Veggie oil bar and chain lube - not good

[GreeCguy]

Just thought I would share
Last summer, I tried using used veggie oil as a bar and chain lube for my chainsaw. Did not work at all. I thought since it worked so well on other applications, it would be great for my bar and chain. Here's what happened.

Filled chainsaw with canola oil that had seen a couple of chicken and fish fries, (it had been filtered through old shirt).

Fired up chainsaw and started cutting wood, (pine and oak). In about 20 minutes, I noticed a sticky build-up on the top of the bar, about an inch beyond where the chain comes out from under the cover on the side of the motor. Tip of bar and bottom of bar totally dry. Shut down saw and noticed entire chain covered in sticky substance. Disassembled bar and chain, soaked chain in gasoline and cleaned. Soaked bar in gasoline and cleaned. Emptied veggie oil from chainsaw, filled oil tank with gasoline and ran without bar and chain until all gas had pumped through system, (took a minute or two). Refilled with bar and chain oil and worked fine.

My experience tells me using used veggie oil as a bar and chain lube does not work. Anyone else have any success?

By the way, I use used motor oil as my bar and chain lube and never had any issues.

 

[JHZR2]

used oils have tons of acids and polymer precursors. A bar and chain will run hot under load, not good. if it were cold application-wise, the story may be different...

 

[spasm3]

bar oil is usually heavier, veggie is probably too light.

 

[Boomer]

Veggie oils like canola are highly unsaturated (lots of double bonds) which is why they are healthy. BUT...the readily oxidize, form free radicals and polymerize to a gooey mess. This is why linseed oil is called a drying oil and why it was used to make paint. As another poster noted, veggie oils may be great for keeping metals rust free but they are not going to work like you are using them when a lot of double bonds are present.

Linoluem (linseed oil, soybean oil) is basically made by taking the oils, mixing them with wood flour and cork dust and then heating the calendered sheet in an oven for many days. This polymerization process then gives a fairly solid sheet that functions well as flooring.

 

[friendly_jacek]

I understand canola oil is a great chain lubricant. I guess it has to be fresh: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1407672

 

[Vikas]

The french fries test funny when I used Mobil-1 to fry them in.

 

[MolaKule]

Quote:
My experience tells me using used veggie oil as a bar and chain lube does not work. Anyone else have any success?



As others have stated, unadditized vegetable oils will polymerize under heat.

My chainsaw oil is based on various vegetable oils, additives, including AW additives, the correct anti-oxidants, and a tackifier to prevent sling.

You have to know which anti-oxidants are correct for the base oil(s) you are using.

 

[123Saab]

Is this purely a Frugality thing?

Because Biodegradable Bar and chain oils exist already.

And considering the price of Chainsaws and Bars and Chains why risk it?

 

[tdi-rick]

Old thread on Canola, the right Lubrizol additive to make it an excellent B&C lube and a link to an old Arboristsite thread where pro loggers and arborists were using straight canola as B&C lube.