Waste Oil/Used Engine Oil

[JohnG28]

Maybe, or he was busy making a point and overlooked a minor spelling error in light of the bigger picture that was being conveyed

[JohnG28]

Oh ya, and hydraulics dont necessarily mean strictly oil, hydraulics deal with the dynamics of all fluids, which happens to include oil...therefore, one could be an expert on oil without actually having any real knowledge of hydraulics as a science

[barbender]

So, are we suggesting that hydrualic oil is more toxic than bar oil? Seems a little over the top to me.

[Al_Smith]

 :D Now come on now you folks are getting carried away with this hydraulics stuff . :D I suppose if you wanted to get real techincal about it you could use water under pressure and term it hydraulics not to mention high temp glycal based fluids used for die cast machines but that would be bending the bar a tad bit .

Then again neither water or glycal would make a very good bar lube .Nor for that fact would old gritty motor oil so here we are right back to square one  again .Came full circle in a manner of speaking . 8)

[JohnG28]

I agree Al, didnt intend to sway from topic, just thought that windthrown had a pretty good point, and seemed to be overlooked, guess I got carried away...just use bar oil people, thats my take and what I do, but to each his own i guess

[Al_Smith]

 :D Oh I wouldn't worry too much about going slightly askew on the subject matter .It happens all the time . I've even been accused of doing that a time or three myself . :

I suppose no mention of bar lube could be complete without mentioning that water based stuff they  are using in Europian countries .Evidently with "greenies " in mind .

From what I gather it's nothng but jellied water ,kind of like they use to hydrafracture oil wells or more commonly called KY jelly without any further ado on that practicular item or its' usage .

[ihookem]

I mix bar oil and hydraulic oil together and thought it was a good idea. It seems to work fine. I will consider though what happened to Windthrown's dad though.. What else do you do with hydraulic oil?  Waste oil goes to the mechanic to heat his shop.

[maple flats]

For several years I have only used cheaper bar oil, never tried anything else and I get good bar life. Lately I have use TSC bar oil but have often bought a few cases of oil from any of a number of vendors at the New York State Woodsmans show each August. Maybe I don't pay close enough attention but they have all seemed the same and they work good. I'll continue to use bar oil. I have never run out because I keep several gal if not cases ahead.

[windthrown]

So, are we suggesting that hydrualic oil is more toxic than bar oil? Seems a little over the top to me.

I am not suggesting that all hydraulic oils are more toxic than bar oil. Or that either are toxic in all cases (as that is not the case). However, I am stating flat out that many typical types of hydraulic oils are indeed far more toxic than typical bar oil. If you are using peanut or canola oil for either one, then neither is toxic. For this reason canola oil is becoming far more popular as a base for making bar oil. As are biodegradable bar oils made available at chainsaw shops and companies (like Stihl).

My point here is that if you are comparing say, typical tractor or fork lift hydraulic oil to typical bar oil, there can be a big difference, and yes indeed, in many cases hydraulic oil will be far more toxic than bar oil. The degree to what amount of exposure to hydraulic oils are considered 'safe' is not well known. However, there have been deaths reported from exposure to hydraulic oils (from ingesting, skin exposure and fume and mist exposure). There have also been cases where workers exposed to hydraulic fluids on their skin lost motor function in their hands. Several compounds used in hydraulic oils are known to be toxic. When I replace the hydraulic oils in my Kubota, I have to take the old hydraulic oil to the toxic waste site. They do not take it at the regular dumps here that take used motor oil.

The main issue with many types of hydraulic oil is that they are made from a wide variety of compounds. Of the main types of hydraulic oil bases, three are common. Those being: mineral oil, polyalphaolefin, and organophosphate ester. Bar oil is mainly made of mineral oils, a result of refining crude oil. Mineral oil is not considered to be that toxic, and skin and eye exposure (or even drinking the stuff) is not that hazardous. Long exposure to mineral oils should be avoided though (and I would not drink the stuff). Polyalphaolefin is not considered to be very toxic to mamals. However, the organic phospates are a problem. Triaryl phosphates, including tricresyl phosphate (TCP) and butylated triphenyl phosphates (BTP), are used in the commercial manufacture of hydraulic fluids and oils. Recent studies show that these compounds are endocrine and reproductive toxicants. Meaning that they affect your glands and your reproductive system in a very negative way.

Now, if you want to spray that stuff around on yourself and your property and into the envirnment just to save a few bucks, well then, I wish you luck. Why you would want to expose yourself and your family to that stuff is beyond me. My father loved exposing himself to a lot of that stuff, and he died of liver cancer at a rather young age. He used to taste the transmission fluid in his fleet of cars and trucks all the time to see if it had gone off or not. I told him he was crazy to do that, but he persisted anyway.

[barbender]

Windthrown, I am sorry about your Dad. I hope my comment wasn't taken as making light of your loss. I can also see you have a lot more knowledge about this stuff than I do, and I agree with you that we need to be careful about the things we come into contact with. Please understand, I come from a family where grandad used to take his used motor oil out behind the garage and dump it on the ground I don't think too much of that, but I guess if I'm using it for bar oil I'm basically doing the same thing, except for spreading it around a little.

[tstex]

"Windthrown, I am sorry about your Dad."

I will second that...i know the drill:  lost my dad to colon cancer, mom to ovarian cancer...it really sucks.

Whenever I use anything with 6-chain carbons or more, as well as cutting CCA and like lumber, I take the necessary precautions.  I do believe the more you are around and handle materials like this, it is empirical your odds not too your advantage.  I think you summed it up Windthrown when you stated your father "taste-tested" those chemicals...that would be tough for anyone to beat.

For me, I do use hudraulic fluids to my advantage, which is a preventative to keeping termites from engulfing the base-boards on all my sheds....the old post-WWII farmer used to use chlordane to protect his sheds, but we know what the EW's did to stop this...however, I do use brand-new fluids in all my combustion-based machines and will continue to do so.

Hope you have a good & safe week.
tstex