Bicycle Mechanics - What weight is chain lube?

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no motor?
02-15-10, 04:14 PM
This isn't really a bike maintenance question, but I'm hoping it is close to one to not cause any undo annoyance. I'm trying to lubricate an IBM Selectric typewriter for work (yes, there are still business that need a typewriter) and they recommend 10W oil for the mechanical parts. The bottle of chain lube I have (Pedro's Road Rage) has a nice tip on it that looks ideal for the job, but it doesn't give a weight for the oil. Does anyone know what weight oil the Pedro's Road rage is? Has anyone used it to lube a typewriter?
I believe most chain lubes are lighter than 10W. On my chain I use one part 10W-40 synthetic with 3 parts mineral spirits.
My IBM Selectric broke so I threw it in the trash.
if you've used phil wood tenacious, that's the consistency of 10W-30 right there.
tatfiend
02-15-10, 06:34 PM
Many chain lubes use a fairly heavy oil in a evaporating carrier so the weight of the oil is quite heavy once the solvent evaporates. Others are "Dry" lubes with wax or Teflon in a evaporating carrier.
Chain lube weights and characteristics are proprietary usually, and vary widely, so no telling what you have.
I would favor getting some sewing machine oil or 3 in 1 MOTOR oil, the stuff in the blue can. Regular 3 in 1 gums up as it contains a vegetable oil.
Sixty Fiver
02-15-10, 06:36 PM
I use Tri Flow in my sewing machine and it came highly rated for this use by the sewing machine guy... it comes in a pen tip dispenser which is great for lubing small points.
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