DIY projects with UMO?

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Feb 27, 2018
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Idaho
I have a 5 gallon bucket in my garage which is full of a mixture of motor oil, gear oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and brake fluid. No antifreeze or non-lubricant type liquids in there.

Before I take this nasty concoction to the recycler does anyone know of any DIY projects or alternate uses I could give it? I was contemplating making a waste oil furnace for my garage or just burning it off in my 2 stroke generator in place of 2 stroke oil.

So what should I do? Dump it (not literally, by that I mean take it to the proper facility), or get creative and put it to a new use?
 
Donate to somebody that has a waste oil furnace , or possibly a machine shop could use it for cutting oil ? I am not a machinist so this could be a silly suggestion.
 
Your local oil recycling center will be able to take this brew. The stuff ends up at re-refineries that can break down the mixture to base components, this is what they do best.

Burning it is not what I would recommend, as there are metals in that mix that might not be so good downwind.
 
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A mere 5 gallons is not worth any effort more than taking it to a recycler.

However, you could spray it on the underside of vehicles as a rust preventative, maybe mix some grease and gasoline together first to liquify those two, before mixing it into your oil, so it has better staying power.

Do not burn it in a 2 cycle engine unless you're in the mood to clean off a tarry, ashy mess from the exhaust port, muffler, cylinder, piston, and probably carb too (oil finds its way backwards enough to matter).
 
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Around my property I use it as a fire starter - we have 10 acres and are always burning brush. I pour about a gallon of it on my brush pile and then light with newspaper. BTW, mine always contains a mix of brake fluid and trans fluid too!
 
Invest in a listeroid

I've paintbrushed, usually once prior to start of roadsalt and chemmelts, and spraybottled used oils when living in the rust belt and eliminated or drastcially slowed rust formation.

Sad to say, but it keep the carpenter ants and termites away.... all my fence posts and wood poles are all 'painted' with oil when installed.

Also makes a good squirt bottle of hinge oil, chainsaw chain oil....

Otherwise, recycle the surplus, or dump it into your neighbors diesel truck.
 
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