Turntable Oil

[cafe latte]

Chris, I'm a retired Mechanical Engineer. I spent 40+ years in the automotive field, and have quite an extensive knowledge about motor oils and lubrication.
If you had a steel spindle that was dissolved somehow by a motor oil, I'm sure there is some engineering firm that would pay you a great amount of money for that piece of steel. Or send it to ESI and associates, a metallurgical firm west of Chicago. They would love to have evidence of steel eating oil.
That would put snake oil to shame.

You may well be a retired mechanical engineer,so is my dad and neither of you are oil exerts. Engine oil attracts water fact. Engine oil left in my shed open goes milky fact. Engine oil open to the air especially small amounts like in a turntable bearing goes milky and like in my bearing that milky goes brown milky as rust sets in. The motor oil did not harm the spindle it was the water that formed the emulsion due to the emulsifying agents in car engine oil. THIS is what pitted the spindle and THIS is the reason car engine oil should not be used in an open bearing.
Chris

 

[cafe latte]

There is a very good reason I dont use engine oil on my lathe bed, I did when I first got it as it was what I had and though it would be ok in short term. Covered bed in loads of oil and went away for a week. Came home to milky oil on beds and light rust not happy. Fortunately rust was light as time was short, but wont make that mistake again. Now I ONLY use the correct bed oil or at a push machine oil which is a bit thin to stay there, but neither even in wet times of year go milky and bed does not rust anymore.
Chris

 

[cafe latte]

Here is a pic of the spindle after all the rust was removed and brown milky oil cleaned off. Pitting is clear.

 

[cafe latte]

This explains it.
https://reliabilityweb.com/articles/entry/mixing_oil_and_water/
Look at fifth paragraph re engine oil and emulsifying agents..
From that paragraph "Finally there are the direct chemical effects on the machine's surfaces, most notably rust"
Problem with turntable bearing like my lathe is small volume of oil containing emulsifying agents and open to the humid air (rainy day). Result is not good..
Chris

 

[truckrglenn]

I use that on my Guns .

How do you apply it to your arms? With a rag or do you just pour it on?

 

[GChief]

How do you apply it to your arms? With a rag or do you just pour it on?

Actually I have a couple small oilers, a needle dropper and small pump oil can. The DOD did a study on gun lubes in the 90’s and Penzoil Synthetic won the day for overall performance in all conditions. I have been using ever since

 

[cafe latte]

Actually I have a couple small oilers, a needle dropper and small pump oil can. The DOD did a study on gun lubes in the 90’s and Penzoil Synthetic won the day for overall performance in all conditions. I have been using ever since

Again gun oil like machine oil does not have additives to attract water. Oil is not just oil oil is formulated for purpose.

 

[GChief]

Again gun oil like machine oil does not have additives to attract water. Oil is not just oil oil is formulated for purpose.

And again, it’s what I have used for over 20 yrs. it’s probably overkill since my guns are never in extreme cold and that’s where it excelled compared to all other oils tested.

 

[cafe latte]

And again, it’s what I have used for over 20 yrs. it’s probably overkill since my guns are never in extreme cold and that’s where it excelled compared to all other oils tested.

Don't know what oil is you use as another country, but what works is not always best. Don't know how much emulsifying agents are in your oil, but on my gun would not want any in the oil ( target rifle don't kill anything).
Chris.

 

[GChief]

don't kill anything

Some of mine have, most haven’t

 

[cafe latte]

Some of mine have, most haven’t

Too soft in my old ago, enjoy target, that is it.
Chris

 

[Ken Boyd]

The humidity inside most homes is so low your not going to get any measurable water content suspended in motor oil. In an engine one of the byproducts of the combustion is H2O, and since all engines have at least a slight amount of blow by, moisture will accumulate in the engine in some cases. But in most engines you won't see enough moisture in the oil to make it milky, that is unless you have a leak that allows moisture from the cooling system to enter into the crankcase.

 

[heyraz]

The humidity inside most homes is so low your not going to get any measurable water content suspended in motor oil.

Not in New Jersey.
The temperature/humidity index was horrible this year. Even with a new Central AC unit the house was never dry enough to generate a static shock.
After reading this thread I'm glad I chose turbine oil for my TD-124.
Great read Cafe Latte...thanks.

 

[Ken Boyd]

Even in New Jersey.

 

[heyraz]

Even in New Jersey Henry's Law still applies.

True..a turntable's temperature will never approach that of a gasoline engine but oil's
Hygroscopic property is part of it's chemical nature and you can't fight nature.

 

[NoTransistors]

A few days ago when I saw the title of this thread [turntable oil], I knew that we need to talk about turntables and the fact that they have been hunted almost to extinction. A new source of oil needs to be found, before they disappear from the man-caves of the world and only exist in museums.

 

[cafe latte]

The humidity inside most homes is so low your not going to get any measurable water content suspended in motor oil. In an engine one of the byproducts of the combustion is H2O, and since all engines have at least a slight amount of blow by, moisture will accumulate in the engine in some cases. But in most engines you won't see enough moisture in the oil to make it milky, that is unless you have a leak that allows moisture from the cooling system to enter into the crankcase.

Engines get hot turntable bearings dont, also come into my home in the wet season humidity is close to 100 percent. In UK summer rain humidity in house no heating on will be 60 to 70 percent. Also with high additives water stays there so it does not have to happen often.
Chris

 

[Mr Boochie]

Mobil DTE-Light is what Sony recommends, for their direct drive turntables. In lieu of Sony OL-2K factory oil. Which I can't find, anymore.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/30ml-Mobil...824921?hash=item2627a42099:g:m2YAAOSw7kxdRCD9

 

[don philipe]

I use 3n1 oil and be done with it,no issues .

 

[BillWojo]

That's a cute little bottle of Moble DTE Light. I'm usually dealing with it in 5 gallon pails or 55 gallon drums. I have to remember to grab a gallon next time I'm changing the oil in a hydraulic system. I try and keep all sorts of oil around for different applications. Heck, I have a few gallons of Sunoco 600W steam engine oil, pours like molasses, great for gear boxes, and in steam engines of course. I use it in a model steam engine.
Oh, in a thread several years ago about TT spindle oil, I recommended light hydraulic oil as it has all the property's that one would need for a TT spindle.

BillWojo