Home Lube Formula?
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Home Lube Formula?
Upon deciding to try a home-made chain lube(somewhat like Pro-Gold,which I"ve been using), I"m still unsure of the correct,or best, proportion of motor oil to mineral spirits.. Any help,please.
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I've mixed Pennzoil 30 wt motor oil with mineral spirits, I played around with the proportions, starting with 1:1, then 2:1, and finally 3:1 (larger numbers are mineral spirits). I found 1:1 to be too much like motor oil to penetrate the chain well, 2:1 seemed okay but still noticeably thicker than Pro Link Gold, and 3:1 seemed to look like and have about the same consistency as Pro Link Gold.
I was mixing this up in very small quanties, and in the end I mixed up a few ounces of it in the 3:1 ratio and used it for awhile on a couple of my bikes. It seemed to lube quite well, keeping the chain quiet for a long time between applications.
I wipe my chains off with a rag as needed, but I did find one very noticeable difference between the homeade lube and the "real" stuff, however: the mineral spirits/motor oil mix will turn black on your chain in a very short time, much quicker than something like Pro Link or Tri Flo.
I really don't know why: is it because dirt from the outside world is sticking to the mineral spirits/oil mixture that much more than the "real" chain lube, or is it because the motor oil mix is bringing dirt from the inside of the chain to the outside and holding it in suspension more than the "real" lube? Again I don't know, but the bottom line for me, once I used up the small container of homeade lube, is that I don't like a black chain so I switched back to regular chain lube. There may be others with a different experience, but that was the way it worked out for me.
I was mixing this up in very small quanties, and in the end I mixed up a few ounces of it in the 3:1 ratio and used it for awhile on a couple of my bikes. It seemed to lube quite well, keeping the chain quiet for a long time between applications.
I wipe my chains off with a rag as needed, but I did find one very noticeable difference between the homeade lube and the "real" stuff, however: the mineral spirits/motor oil mix will turn black on your chain in a very short time, much quicker than something like Pro Link or Tri Flo.
I really don't know why: is it because dirt from the outside world is sticking to the mineral spirits/oil mixture that much more than the "real" chain lube, or is it because the motor oil mix is bringing dirt from the inside of the chain to the outside and holding it in suspension more than the "real" lube? Again I don't know, but the bottom line for me, once I used up the small container of homeade lube, is that I don't like a black chain so I switched back to regular chain lube. There may be others with a different experience, but that was the way it worked out for me.
Last edited by well biked; 12-09-07 at 01:58 PM.
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If you want to compare or get an idea of what is in chain lubes, Google on the product and add MSDS (material safety data sheet).
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That's not right, the ratio is the other way around.
My formula is 3 parts OMS (odorless mineral spirits) to 1 part Mobil 1 synthetic oil. I use 10W-30 grade of Mobile 1 but that doesn't matter much. I make the mix up one quart at a time and repack it into the 4-0z bottles left over from Pro-Link.
I use it rather lavishly. First I wipe the chain with a dry rag, then apply the lube freely to clean the chain, wipe off the excess then apply more and let the solvent evaporate. My chains stay reasonably clean and last a long time.
My formula is 3 parts OMS (odorless mineral spirits) to 1 part Mobil 1 synthetic oil. I use 10W-30 grade of Mobile 1 but that doesn't matter much. I make the mix up one quart at a time and repack it into the 4-0z bottles left over from Pro-Link.
I use it rather lavishly. First I wipe the chain with a dry rag, then apply the lube freely to clean the chain, wipe off the excess then apply more and let the solvent evaporate. My chains stay reasonably clean and last a long time.
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I use about 3 parts mineral spirits to 1 part Mobil 1 synthetic. If you get it too thick you'll have a gooey chain. The ingredients are always in my garage anyway, for other purposes. As for bike specific lubes I like Purple Extreme.
Al
Last edited by Al1943; 12-11-07 at 03:02 PM.
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Thanks, the 3 to 1 spirits to syn.oil sounds worth trying. Later
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Local chapter of the "Too much time on our hands" crowd, no doubt.
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Nope, too many bikes to want to pay $6 for 4-oz when I can pay $10 for more than a gallon. I use it on all 5 of my bikes and supply my family and a couple of friends so I go through a fair bit of lube.
BTW, It doesn't take me any longer to buy OMS and Mobile 1 that it does to go to the LBS for the "right" lube and mixing the two takes maybe 5 minutes. It is not a big time consumer.
BTW, It doesn't take me any longer to buy OMS and Mobile 1 that it does to go to the LBS for the "right" lube and mixing the two takes maybe 5 minutes. It is not a big time consumer.
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After trying most of the commercial bike lubes & experimenting with other lubricants, I began using my large supply of military spec "light weapons oil" on my bikes. The results are very good, similar to Hoppe's. I bought mine at swap meet, but have seen it on sale at surplus stores & gun shops. Don
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Nope, too many bikes to want to pay $6 for 4-oz when I can pay $10 for more than a gallon. I use it on all 5 of my bikes and supply my family and a couple of friends so I go through a fair bit of lube.
BTW, It doesn't take me any longer to buy OMS and Mobile 1 that it does to go to the LBS for the "right" lube and mixing the two takes maybe 5 minutes. It is not a big time consumer.
BTW, It doesn't take me any longer to buy OMS and Mobile 1 that it does to go to the LBS for the "right" lube and mixing the two takes maybe 5 minutes. It is not a big time consumer.
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