defense because of that risk.

Re: Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

#82

Post by dtgriscom »

FredPret wrote: post #36
capekwasright wrote: post #21

Tangentially related: Boston Dynamics' BigDog, which utilizes hydraulic actuators, would constantly leak hydraulic fluid while operating, be it through normal weepage or catastrophic leaks (e.g. burst hoses). Initially, they used petroleum-based hydraulic fluid, but as they began to operate out in the woods etc, this proved to be untenable, so they eventually switched to using a vegetable-based hydraulic fluid that w…

The more traditional kind of dog leaks all the time as well

... but they and their excretions are fully biodegradable.

Re: Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

#83

Post by abakker »

Stihl makes soy oil based chain oil - you can get it at mcguckin in boulder, so it must be relatively available. I bought some to try it and its fine. Unlike other uses for lubrication - the relatively short life of chain oil (most is expelled quickly) means that oxidative drying isn't really an issue.

Re: Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

#84

Post by dtgriscom »

dubyah wrote: post #32
dehrmann wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This surprises me; vegetable oil gets sticky as it oxidizes. I would have expected something like mineral oil.

I don't know about other manufacturers, but Fellowes brand shredder oil is just expensive canola oil.

Confirmed: check the MSDS sheet.

Re: Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

#85

Post by ahartmetz »

toxik wrote: post #52
HPsquared wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't a certain degree of gumming-up advantageous? It would keep the oil in place after it works it's way into all the nooks and crannies, ending up more like a grease. This behaviour could be good for corrosion prevention.

You want your oil (and grease) in the bearing surfaces, not in nooks and crannies. Tackiness can indeed be good though.

Oxidized vegetable oil is the most disgustingly tacky substance that I know. It's like a cross between rubber, glue, and grease. It is very resistant to removal with "intuitive" methods (but using un-oxidized oil and heat tends to work) and it doesn't lubricate, it sticks. It can't possibly be good for lubrication, I'd say. Unless you can somehow control the process so that it oxidizes just a little.

Re: Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

#86

Post by stopagephobia »

HPsquared wrote: post #48
analog31 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, gas engines probably drip or exhaust more oil. Certainly 2 stroke chainsaws. There's a rumor among cyclists that "3 in 1 oil" is bad for bikes because it contains vegetable oil that gums up. But cyclists will debate about oil for days.

Isn't a certain degree of gumming-up advantageous? It would keep the oil in place after it works it's way into all the nooks and crannies, ending up more like a grease. This behaviour could be good for corrosion prevention.

That's not how vegetable oils gum, they go sticky in a way that's not like grease. Hard to explain but if you feel them both there's a huge difference. Grease will stick but isn't stick-y in the same way if that makes sense.

Re: Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

#87

Post by analog31 »

userbinator wrote: post #72
analog31 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, gas engines probably drip or exhaust more oil. Certainly 2 stroke chainsaws. There's a rumor among cyclists that "3 in 1 oil" is bad for bikes because it contains vegetable oil that gums up. But cyclists will debate about oil for days.

That's a very strange rumor since 3in1 is petroleum-based.

Rumor dispelled. Thanks!

https://www.concept2.com/files/pdf/us/miscellaneous/MISC_MSD...

The closest thing I could find to mentioning vegetable oil was this thread:

https://umgf.com/three-in-one-oil-substitute-t37605.html

But the claim is without a reference, and the MSDS certainly appears to be the latest word.

Re: Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

#88

Post by ahartmetz »

throwaway984393 wrote: post #76
ahartmetz wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some vegetable oil oxidizes much faster than some other. Sunflower oil oxidizes rather quickly, olive oil I haven't noticed oxidizing yet.

According to this chart, Olive oil has 12 times more oxidative stability than Sunflower oil! Coconut oil has the highest oxidative stability due to its 92% saturated fat content: https://olivewellnessinstitute.org/resource/showdown-what-is...

These tests seem to be done at elevated temperature or some other accelerated method, because no oil oxidizes noticeably in mere hours.

My experience at low temperatures is that the difference is much bigger than in that test. A thin layer of sunflower oil takes a week or two to turn into hard to remove sticky goo, olive oil... basically doesn't seem to do that at all.

Re: Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

#89

Post by dbavaria »

nradov wrote: post #7

Some of my scuba diving friends go ice diving in Canadian lakes. They use chainsaws to cut access holes through the ice, and always lubricate those chainsaws with vegetable oil so as not to contaminate the water with petrochemicals.

I would think fish oil would be more appropriate for this usage.

Re: Vegetable Oil for Lubricating Chainsaws (2008)

#90

Post by willcipriano »

sethherr wrote: post #44
buildsjets wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cyclists debate about oil for days. Cycle mechanics just use WD40.

WD40 is a penetrant, not a lubricant, I don’t know any Mechanics who use it. Definitely will debate lubricants for days, but no one who is in the industry uses standard WD40

PB B'laster is the gentleman's penetrant. I don't really have a use for WD40.
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