Chain oil test

[Loony661]

I bought 5 gallons of Mystic when it was on sale in late fall and that stuff is like water. Zero tack. I can't run my oiler wide open as it just drinks the thin stuff compared to the TSC I was running. I ran my 346 for a couple minutes after I replaced the sprocket nose on my Tsumura bar and I literally had bar oil running off the top of the bar right near where the oil is injected. It was dripping all over the floor and everything. I'm used to the old TSC stuff, it was thick and poured out like molasses when cold and very stringy. I guess TSC has recently changed suppliers though and the new stuff is also like water and zero tack. So I've been looking for a good replacement for the older TSC stuff that I really liked. I bite the bullet and ordered some AMSOIL, as that's supposed to be very tacky, but at $25 a gallon it's not cheap.

So I'm going to be giving away the Mystic I have. It's useless to me. May work better in saws with weaker oilers. Yes I can turn my oilers down, but the lack of tack concerns me. I know some people use motor oil and they seem happy with it. Motor oil is probably pretty similar to the Mystic I have. The way I see it, there is a reason why they add tackifiers to bar oil.....or at least are supposed to anyway.

Interesting to hear your experiences. I use Mystik everyday in all my saws. Oilers turned to Max setting. None of my saws leak it, and I always have bar oil left in my tank when it’s time to fuel up. I also don’t experience any unusual wear or high heat. My chains rarely sag and I can always grab the bar…

Almost sounds to me like you have an issue with your saws if it’s leaking out all over.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Interesting to hear your experiences. I use Mystik everyday in all my saws. Oilers turned to Max setting. None of my saws leak it, and I always have bar oil left in my tank when it’s time to fuel up. I also don’t experience any unusual wear or high heat. My chains rarely sag and I can always grab the bar…

Almost sounds to me like you have an issue with your saws if it’s leaking out all over.

LOL, no issue with the saw. Went back to thicker stuff and it's fine. When I say it was leaking, I mean just reving it out of the wood. I was doing it because I just replaced the nose sprocket and fully cleaned the bar. I wanted to get the oil back in the bar before using it so I was running it some out of the wood to accomplish that. Wasn't running it all that long either.

You aren't concerned with the complete lack of tack? Man, may as well be running motor oil. Maybe I'm just used to the old TSC stuff, as it was thick and tacky.....you know what bar oil is supposed to be.

 

[Loony661]

You aren't concerned with the complete lack of tack?

I’m not, because it’s still clinging to the chain on the bottom of the bar, which means it oiling adequately. Also, I probably would be more concerned if I was experiencing wear, which I’m not.

Maybe I'm just used to the old TSC stuff, as it was thick and tacky.....you know what bar oil is supposed to be.

You mean how bar oil USED to be. Of course all the old school bar oils were thick and nasty, because that’s what they thought would help. Doesn’t mean it actually worked any better. Take Stihl Premium VS Stihl Winter Grade bar oils for example - Winter grade is actually much thinner than this Mystik. Mystik is “All Season” so it’s kind of in the middle. And I would rather have a bar oil that’s thin/fluid enough in winter temps to get out to the sprocket immediately VS waiting for a thick, sludgy oil to warm up enough from friction and/or exhaust heat warming the case before it actually flows efficiently enough to do its job. Thick and tacky bar oil certainly isn’t getting into the chain rivets to lubricate them like a thinner oil is. And at $8/gal or less, I’m happy with the results of Mystik. Just my 2 cents.

 

[JRHAWK9]

I’m not, because it’s still clinging to the chain on the bottom of the bar, which means it oiling adequately. Also, I probably would be more concerned if I was experiencing wear, which I’m not.

You mean how bar oil USED to be. Of course all the old school bar oils were thick and nasty, because that’s what they thought would help. Doesn’t mean it actually worked any better. Take Stihl Premium VS Stihl Winter Grade bar oils for example - Winter grade is actually much thinner than this Mystik. Mystik is “All Season” so it’s kind of in the middle. And I would rather have a bar oil that’s thin/fluid enough in winter temps to get out to the sprocket immediately VS waiting for a thick, sludgy oil to warm up enough from friction and/or exhaust heat warming the case before it actually flows efficiently enough to do its job. Thick and tacky bar oil certainly isn’t getting into the chain rivets to lubricate them like a thinner oil is. And at $8/gal or less, I’m happy with the results of Mystik. Just my 2 cents.

I see you are an Amsoil dealer, have you tried their bar oil? I have a 5 gallon pail of it coming.

I think once any bar oil warms up, it becomes more fluid and will get into the rivots and stay there due to tack. I don't think the more expensive stuff is almost always thicker just by chance.

 

[Loony661]

I see you are an Amsoil dealer, have you tried their bar oil? I have a 5 gallon pail of it coming.

Because of the price (even at my dealer cost) I won’t use it on the daily. But I use it for milling.

I think once any bar oil warms up, it becomes more fluid and will get into the rivots and stay there due to tack. I don't think the more expensive stuff is almost always thicker just by chance.

I do agree with you that once it’s warm, it thins out. Most (not all) of the bar oils out there, are the oils that were collected after a production run of engine oil, hydraulic oil, etc that they then add the tackifier to, and slap the bar and chain label on it. Which is why it’s cheap, comes in a variety of colors, and sometimes the tackiness changes within a brand.

