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Bar oil substitute?

Started by onegunsmith, October 20, 2013, 11:57:14 PM

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onegunsmith

I'm working in a remote village in Alaska and don't have any bar oil. They shipped us a brand new MS461 to cut timbers with (seems to be overkill but the project manager is an old logger) but since there isn't a tree within two hundred miles bar oil is nowhere to be found. We got plenty of two stroke as this is snowmachine country. What can i use to not ruin this new bar and chain?

Thanks

JohnG28

ATF or maybe hydraulic oil,  add a tackifyer of some sort if you can get it. Or a light weight motor oil.
Stihl MS361, 460 & 200T, Jonsered 490, Jonsereds 90, Husky 350 & 142, Homelite XL and Super XL

MidWestTree

In a pinch, I'd look around for some 30 to 40 weight oil, and some 90 weight gear oil and play with the mix until it looks right. Any oil would be better than nothing but straight oil or atf would seem to thin to stay put long enough.

onegunsmith

I got ATF, 30 weight and might be able to get some hydro. Thanks!

joe_indi

ATF with about 15% gear oil to give it some badly needed anti-fling property would be right.

Ianab

If nothing else is available then cheap 30wt engine oil will work.

Maybe in Alaska (cold?) you might want to mix in some ATF or kero to keep it flowing?

Proper bar oil has a "tackifier" to make it stick to the bar better, but you can run clean engine oil if you have nothing else. Heck some folks run used engine oil, but it makes a nasty black mess of everything   :-\

Main thing is that you have "something" oily pumping into the bar  ;)

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Plan-b

Quote from: onegunsmith on October 20, 2013, 11:57:14 PM
I'm working in a remote village in Alaska and don't have any bar oil. They shipped us a brand new MS461 to cut timbers with (seems to be overkill but the project manager is an old logger) but since there isn't a tree within two hundred miles bar oil is nowhere to be found. We got plenty of two stroke as this is snowmachine country. What can i use to not ruin this new bar and chain?

Thanks

You can always try canola oil.
Team Junk

Al_Smith

You could use anything in it that would pump through the system .Any oil would work but perhaps not as well as regular bar oil .

However I'd think if they can ship in a chainsaw then bar oil shouldn't be a problem--dog sled .

JohnG28

Quote from: Ianab on October 21, 2013, 03:40:38 AM
If nothing else is available then cheap 30wt engine oil will work.

Maybe in Alaska (cold?) you might want to mix in some ATF or kero to keep it flowing?

Proper bar oil has a "tackifier" to make it stick to the bar better, but you can run clean engine oil if you have nothing else. Heck some folks run used engine oil, but it makes a nasty black mess of everything   :-\

Main thing is that you have "something" oily pumping into the bar  ;)

Ian

I was thinking about the cold, being he's in Alaska and its almost November with the ATF idea.
Stihl MS361, 460 & 200T, Jonsered 490, Jonsereds 90, Husky 350 & 142, Homelite XL and Super XL

onegunsmith

Thanks for all the responses. It's not cold here yet, about 20 degrees. THe hard part of getting bar oil is the Hazmat fee as everything comes in by plane (no dog sleds) and the paper work needed to get it bought and sent. Thanks again for all your input. Can't wait to fire up that new 461.

beenthere

Surely they have oil available for the planes and other engines where you are. The gist of the responses is about any oil will work for you.
Just keep an eye on your bar and the oil reservoir.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

mad murdock

Are you in one of the bush towns with an airport that has aircraft maintenance capabilities?  If so, the straight weight aircraft engine oil is good, you can add Lucas oil treatment as sticker, or STP motor honey.  Which town are you in? I did my time in the bush, lived in Aniak, Kotzebue, and Nome.  Been to most of the towns in the INterior and NW coast.  You should be able to find something that will work.  if it is a hub town, you can get bar oil from one of the suppliers in ANC or FBKS on the next flight out.  Good luck. 
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

