Bar oil SUBSTITUTES

[The Shooters Apprentice]

Tell y'all what. It's winter and I'm bored.

Let's come up with a semi scientific way of testing bar oil, and I'll buy, test, and document it.

 

[cookies]

I have been using the walmart blackmax bar oil since spring, the stuff is very dark, thick and tacky even during our florida summer. I noticed reduced oil useage and the chain/bar being dryer after trying it undiluted. I started adding 25% transmission fluid, engine oil or even gear oil leftovers from service jobs and it was still on the edge of being too thick for my liking.
Now that the temps are regularly below 70 I'll bump the % up as temps go down. I also used to run the walmart brand bar oil and it was too thick for winter as well got diluted 20%. I miss the old days of getting poulan bar oil for 8.99 a gallon and husqvarna bar oil on sale for 12.99 a gallon, both are about the perfect thickness even in the colder morning temps.
I asked the local tractor supply managers when their house brand bar oil was going on sale and answers were either don't hold your breath because of supply issues of additives and the rising cost of oil and plastic or 2 dollars off for a month if they can get enough of it in.
If this keeps up and even no name bar oil is 15+ a gallon I'll need to figure out what chemicals are used as tackifiers that are the least toxic/reactionary then find a source for it then rig up a low micron gravity fed filter system to run used trans/gear/engine oils since I recycle about 10 gallons every 40 days. Im hoping someone on here will have that knowledge and share it.
I stay away from vegetable /plant based and biodegradable oils after having to clean saws before tearing them down and seeing the hidden damage it can do under the caked on layers to exposed magnesium cases.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Tell y'all what. It's winter and I'm bored.

Let's come up with a semi scientific way of testing bar oil, and I'll buy, test, and document it.

Lets all send our favorite recipes to Project Farm. He can measure temp on a bar after making 100 cuts on the same log, run it through his ball bearing friction test, and whatever else he comes up with. Test against motor oil and vegetable oil too. I'll chip in.

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

Lets all send our favorite recipes to Project Farm. He can measure temp on a bar after making 100 cuts on the same log, run it through his ball bearing friction test, and whatever else he comes up with. Test against motor oil and vegetable oil too. I'll chip in.

That's kind of the direction I was thinking. His videos are always interesting.

 

[Stradbash]

I have been using the walmart blackmax bar oil since spring, the stuff is very dark, thick and tacky even during our florida summer. I noticed reduced oil useage and the chain/bar being dryer after trying it undiluted. I started adding 25% transmission fluid, engine oil or even gear oil leftovers from service jobs and it was still on the edge of being too thick for my liking.
Now that the temps are regularly below 70 I'll bump the % up as temps go down. I also used to run the walmart brand bar oil and it was too thick for winter as well got diluted 20%. I miss the old days of getting poulan bar oil for 8.99 a gallon and husqvarna bar oil on sale for 12.99 a gallon, both are about the perfect thickness even in the colder morning temps.
I asked the local tractor supply managers when their house brand bar oil was going on sale and answers were either don't hold your breath because of supply issues of additives and the rising cost of oil and plastic or 2 dollars off for a month if they can get enough of it in.
If this keeps up and even no name bar oil is 15+ a gallon I'll need to figure out what chemicals are used as tackifiers that are the least toxic/reactionary then find a source for it then rig up a low micron gravity fed filter system to run used trans/gear/engine oils since I recycle about 10 gallons every 40 days. Im hoping someone on here will have that knowledge and share it.
I stay away from vegetable /plant based and biodegradable oils after having to clean saws before tearing them down and seeing the hidden damage it can do under the caked on layers to exposed magnesium cases.

I’m interested to know what damage you’ve seen and how you know it was caused by plant based oils. They’re typically used in protective coatings and I’ve never seen any cause damage. They certainly can solidify into a difficult mess to deal with though!

 

[thenne1713]

Back when Covid took the world over I couldn’t buy bar oil locally. On another chainsaw forum pure canola oil was mentioned. I bought 5 gallons. I’ve left it set over the summer in my saws. No ill effects

Pure clean canola oil doesn’t rot inside the oil tank like some of the other crap vegetable oil I’ve tried in the past.