 

[Philbert]

I have to thin the bar and chain oil, even ‘winter grade stuff’, when using in my battery or corded electric chainsaws, in colder weather.

No internal combustion to heat them!

Philbert

 

[IffykidMn]

I have to thin the bar and chain oil, even ‘winter grade stuff’, when using in my battery or corded electric chainsaws, in coldee weather.

No internal combustion to heat them!

Philbert

One more reason to stick with gas saws.

 

[MG porting]

I bought 5 gallons of Mystic when it was on sale in late fall and that stuff is like water. Zero tack. I can't run my oiler wide open as it just drinks the thin stuff compared to the TSC I was running. I ran my 346 for a couple minutes after I replaced the sprocket nose on my Tsumura bar and I literally had bar oil running off the top of the bar right near where the oil is injected. It was dripping all over the floor and everything. I'm used to the old TSC stuff, it was thick and poured out like molasses when cold and very stringy. I guess TSC has recently changed suppliers though and the new stuff is also like water and zero tack. So I've been looking for a good replacement for the older TSC stuff that I really liked. I bite the bullet and ordered some AMSOIL, as that's supposed to be very tacky, but at $25 a gallon it's not cheap.

So I'm going to be giving away the Mystic I have. It's useless to me. May work better in saws with weaker oilers. Yes I can turn my oilers down, but the lack of tack concerns me. I know some people use motor oil and they seem happy with it. Motor oil is probably pretty similar to the Mystic I have. The way I see it, there is a reason why they add tackifiers to bar oil.....or at least are supposed to anyway.

I got AMSOIL right now although I like my bar oil thick it really tuff to find the AMSOIL it thin cold but tacky I've modified my oil pumps in both my saws and everything gets soaked with bar oil with the ASMOIL the only thing that strange is the stuff just doesn't throw off the chain while checking it no the cardboard or butt of the log but man the bar and can and half the saw is just soaked with oil.

 

[Colonel 428]

If you want a laugh go to the Home Depot website and search for chainsaw bar oil. Check out the price for one gallon of Echo bar oil. I thought it was a mistake but it's been there for days now. And to think, two years ago it was $12 a gallon if you bought 4 or more.

 

[Wilhelm]

Cheap supermarket "no-name" brand, 5 liters 13€ "on sale".
I am not buying any of that!

 

[JRHAWK9]

I got AMSOIL right now although I like my bar oil thick it really tuff to find the AMSOIL it thin cold but tacky I've modified my oil pumps in both my saws and everything gets soaked with bar oil with the ASMOIL the only thing that strange is the stuff just doesn't throw off the chain while checking it no the cardboard or butt of the log but man the bar and can and half the saw is just soaked with oil.

Yeah, I got to use it on single digit temps and I like it. It's not as thick as the old recipe TSC stuff was in cold temps, so pouring it was easier. It was very tacky though. Temp doesn't seem to affect it as much.

 

[blades]

for summer use above 70 deg F I have switched to machine tool way oil, as the multiple names from multiple stores are to dang thin and do not stick. Considering some of the pricing the way oil isn't any worse. I fried 4 bars last summer due to the nature of current retail bar oils. Never had this problem before. I have also checked with a couple of my customers that are tree services they are having same problems with retail oils. I did check into finding a tacifier that I could add to the retail stuff, Didn't get to far into that, gets pretty technical, but did come up with a local supplier that will do custom blends, cost on par with everything else- so will likely just order a some 5 gal drums down the road a peace and spec a higher stick. Polymers ( tacifiers)used for our purpose are kinda tricky as some thin out with heat while others thicken with heat from my reading, yet we still need it to have the ability of penetrating to the rivets.

 

[Cheato]

$7.99 per gallon for Rural King Bar Oil at Runnings. Just picked up 4 gallons in Red Wing, MN.

 

[jakethesnake]

Just an observation. I run cheap laminate bars on my go to saws. 20”.

Use pretty decent chains. Occasionally tri link or archer. But usually Oregon old stock Carlton some stihl.

I posted pictures of one bar tip ive lost. Bar itself was ok Rails dressed regular. Still straight.

I run the cheapest oil available no tack. 303 hydraulic oil.

Last couple years I’ve ran straight canola.

Oil will sufficiently lube a chain. Doesn’t matter what you use so long as the chain is getting oil of some sort. Don’t overthink it

 

[jakethesnake]

Very minimal wear to the links. Chain completely used up

 

[Wilhelm]

View attachment 409635Very minimal wear to the links. Chain completely used up

Yer missing some teef!

 

[jakethesnake]

Yer missing some teef!

I think you had some similar. I thought I remembered you posting up some work out ones a while back ?

 

[Wilhelm]

I think you had some similar. I thought I remembered you posting up some work out ones a while back ?

Yeah, so?!

I call them stump removal chains.

 

[Wilhelm]

The loops seen to the right in the first picture are also stump removal chains, but 24"/84DL.
I may just scrap them, cutting a stump out of the ground demands control and a 24" bar does not excell in that department.

 

[jakethesnake]

Your straps are upside in hood shape. What you using as far as bar oil