Bar oil alternative

[jakethesnake]

Guess if I don’t like this stuff I’ll have to do some turkey frying.

 

[ferris]

I wonder why so much people still want to use some petroleum based stuff. For me canola oil is a no brainer.
Here are my reasons:
1. it is a lot cheaper then any bar oil
2. it is 100% better for the environment and your own health. So easy to save a little bit of our Mother Earth.
3. you can buy it nearly everywhere. When u buy your food u can grab a bottle for the saw. No extra drive or an order in the web.

So pls buy canola oil and no petroleum based stuff.

 

[00wyk]

Not long. Maybe 6-8 weeks tops. If it’s a low use saw I’ll dump the tank and run a bit of something petroleum through before shelving. I like atf because of the detergents. Gotta run it out of fuel anyway. In the winter up here it’s sometimes necessary to bump the amount of additives to raise the temperature related cloud point of the canola. I’ll have to defer to @00wyk in this department sounds like he’s left his saws much longer with canola in the tank.

To me this is like with most things in life. You do what’s best for you and what your comfortable with. For me it’s worth it to not be breathing atomized petrochemical bar oil of unidentified origin. Could care less about cost. Bar oil is the least of my operating expense worries.

Rapeseed oil does not oxidize readily like many other oils do. I have never seen it gunk up an oiler. I HAVE seen STIHL bio oil gunk up when it oxidizes. I avoid that, especially due to the costs. Rapeseed is slightly acidic, so acts like a mild solvent most of the time. Next time you get grease or dirt on you, go get some rapeseed oil and rub it on you and watch how it cleans it off. The only time I have seen it gunk up was when mixing it with gunky conifer saw dust and letting it sit on the bar for a very long time. I suspect this would have been a similar result regardless of the oil used. If you are cutting hardwoods, It is a non issue.

Rapeseed is also less thick and will flow better than other oils. If you are in a very hot environment, it may not be the best choice.

Again, I am not so sure why folks are afraid of gunking up. A few seconds with mix clears up any oil no matter how gunked up it is.
And if your saw sits for very long periods of time, why bother trying to save anything? Your costs are nothing. Use Tiffany oil. You are saving pennies. When I use rapeseed oil, I save hundreds of euros a year. Rapeseed is often as little as 65 cent a litre here on sale. So about 3.50/gallon or so.

We go through about 15-20 liters of mix oil a year. What is that? Like 600 liters or so mixed at 40:1? 150 gallons of fuel a year? So our saws do not sit for very long. However, I can comment on their longevity. Bars lasts just as long. And we use saws from 36cc up to 88cc and bars from 12 to 32inches often in hard oak(preferably in hard oak as it is great firewood and construction wood, and has the highest value). So 150+ gallons of fuel per year means at least 100 gallons of oil a year. My costs are less than 400 euro on that much rapeseed if I simply buy it from the local LIDL. If I buy a pallet from a supplier like Merkandi.ie, it is about half that. Bear in mind I live in Ireland. Though the estate I work is a certified farm, and we can use agricultural rated products, we still have to pay some taxes on them plus vat(so they are occasionally, well often, taxed twice). Cooking oil has no tax. Chainsaw oil is very expensive here. So my savings are quite a bit more than even they would be stateside.

So, better for the environment(it breaks down when exposed to the elements within months, sort of the opposite of gunking up there). Does not discolour the wood I cut using it, which can be handy on occasion. Better for my health. Less expensive. Renewable yadda yadda. It would make no sense to not use it in my case. Which is sort of how it came in to use...

Red oak crotch here being cut by a ported 281. The bar here is about 3 years old or so at the time of the video(2014? I forget). It is still hanging on the wall as a backup today. It's a laminated bar, too.

 

[Loony661]

Unfortunately, after a doing a google search for Canola and Rapeseed oils, I can still buy my petroleum based bar oil for the same price ($6-7 per gallon)... Although I would like the positive side affects of using a natural based bar lubricant, it’s actually easier for me to buy the Mystik bar oil and costs me no difference. Plus I already have another 9 or so gallons on hand waiting to be used..

 

[JimBear]

I have to agree with @Loony661

The little bit of wood I cut for cooking over I use canola oil. Eventually maybe I can get a barrel of canola delivered for the same cost as b/c oil ( at this rate it won’t be long ). Maybe I can sell some of the b/c chain oil I have & make out like bandit.

I can get b/c oil for less or the same price & at a bigger convenience to me. My b/c oil is delivered to the shop at no additional cost. The oil is also tax free as it gets ran thru the farm account.

The closest WallyWorld is 30 miles & I don’t shop there, closest Target, Sam’s Club & Costco are over 75 miles, I don’t get that way very often & don’t go to those establishments either

Sam’s Club & Costco require memberships if I remember correctly.


Here’s a few I have found :

https://www.bulkapothecary.com/product/raw-ingredients/bulk-natural-oils/canola-oil/

https://www.target.com/p/canola-oil-1gal-128oz-good-38-gather-8482/

https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-mark-canola-oil-3-quarts-2-pack/prod20996179

 

[davidwyby]

Here's one : best oil for high heat?

 

[Loony661]

Here's one : best oil for high heat?

This is a foreign concept to me here in Minnesota!

 

[JimBear]

Here's one : best oil for high heat?

Most likely the thickest. Just use some 80/90 in there. It will thin down…. eventually & smell like chit too. It will make cutting a really enjoyable experience…

My dad uses cotton picker oil/grease in a couple gearboxes on the batwing that like to seep oil. That stuff makes 80/90 look like thin.

 

[ferris]

Unfortunately, after a doing a google search for Canola and Rapeseed oils, I can still buy my petroleum based bar oil for the same price ($6-7 per gallon)... Although I would like the positive side affects of using a natural based bar lubricant, it’s actually easier for me to buy the Mystik bar oil and costs me no difference. Plus I already have another 9 or so gallons on hand waiting to be used..

Use ur 9 gallons and after that switch to a natural based oil. Do some thing for the environment

 

[jakethesnake]

I mean I got my canola delivered for free. 6.30 a gallon. I can’t get bar oil for that here And yeah that’s tax deductible

 

[heimannm]

This week locally:






Mark

 

[Loony661]

I was just at my local Fleet Farm this morning and they were sold out of Mystik at regular price again.. Seems to be occurring more frequently lately.

 

[B440]

Now you guys got me thinking about canola oil. Currently I run straight used canola in my diesel generator, but I'm thinking I could also use it as bar oil? I strain it through a 25 micron filter to remove the fries, salt and other bits.

 

[Moparmyway]

Pics?

 

[jakethesnake]

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Science

 

[JimBear]

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Just mixed today ?

 

[Moparmyway]

Just mixed today ?

Yes Sir !

 

[Nutball]

Ok, with crap getting more expensive about everywhere, what would be a usable alternative to normal bar oil which is usually just sae30 wt with tack additive. Local bar oil prices have jumped, it's suddenly 17 dollars a gallon, for any brand except harvest king which that went up also to 23 dollars for 2.5 gal but is hard to find, always out of stock.

Times are getting tough, I finished up my commercial thinning job, it just needs some logs hauled off it after breakup. Now it's tree removal for residential folk and firewood for income, and with the competition, it's gonna be real cutthroat this year. To keep my head above water I need to address some of the consumables and find where I can cut cost.

Rural king, Blair's, Stahl's, and Lowes have cheap bar oil, perhaps still cheap enough with shipping to beat your local $17/gal

 

[JimBear]

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How is the science project working out ???

 

[Moparmyway]

How is the science project working out ???

I'll have a look after work ...........