Making Bar Oil...?

[sdowiat]

Ok guys, I know this is gonna be one of those subjects... so I'm ready to be flamed. Yeah... I'm kinda cheap, but I come by it honsetly. My dad used to cut a good bit of wood, even for a living when he was real young, and his uncle was a full blown "pulpwooder" for years. They always used old used motor oil for bar oil and never seemed to have bar or chain issues... I heard a few other folks here say the same type thing and they got repremanded for being cheap like me.... even after they pointed out that they could have bought a lot of bars and chains over the years for what the fancy $10 a gallon bar oil costs... It's a shame when gas is at least $2.50 a gallon and the oil in your saw is costing you more than the gas.

Can you not make something real similar from used motor oil and some type of STP bought in bulk? Ain't that about all there is to it? The oil lubes and the high viscosity makes it hang on better.

I want to maintain my saw... I'll buy Stihl oil becasue I'm confident it's really good, and I like the fact that it has something like Stabil already in it... but I think this special bar oil is a rip off that plays on both fear and snob appeal. Yeah.. there is that type of thing even with Chainsaw guys.

So how about it... Could we not come up with a darn good and cheap recipe for bar oil?

 

[logging22]

Sounds like a really bad idea to me. Thats my 2 cents only.

 

[Mac_Muz]

I am not dead sure, but think the modern oils are not as bad for the land.

Dead engine oil is bad for the saw and the land as it is full of sulfer contaminates and acids. The damage it causes to a saw should be viewed in long term use. Acids eatting up that alloy and the steel over a long time, but the alloy will be eatten up first. The bar really won't care and neither will the chain.

With that said you could probably refine oils from local restraunts from their fryers and use a vegitable base oil, which in cold is plenty sticky.

 

[bitzer]

Stabil in bar oil? Bar oils have tackafiers in them.

 

[Marco]

So I shouldn't take the used motor oil out of my 1972 model year IH 826 with the D358 wearing an aluminum oil pan and use it for bar oil because it will eat my aluminum oil tank on my saw? I guess it comes down to doing what you feel you need to and accepting the problems when and if they occur. One thing to keep in mind was chainspeeds used to be slower and manual oilers of the past would pump anything if your thumb was stout enough.

 

[gallegosmike]

Really bad idea....
Stockup on bar oil when it is cheap,just before fall. I just 16 jugs of napa bar&chain oil for 4.99 a gal. That will last me year or so.

It is not worth trashing your oiler with used oil. Plus it is a p.i.t.a. to change a oiler out...

 

[CGC4200]

< $10 bar and chain oil with tackifiers

My time is cheap sometimes when I have a little time on my hands,
but this looks like a waste of time better spent cutting wood, maintaining
equipment, winterizing your home or ?

 

[synness4]

the worst thing I have run in to was 90 weight I hate !!!!! the smell of that crap

 

[mtngun]

Bar oils are just 30 weight oil with tackifiers added to make it stick to the bar.

I doubt if it would be cost effective to buy and mix tackifiers, but knock yourself out.

I confess that I employ used oil whenever it is available. Yes, I am a cheapskate. I let the used oil settle in the drain pan and then when I pour it into a jug, I toss the last few ounces that contain most of the contaminants.

Used oil is especially effective in an Alaskan mill's auxilary oiler where the tackifier is not needed.

BobL will point out that used motor oils have toxins that harm the environment. OK, but it's not like I'm dumping used oil into your drinking water.

I have yet to wear out a bar or a pump nor have any of my oil tanks corroded.

Even if I did wear out a bar or a pump, that might be cheap compared to the price of bar oil. I go through $150 - $200 of store bought bar oil each year, in addition to the used oil. For that money you can buy a pump and a bar.

OK, let the flames begin.

 

[barneyrb]

I have worked on one saw that had used motor oil as bar oil and never will I do that again. It was a Stihl 034 Super and I had to replace the oil pump. That saw was the nastiest under the cover and around the engine I have ever seen. The oil is so thin that is covers everything, seeps through any gap, and will not stay on the B&C.

 

[Philbert]

So how about it... Could we not come up with a darn good and cheap recipe for bar oil?

Interesting idea. You would need someone who understands the chemistry of motor oil to make it work. Maybe someone who works for a company that re-refines used motor oil that is collected.

You would probably want to filter it first, then maybe add stuff to balance the PH (if it really gets acidic as suggested above) in addition to the tackifiers.

We have all these people making bio-diesel from used Chinese food oil, so maybe there is a home-brew way.

Philbert

 

[Ljute]

Forget the saw for a moment. You want all the aerosoled contaminants from used motor oil in your lungs?

 

[J.W Younger]

as long as it can be found for 6 bucks or less a gallon I'll buy bar oil.and I'm as cheap as they come

 

[willsaw4beer]

Forget the saw for a moment. You want all the aerosoled contaminants from used motor oil in your lungs?

Not me but some people don't mind killing themselves to save a few pennies..:monkey:

 

[willsaw4beer]

as long as it can be found for 6 bucks or less a gallon I'll buy bar oil.and I'm as cheap as they come

About the only oil cheaper than bar oil is canola oil...

 

[Slamm]

About the only oil cheaper than bar oil is canola oil...

Agreed.

If you pay yourself $5 per hour it can't be very cheap to make some concoction yourself?!?!!?!?!?

Just get cheap bar oil.

I bought several gallons this summer for $4.99 at Tractor supply and it is really tacky, whooeee, now I don't have to make my own bar oil, LOL. I guess, I can chalk that one off the list.

Sam

 

[Philbert]

You want all the aerosoled contaminants from used motor oil in your lungs?

How do you think that compares with the 2-cycle exhaust?

Not being critical of your comment, just trying to consider how much of the used (or new!) bar oil would get aerosoled sufficiently within the user's breathing zone, compared to the cloud of exhaust I often see around chain saws.

Philbert

 

[willsaw4beer]

How do you think that compares with the 2-cycle exhaust?

Not being critical of your comment, just trying to consider how much of the used (or new!) bar oil would get aerosoled sufficiently within the user's breathing zone, compared to the cloud of exhaust I often see around chain saws.

Philbert

That's a good point also but isn't it sensible to do the easy little things to limit your exposure to nasty ####?

 

[Slamm]

That's a good point also but isn't it sensible to do the easy little things to limit your exposure to nasty ####?

You bet, thats why I cut with a full gas mask on, at all times.

Sam

 

[Philbert]

f you pay yourself $5 per hour it can't be very cheap to make some concoction yourself?!?!!?!?!?

I think that it is an interesting question in case you find yourself in a position where bar and chain oil is not available. Instead of running plain new or used motor oil, is there a recipe you could call on?

I remember during Katrina when we had a lot of trouble finding bar and chain oil and were lucky to find a few gallons after searching many stores.

Philbert