Crosscut Shredder Oiling

[Jason Bourne]

Just bought a new medium-duty crosscut paper shredder and the instructions advise oiling the cutters on each basket emptying using their "special crosscut shredder oil". They say it's vegetable oil-based and that you can't use petroleum-based oil as it is a fire hazard and can damage the device. A small sample container was included in the package.

Naturally the stuff is pretty expensive when you go to buy it but here's what I'm wondering. The sample oil smells and feels exactly like generic vegetable oil that you buy inexpensively in the grocery store.

Wondering what would happen if I just used some of that instead of the expensive stuff...

[Stormin Mormon]

I'd think to use silicone spray. Effective, and not a fire hazzard after it dries. Get the good stuff, like Snap. The Walmart house brand in the black can "Power Mechanics" was it? I sprayed a bicycle chain with that, years ago. Shortly after that, the chain set up hard as a rock, which was disappointing. By that time, the birthday boy had gone home, out of state, and he was not happy with his bike gone useless.

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Naturally the stuff is pretty expensive when you go to buy it but here's what I'm wondering. The sample oil smells and feels exactly like generic vegetable oil that you buy inexpensively in the grocery store.

Wondering what would happen if I just used some of that instead of the expensive stuff...

[Tim Watts]

On Thursday 07 March 2013 14:21 Jason Bourne wrote in alt.home.repair:

My shredder uses silicone oil. Apply a wavy line of it on a sheet of paper and pass through the shredder.

[NamPhong]

I have and do use whatever cooking oil is on hand. Just use a small amount to form a squiggle all the way across paper, let soak in and then run paper thru. It really doesn't take musch and don't need to do very often.

[nestork]

Jason:

I would just use whatever oil other companies that make cross cut shredders recommend using on their shredders. The warning to use only the manufacturer's recommended oil is there to promote a steady income for the manufacturer from oil sales.

[gregz]

expensive stuff...

Pam.

Greg

[Erik]

Years ago my mom was about to order up some of that oil.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for one brand, and all that was listed was vegetable oil. IIRC it was the house brand oil from one of those big nationwide stationary outfits. I remember it was really expensive, like $6 for a couple of ounces!

Don't have time to repeat the search at the moment, but it's easy enough to find.

For the record, I've been using my Fellows shredder dry for over 6 years now, and it's still going strong. As always, YMMV. (Seems to me like Vegetable oil would turn into a rancid gummy mess over time as well...)

Good Luck!

Erik

[Norminn]

Get the expensive stuff and use it once a month or until the shredder dies. Shredders are such useful gadgets that I bought 4 as gifts for different people. All made in China. None the cheapest brand available. None lasted more than 6 months. Nobody uses the oil stuff more often than every 6 months, so they would be convinced that that is the reason the shredder died :o)

I now have the $2 model from a garage sale in the garage; works great.

[willshak]

Jason Bourne wrote the following on 3/7/2013 9:21 AM (ET):

Vegetable oil will burn. There was a product sold years ago that contained just two items, a bunch of wicks and thin metal disks maybe 2" in diameter with a small hole in the center. The directions were to insert a wick in the hole in the center of the disk and float the disks in vegetable oil. I bought them and they did burn in a glass of Mazola vegetable oil. I still may have some somewhere in one of my many junk drawers.

[Stormin Mormon]

I had some of those "float a lites". Still do, have a package of them within sight of my PC. They supplied a lot of wicks because it's nearly impossible to relight a cooking oil soaked wick, but a paraffin wick will light.

I doubt cooking oil on metal rollers will light up, very easily.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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Vegetable oil will burn. There was a product sold years ago that contained just two items, a bunch of wicks and thin metal disks maybe 2" in diameter with a small hole in the center. The directions were to insert a wick in the hole in the center of the disk and float the disks in vegetable oil. I bought them and they did burn in a glass of Mazola vegetable oil. I still may have some somewhere in one of my many junk drawers.

[The Daring Dufas]

I've used Shredder Lubricant Sheets and the product is convenient and works well. 12 - 14oz bottles of the lube can vary in price from 8 to

20 dollars. Staples shows their product to contain soybean oil. ^_^

TDD

[Peter]

I'm skeptical of using vegetable oil as a lubricant for any purpose. In our pantry, I've never seen one type, whether olive, peanut, canola, corn, or "vegetable", where over the months, the tiny drips along the outside of the neck of the bottle didn't turn into a sticky, gummy mess. If vegetable oil was such a good lubricant for metal mechanical parts, why isn't it used to lubricate locks, garage door openers, squeaky hinges, etc.? Ans. The residue turns into a sticky, gummy mess.

[Stormin Mormon]

A few years back, I got a call to a house, where the entry door lock wasn't working. I borrowed the key, and took the lock apart. The cylinder smelled of rancid cooking oil. I asked, and sure enough, the lock wasn't right. She asked a neighbor, who suggested to spray it full of cooking oil spray.

I don't use it in my paper shredder! As mentioned earlier, I use silicone.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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If vegetable oil was such a good lubricant for metal mechanical parts, why isn't it used to lubricate locks, garage door openers, squeaky hinges, etc.? Ans. The residue turns into a sticky, gummy mess.

[HHSupply]

[Stormin Mormon]

If mineral oil is made from minerals, how do they make baby oil?

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[Tim Watts]

On Friday 08 March 2013 20:19 HHSupply wrote in alt.home.repair:

Probably a safe bet - baby oil that I know of is fairly pure mineral oil plus some perfume maybe.

[Jason Bourne]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!