Chain saw bar and chain oil?

What kind of oil is chain saw bar and chain oil? A friend gave me nearly a gallon tonight and I thought surely I could use it but the container says nothing about the weight or makeup of the contents. It's Craftsman brand.

Is there a good use for this stuff in the workshop considering I don't have a chainsaw? (And no, I'm not going to buy a chainsaw. )

[gunsmith]

It's cheap and I use it for coating new bare steel when it comes from the supplier to keep it from rusting in my shop.

[Evan]

It's not good for much else as it has special additives to make it tacky so it doesn't fly off the chain. Good for bicycle chains though.

[JCHannum]

It is a low grade mineral oil, probably around 30 weight. Probably made from refinery dregs or recycled oil with tackifiers added to keep it from being flung off by centrifagal force.
It is good as a rust proofer, open gears or chains or any other similar once through use.

[Evan]

Actually, the summer grade is more like 90 weight, winter grade is more like 30 wt. I've felled a few thousand trees...

[pgmrdan]

Gee, I wonder if I can give it back?

I thought she was being nice. She knew what she was doing!

[This message has been edited by pgmrdan (edited 01-15-2004).]

[torker]

I'd be careful using that stuff on anything important. I fell trees for nearly ten years and used lots of chain oil. Some of the contractors used to buy it in bulk (45 gal drum) and when the barrels were empty some had some real nasty looking stuff in the bottom. Russ

[wierdscience]

Woh!Don't lose it just yet,if you ever have any old equipment that uses babbitt bearings with dipper rings for lubrication it does an excellent job.

Also good for those slow moving automotive part conversions.

[Cass]

I use 30 w motor oil in my Stihl chain saw. I have gotten good use of the saw since about 1976. I don't use it all that much but occasionally use it near all day. A standard check on the chain oiling function is to rev the engine while holding the bar 8-10 inches of f the ground. If things are working right it will paint a stripe of oil on the ground. Somehow it has now become plugged or something and is not oiling correctly. I have taken the bar off and tried cleaning all the saw dust out of the saw. I take good care of tools and keep the saw clean. No luck at getting the oiler working. I would appreciate advice from all the lumberjack/mechanics out there.

[spope14]

Hate to say this, but the small engine mechanics who deal in Stihl Chainsaws can fix this problem fast, and probably cheap and such. I have a Stihl, two years old now, use the heck out of it. Starting problems a while back, 6 bucks. I can only speak for my dealer, but he is very reasonable in price because he knows his customers will come back. Does great work as well.

[CCWKen]

$6 for spark plug doesn't sound too reasonable to me. And as far as using that crap in a babbitt bearing setup... Forget it unless you enjoy scraping babbitt off the journals.

Use the stuff for coating or storing metal stock... or give it back. Better yet, send it to me; I have a chain saw.

[torker]

Cass... first look at the little hole in the bar where the oil enters into the chain groove. This will plug up sometimes. Also get a real thin flat blade screwdriver and clean the chain groove. This can sometimes be pretty hard to clean. Then check the hole in the case where the oil comes out ... it could have a real small piece of crap in it. If that doesn't work.. drain the chain oil tank and flush it out. I just used to use saw gas. After it is clean check to make sure the pick up tube inside is still attached and isn't kinked. If that doesn't work it could be the oil pump. Not sure on a Stihl that old but it could be the "O" rings. Usually there is some kind of pump plumbing in behind the muffler. Russ

[Thrud]

pgmrdan:

That depends on who makes it.

What they do is take all the stuff that drips on the floor and leaks on the ground and watever is left in the pipes and railcars and put tacifier in and call it bar & chain oil. It is crap.

Amsoil uses the oil that is left from production runs of saleable product and stores it a silo. This silo is a blend of what ever products they ghave been making until it is full. Once full, they add tackifier at an elevated temperature and mix it completely then bottle the mixture.

Since it most likely has motor oil additives and gear oil additives in it dipping metal is one use, but I would not use it to heat treat, and definately do not use it on your machines or as a cutting oil.

[pgmrdan]

This thread is reminding me of the other thread that's discussing what goes into hot dogs.

I guess bar and chain oil is to oils as a hot dog is to sausages.

Seriously, I'll hang on to the oil. I just wondered what would be a good use for it.

Thanks all,
Dan

[Al Messer]

Dan, Chainsaw bar oil makes an excellent lubricant for lubing the center hole when using a dead center in the tailstock. STP will also work well.