Bar-Chain Oil? Used motor oil?

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Is bar-chain oil anything special?

Could a guy substitute used motor oil for this application?

Bad mistake? Or ok substitution only if in a pinch? Or go ahead use it all the time?

 

[FuzzyOne]

I would say to only use it in a pinch. Chain/bar oil has a quality that is tacky and adheres to the bar. Motor oil, used or new, does not have the same specs. It is relatively cheap, so I would not substitute it. Chains and bars are expensive....

 

[heffergm]

I'll answer this one based on my experience running motor oil in a box store Poulan saw: don't do it unless you're desparate. As mentioned real bar oil is very tacky. What I noticed was chains going dull really fast.

 

[bogydave]

I don't think the oil was dulling the chains.
Have used plain clean/new 30 wt motor oil for years, never dulled a chain (from the oil).
Adjust the oiler setting to max, fill the oil, & fill gas 3/4 so there's oil left in the saw when it runs out of gas.
The Chain cutting teeth are not in the oil, dirt in/on the bark, nails or hitting the ground etc. dulls the teeth, not oil.

 

[heffergm]

Interesting. When I went back to bar oil my chains fared better, but maybe it was my imagination.

 

[smokinj]

lee been doing it for years strains it through old blue jeans.

 

[JustWood]

Interesting. When I went back to bar oil my chains fared better, but maybe it was my imagination.

YEP! It was!

 

[ROBERT F]

If you strain the oil to remove metal deposits, and maybe mix in used gear oil to add thickness/tackiness, how bout some stp oil additive at the same time? heck, I could go mix up a 10 gallon batch right now for just the cost of the stp. cost what, 10 dollars to make 10 gallons? not a bad idea. I could just see the look on the forest ranger/ game wardens face if they caught me pouring that smelly dark brown mix in my saw in the forest.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Is bar-chain oil anything special?

Could a guy substitute used motor oil for this application?

Bad mistake? Or ok substitution only if in a pinch? Or go ahead use it all the time?

I haven't, but I would. There's nothing magic about "bar" oil.

 

[gzecc]

Bar oil is artificially expensive. For some reason guys don't mind paying for it. I mix new with used motor oil. 50/50.

 

[Kong]

I have used everything I could find that was greasy, and used motor oil was often available. I have used extra 2-stroke motor oil as chain oil, I have used hydraulic fluid. Really, I've used just about everything. Nowdays I use the cheap bar oil that my local hardware store sells. The result of the extra expense for the real thing in a jug is that I'm not eating up oil pumps or guide bars anymore. The thing is that as I get older I find myself generally getting smarter about how to treat tools, and using bar oil seems to be one of those things. What is the stuff? It appears to me to be 30wt motor oil mixed with some STP-like substance to give it the stickyness-stringyness. At any rate its far better than whatever is laying around. However if you do feel like using used motor oil let me suggest this one little thing to you. Stop by your favorite automotive paint supplier and ask for a handful of paint filters. They'll give them to you. Use them to strain your used motor oil. They won't catch anything ground up so fine its suspended in the oil, but they will catch the chunks. Better the paint filter than your oil pump. If that's too much trouble strain it through a clean rag.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

"The result of the extra expense for the real thing in a jug is that I’m not eating up oil pumps or guide bars anymore."


Yeah I suppose, save $7 on oil spend $30 on bars and/or pumps. Perhaps doing a better job of filtering it would remedy the situation?

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

"I could just see the look on the forest ranger/ game wardens face if they caught me pouring that smelly dark brown mix in my saw in the forest. "

That sounds like the description of brand new bar-chain oil, so would they even know the difference?

 

[ROBERT F]

"I could just see the look on the forest ranger/ game wardens face if they caught me pouring that smelly dark brown mix in my saw in the forest. "

That sounds like the description of brand new bar-chain oil, so would they even know the difference?

well most of the rangers here also do the fire thinning, and every b&c oil I've used is light brown, yeah, I think they could pick up on it. not that they could do anything about, other than herassment.