Works for me so far Super hot summer time sitting was my only concern but all is well

Many/ (most/all?) OM in the 1970s called for 30w oil for Bar oIl? I know the Craftsman/ Poulan manuals did. When did other bar oil first get marketed?

 

[Bubster]

Many/ (most/all?) OM in the 1970s called for 30w oil for Bar oIl? I know the Craftsman/ Poulan manuals did. When did other bar oil first get marketed?

I remember first seeing GRC Bar and Chain Lubricant around the late 80s. I am sure it was around before then, but most still used 30w. I remember a saw owners manual that said to cut 30w with kerosene in cold weather. I think it was for my 240 Homelite.

 

[StihlsawuserMS361]

To the points of used / drain / motor oil...If you understand the stress of main and rod bearings, cam bearings and lifter contact areas etc. in internal combustion engines, I can't see any reason why used motor oil wouldn't suffice. I personally never used waste motor oil, but in working in an automotive dealership, new oil was available and free. Served me well for many years with zero problems.

 

[cookies]

I’m interested to know what damage you’ve seen and how you know it was caused by plant based oils. They’re typically used in protective coatings and I’ve never seen any cause damage. They certainly can solidify into a difficult mess to deal with though!

It collects and mixes with wood dust coating the case then it turns rancid (acidic) and hardens then the paint lifts and it starts pitting the magnesium much like palm sap which makes me think palm oil is blended into canola and vegetable cooking oil to cut costs. Every time the saw is run a new layer of oil is applied wetting the caked on layers down to the metal. Cooking oil only requires something like 55% majority of one type to labeled as that oil.

 

[hosocat]

I can't say what the long term affects will be, but for the last year or so I've been mixing used motor oil with bar chain oil at about a 50/50 mix. Haven't noticed any problems yet. I figure the mix retains some of the stickiness of the bar oil, and it gets a little more use out of the motor oil.

 

[Andy K]

Heck I use Bar and Chain oil from Rural King. It is usually somewhere around $7 a gallon and works great. Best thing is that you can order it if you don't have a store locally. Also was taught to add a little bit of ATF to the mix in extremely cold weather

 

[jellyroll]

I use filter waste aw46 hyd oil in the winter works well in my saws.

 

[maowwg]

I’m guilty of starting a prior waste oil thread. That convinced me not to bother with waste oil for health reasons. Makes me feel better not breathing dirty oil.

I’ve been using Walmart super tech bar oil without problem. Second place for me would be clean motor oil, but I now “stock” of a number of items post COVID and I order a new gallon of bar oil when I start in on the current last gallon instead of when I think it will run out. Store delivery online purchase ensures they have it in stock Can’t trust it will be there when I need it just walking in to the store. Oddball clean motor oil remnants in the bar oil jug makes sense. Thanks good idea

 

[hosocat]

Wow! Andy's right. I just checked rural king. 7 bucks a gallon. What a deal. Unfortunately nearest store to me is 3 hours away. But next time I go through that town I'll stock up. Shipping would make it too expensive for me.

 

[jakethesnake]

Many/ (most/all?) OM in the 1970s called for 30w oil for Bar oIl? I know the Craftsman/ Poulan manuals did. When did other bar oil first get marketed?

Oh I agree any oil works. However the price went up. I used to buy the 5 gallon bucket of 303 hydraulic oil it works great for bar oil. They used to cost 25$

New motor oil was getting close to 20$ a gallon then. Canola was 7$. For bar oil it works pretty respectable

 

[jakethesnake]

I actually like it I should say

 

[5backacres]

Some one once told me you could add STP to SAE 30 and it gave tacikness to the oil but then once you've added the STP cost , and time to assure mixing you're better off to just buy bar oil

 

[jakethesnake]

My personal experience with bars up to 32” is tack does nothing for me. I do keep my oilers maxed Maybe with a stingy oiler it could help but for myself I don’t need it

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

I had to go to the big city of fairbanks today which is a little poking around while I was waiting for the wife to get out of the eye clinic. The cheapest bar oil I could find in town was orange bottle stihl at $21 a gallon.

 

[bwalker]

Cheap bar oil is good bar oil was my motto for years when I was going through a ton of it.
I'm using Durex now because I found some cheap. I really can't say if it's better than Walmart bar oil because I haven't used enough to know.

As long as you don't use waste motor oil or veggie oil you should be fine.