onegunsmith

There is plenty of oil avalible, just no bar oil. Planes come in and leave daily depending on weather of course. To get a gallon of bar oil i would have to get a quote from a vendor, send it to Barrow for approval and a PO. Then it goes back to the vendor and they would take it to the air carrier. The air carrier would then charge us 1 dollar a pound and a 50 dollar hazmat fee. That makes for a dang spendy jug of oil for a couple hours of sawing. I'm in Anaktuvuk Pass, right inside the "Gates Of The Arctic National Park". Saw a giant herd of caribou today and a dandy Dall Sheep ram that a local shot.
Thanks again for all your responses. I think we are going to run 15W30 as thats what we have the most of.

AKDoug

I understand your purchasing problems, but bar oil shouldn't be hazmat. Stihl accidently mailed some to me last week by Priority Mail. You won't have an issue using motor oil, though, for what you are using the saw for.

fuzzybear

I know this will stir some people up...but... use canola oil.  There is no hazmat fee and it works up to -10 after that cut it with diesel. when you sharpen the chain clean everything good so it doesn't build up.  I spray everything down with carb cleaner once a week.  I've used it for over 8 years , cutting in the same climate as you with no problems.
  Nice thing is you can get it sent with your food order. I buy 5 gal jugs for $20 from the wholesale supply.
FB
I never met a tree I didn't like!!

onegunsmith

AKdoug, It started out as a way to cut 4x12's, 6x6's and a couple glue lams. By the time it got here we had already cut them with a 7 1/4 skill saw. Now it's to cut alders. Think a 461 can handle 3" alders? lol That's life in the bush I guess. If we had real trees they would have sent a wild thing.

grweldon

My three favorite documents: The Holy Bible, The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States.

UniversalFogger

Sounds like you could get some used oil.  If you can get some your hands on STP, or motor honey or even gear or diff oil and add a little of that as a tackifier or thickener, you'd be able to get buy pretty well.   Thin enough for the cold, just strain the used oil well.  Don't run it dry, and used oil even in the cold will be too thin on its own.   

GAB

Onegunsmith:
You wrote; "Now it's to cut alders. Think a 461 can handle 3" alders?"
If it does not check to make sure the chain is on correctly, as they only work one way.  There was something published not too long ago that showed a chainsaw with the chain on backwards.  Enjoy the new saw.  Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

Lanternguy

this is going to sound kind of funny but this just happened to us, we were bush camping in Northern Ontario and my brother forgot bar oil so we used fry grease and bacon oil, i just made sure to pure some extra oil over the nose sprocket after a few cuts but it seemed to work fine for what we were doing
Echo CS3000, Stihl MS180, Echo 450P, Stihl MS361, Stihl HS46C-E, Stihl Magnum BR600, Echo SRM225, Stihl FS 56, Echo TC-210 Tiller, Stihl BG56 C-E,  Black and Decker Alligator, Poulin Pro Blower

Al_Smith

I was going to be a wise guy and suggest bear grease .I got to thinking though first you need a bear which most likely would protest .That could prove to be a problem weather you get the bear or the bear gets you .The later would be unacceptable . :o

clww

Quote from: GAB on October 23, 2013, 10:09:22 AM
Onegunsmith:
  There was something published not too long ago that showed a chainsaw with the chain on backwards.  Enjoy the new saw.  Gerald

That was shown on a Husky advertisement. :D
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

thecfarm

I saw it last week. It's still around.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Cedar Savage

I'd just dump some of that 2 stroke oil in it...should work fine in a pinch, especially in the cold.
"They fried the fish with bacon and were astonished, for no fish had ever seemed so delicious before."         Mark Twain

Al_Smith

Wow that would be pricey bar lube .On the other hand if they didn't have enough sense to get some bar oil shipped in letem pay the piper .That'll show them where the bear did his thing in the woods except evidently there is no woods by whats been said .

Maybe the area is bearless in a manner of speaking which would cause my theory of bear grease to be ineffective and an inane idea .Which quite frankly it was anyway .

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