 

[gpcollen1]

"I could just see the look on the forest ranger/ game wardens face if they caught me pouring that smelly dark brown mix in my saw in the forest. "

That sounds like the description of brand new bar-chain oil, so would they even know the difference?

well most of the rangers here also do the fire thinning, and every b&c oil I've used is light brown, yeah, I think they could pick up on it. not that they could do anything about, other than herassment.

Some I have used are the color of motor oil and some have been black as night.

 

[gpcollen1]

I don't think the oil was dulling the chains.
Have used plain clean/new 30 wt motor oil for years, never dulled a chain (from the oil).
Adjust the oiler setting to max, fill the oil, & fill gas 3/4 so there's oil left in the saw when it runs out of gas.
The Chain cutting teeth are not in the oil, dirt in/on the bark, nails or hitting the ground etc. dulls the teeth, not oil.

Many saws hold enough b&c oil for two tanks of gas.

 

[JustWood]

Been using drain oil from diesel equipment for 20+ years with no adverse effects. My drian oil is 15-40 though. Thicker than oil used in cars and pickups. If you decide to use drain oil I wood do as already recomended. Thicken it up some, filter it through an old sock or rag. If you really want to be anal filter it through old blue jeans or denim material. Even if your oil is clean you'll be surprised the slime denim will filter out.
Used oil will not dull a chain.

 

[Danno77]

winter weight bar and chain is lighter weight anyway, so maybe it'll work better in the winter....i dunno. B&C is cheap IMO, I use the rest to play with fires in the brush pile, keep garden tools in tip-top shape, and eventually I plan on heating the neighborhood with some Waste Oil heater that glows red when it's working.

 

[smokinj]

Been using drain oil from diesel equipment for 20+ years with no adverse effects. My drian oil is 15-40 though. Thicker than oil used in cars and pickups. If you decide to use drain oil I wood do as already recomended. Thicken it up some, filter it through an old sock or rag. If you really want to be anal filter it through old blue jeans or denim material. Even if your oil is clean you'll be surprised the slime denim will filter out.
Used oil will not dull a chain.

"Used oil will not dull a chain" are you sure about that? lol

 

[bogydave]

I don't think the oil was dulling the chains.
Have used plain clean/new 30 wt motor oil for years, never dulled a chain (from the oil).
Adjust the oiler setting to max, fill the oil, & fill gas 3/4 so there's oil left in the saw when it runs out of gas.
The Chain cutting teeth are not in the oil, dirt in/on the bark, nails or hitting the ground etc. dulls the teeth, not oil.

Many saws hold enough b&c oil for two tanks of gas.

When I get a newer model saw, newer than 27 years that is. I'll look for than feature. Replaced 1 bar in 27 years. Average 10 cords/year & miscellaneous cutting.
I guess if I was using Stihl or Husky bar oil, I my have replaced 1 bar in that time.

When I bought the saw I'm not sure they sold "special formulated" bar oil. Book recommends clean 30 wt oil. So thats what I use/used mostly.
But in a pinch, used motor oil, maybe that's why I had to replace the bar,
(or maybe when it got stuck, the tree was the wrong way, I ran, saw flipped under the tree, bent the bar)

How much $$ is a gallon of c&b oil anyway? I've never bought one. (online: saw husky bar oil for $11.95/gal)
I was lucky, I drained empty 55 gallon drums (30 wt diesel engine oil) before we crushed/burned them, saved the oil in 5 gal jugs, have 15 gallons still.

Nice thing is , if you use high dollar brand name bar oil, it's good for the national economy & good for your saw.
If you don't & that's OK too, it's good for your economy & probably OK for the saw.

 

[ccwhite]

I do use B&C oil but find it is just too thick and stringy so I mix about a quart of motor oil (Whatever weight I have on hand) to each gallon of B&C oil. That seems to make it just right. I would never put dirty oil in my saw. That just seems to me to be asking for trouble or at least excessive wear to all surfaces that are oiled. I would pick up a quart of motor oil and use that before using dirty oil.
Just my $.02