Bio chain oil

[wyk]

do you honestly believe that your one observation is more valid than many oil manufacturers' research (including the research paper I linked to)?

 

Two of us. Two observations spanning 2 decades. The added viscosity is for non professional chainsaws with lower output oilers. In all the professional chainsaws I have used, they oil just fine with rapeseed, and I have not seen any reduction in bar or chain life or increase in wear compared to mineral oil. My ported 044, which drinks fuel heavily, runs out of fuel with maybe 10-20% of the rapeseed oil left in the tank when I run a 30" bar.

 

Before you made any of your replies, did you do any research on the properties of rapeseed oil for chainsaw use? We did - empirically, and over several years. If you disagree with our advice and experience, that's your prerogative.

[spudulike]

I get many saws in just the same condition ADW, it drives me crazy.

 

I spend longer cleaning the saw than repairing the flipping thing, so stick an extra half hour on the bill to cover some of the cost.

 

Have found aerosol Jizer to be very effective at softening it up sufficiently to blast it off with the airline.

 

Then an extra 15 minutes in the shower getting the stuff out of my hair and ears.

Then an extra 10 minutes cleaning out the washing machine after washing my work clothes.

Then an extra 5 minutes cleaning the workbench and floor.

 

How I hate the stuff, but just like you I do not know which brands are worse.

 

Same here, in the early years, I used Ryobi bio oil and it gummed up my bars when left on the shelf - spawn of beelzebub IMO

 

I have 5l of solvent from my screen printing days that disolves this stuff and pine resin.....plus some plastics:blushing: Hope it never runs out!

[Eddy_t]

I used stihl, now buxtons but not got into that yet. will let you know:001_smile:

 

 

Buxtons stuff is quite fluid, whereas the Oregon and Stihl stuff is quite gloopy (in contrast to Stihl's mineral stuff).

 

I find the wd40 degreaser generally shifts any congealed crap, for everything that won't budge, an ultrasonic cleaner and white spirit usually fixes

[wyk]

Buxtons stuff is quite fluid, whereas the Oregon and Stihl stuff is quite gloopy (in contrast to Stihl's mineral stuff).

 

I find the wd40 degreaser generally shifts any congealed crap, for everything that won't budge, an ultrasonic cleaner and white spirit usually fixes

 

Boss got gloopy stuff once, I found adding straight rapeseed to it helped it flow better and prevented it sticking.

[GardenKit]

Buxtons stuff is quite fluid, whereas the Oregon and Stihl stuff is quite gloopy (in contrast to Stihl's mineral stuff).

 

I find the wd40 degreaser generally shifts any congealed crap, for everything that won't budge, an ultrasonic cleaner and white spirit usually fixes

Sadly few of us have a US cleaner large enough to take a whole saw.

[t5pete]

While were on the subject of oils what would any of you reccomend me to use in my new 461 it will be on the shelf odd times for up to a month so dont want to use oil that gums oil am I find sticking with standars chain oil

[morten]

Two of us. Two observations spanning 2 decades. The added viscosity is for non professional chainsaws with lower output oilers. In all the professional chainsaws I have used, they oil just fine with rapeseed, and I have not seen any reduction in bar or chain life or increase in wear compared to mineral oil. My ported 044, which drinks fuel heavily, runs out of fuel with maybe 10-20% of the rapeseed oil left in the tank when I run a 30" bar.

 

Before you made any of your replies, did you do any research on the properties of rapeseed oil for chainsaw use? We did - empirically, and over several years. If you disagree with our advice and experience, that's your prerogative.

 

OK, Two observations

 

And I can find observations from the use of raw vegetable oils, that "gummed up", "nosewheel of a saw blows up", "2 top handle chains snap in a row".

 

As I have said before, I don't disbelieve your experience, I am just saying that it is not necessarily universally useful, as other users have had less success than you.

 

The first three posts that came up when searching this forum:

 

I did use Tesco cooking oil for bar lube for about 18 months, it was good cost-wise but gummed stuff up a bit, and a saw would get sticky and a bit mouldy if left for a couple of months. The wear on bars and chains was higher but the cost so much lower than Stihl BioPlus it was cheaper I'm sure. It was still inconvenient when the nosewheel of a saw blows up unexpectedly.....

Then I bought another supermarket's oil of a supposedly identical type, and in the first tank full the chain needed re-tensioning 4 times and everything overheated.....

I suppose what I've got to say is that you're buying a cooking oil, which is made for cooking food. Strangely it doesn't conform to any mechanical engineering standards so it may bite you on the bum one day....

I now use Oregon bio chain oil, which in larger drums is as cheap to buy per litre as mineral chain oils in smaller quantities, that's my twisted logic on the subject

 

veg oil hasnt got the tackyness to stick to the bar ,also from experience it f***s up oil pumps and bars quick esp when left for a month or so........i know people who swear by it but at the end of the day id rather buy bio plus atleast its tax deductable and theres nothing more frustrating than an oiler not working or bar sprocket disintergrating when you need to get the job done! plus you get to go home smelling like a chip pan....

 

i had 2 top handle chains snap in a row and i was using rapeseed oil. it might be ok for larger chains but watch out for overheating.

Edited November 10, 2014 by morten

[spudulike]

Sadly few of us have a US cleaner large enough to take a whole saw.

 

Get a cast iron bath, get a load of US transducers and JB weld them to the underneath.....can ya tell where this is going yet...........get one big feck off output card and there you go, a Redneck US cleaner - think I may patent it for use with grease monkeys like us!

 

One a serious note, I read of a sub mariner who stuck his feet in an industrial US cleaner and his bones shattered when he stood up - sounds horrific:thumbdown: Don't know how true it was!

[Eddy_t]

In 2 of those cases, the owner had left the saw for over a month with the oil in, which also suggests they'd have left the saw fuelled up, so oil pumps are the least of their worries when they have to replace carbs, fuel lines, pistons and cylinders. People using the saws on a daily basis won't have that problem.

 

As a saw technician, there are 2 options: educate the owner as to why they should or shouldn't do something, or buck up, get on with it and earn more money as the fault reoccurs.

[morten]

In 2 of those cases, the owner had left the saw for over a month with the oil in, which also suggests they'd have left the saw fuelled up, so oil pumps are the least of their worries when they have to replace carbs, fuel lines, pistons and cylinders. People using the saws on a daily basis won't have that problem.

 

As a saw technician, there are 2 options: educate the owner as to why they should or shouldn't do something, or buck up, get on with it and earn more money as the fault reoccurs.

 

Which supports my argument, that using raw vegetable oil should not be universally recommended.

 

With regards to storing saws for extended periods with oil and fuel: It isn't a problem if you use Alkylate fuel (like Aspen and STIHL MotoMix), and either mineral based, or bio oil with added antioxidants (e.g. Stihl BioPlus), which I have done myself for more than 5 years now.

Edited November 10, 2014 by morten