Lubricants and chemicals you need in your machine shop!

This episode on Blondihacks, I'm talking all about lubricants, chemicals, and finishes needed for the basic machine shop! Exclusive videos, drawings, models & plans available on Patreon!

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[andrewnugent]

Quinn, you forgot the most essential "lubricant" that all machinists and engineers need... Coffee!

[unhinged-menagerie]

This is the most expensive Youtube channel ever. Every time I watch it I have to buy more stuff.

[StefanGotteswinter]

Good Breakdown of a slippery topic.

As for oiling ways, I am in the "can not overdo it"-camp. Each day and repeated constantly when the machine is used.

[bradjohnson]

Hi Quinn, Great videos! I'm an not a machinist but I can tell you that while wheel bearing grease is not the best smelling stuff it is not the devils toothpaste, that would be reserved for Anti Seize. Somehow anti seize is attracted to the back of your elbows and the smallest amount will end up all over your hands, elbows, face, butt, car, couch, and on the towel when you get out of the shower because you could not scrub it off the back of your elbows. Keep up the great vids.

[markvera]

I have a home workshop and spend many hours tinkering. I have owned a mini lathe for three years and never really used it much until I stumbled upon your videos. You are remarkable and inspiring. I have learned much from your tutorials. You are articulate, personable, and do a very effective job of getting your information out there. While it’s unlikely that I will spend large amounts of time with my lathe, I certainly do appreciate the high quality of what you bring to the machining audience. Your opening is fantastic!

[gregfeneis]

My favorite gas leak finding fluid is Windex, or similar. It's usually already in a spray applicator, and the foam produced from the tiniest leaks is quite prolific, plus all of the usual home remedies per My Big Fat Greek Wedding

[firstmkb]

It's on the affiliate link list, but I think Evapo-Rust deserves a call out because it is freaking magical. There are plenty of products that will eliminate rust, but this is the only one I've used that leaves the metal alone.
The funny part to me is the black residue sometimes left on steel is apparently pure carbon left behind after the iron oxide was removed.

[PorchPotatoMike]

And a caveat for lubing: there are some machines that use zerk fittings for lubrication points. Some people will see them and use a grease gun to squeeze grease in there but are actually intended for oil.

[machobunny]

I just used JAX for the first time, and honestly it was my last alternative. I had a surface gauge I was restoring and wanted to blue it. Oxpho and Perma Blue simply would not touch it. I cleaned it with every solvent .... nada. Then I boiled it in a strong detergent solution for a few hours and rinsed excessively, Only a few small irregular areas would respond to either of those products. I am not new at this, and I've never seen this before. So I bought a pint of JAX on the outside chance it would work, submerged the gauge base and voila, it really did the job. A few repeats with water rinse and some light steel wool burnishing between dips, each dip lasting 5 - 10 minutes, and I got a beautiful part. SO...Jax may not be the easiest or fastest or least costly...but in SOME cases it really gets the job done. It is part of my "always have this on hand" inventory now.

[jonrbryan]

I find that Remington "Rem Oil" is very good for lubricating delicate mechanisms (like sticky dial indicator stems). A one ounce bottle will probably last years (so of course I bought a 16oz can!). If not Rem Oil, I still wouldn't be without some kind of "clock oil, " and a needle-tip bottle is the way to go.

[ledoylepingel]

Quinn, thanks for this useful tutorial. I find a very useful steel finish is phosphate finish, aka Parkerizing. Does not work on aluminum, yellow metals, or stainless. It requires modest heat, thermometer, and stainless steel container. The resulting surface is porous and holds oil very well. Does not affect dimensions. You can find it at Brownells and Midway. I set up long stainless steel tanks with temperature controlled propane burners, but a stainless steel pan and thermometer will do just fine for smaller parts.

[britishreaction]

It's worth noting that EP additives in oil and/or grease will attack yellow metals, ie brass, phosphor bronze and the like. So be careful where these are used.

Excellent primer on an oft neglected subject!

[bruceinoz]

A couple of suggestions for additions / options:

Loctite 290. "Super Wick-In". This stuff is great for "fixing" parts AFTER final assembly. It is VERY "watery" and as the name suggests, "wicks" into close-fitting assemblies. A classic use is when setting up to pin a "block" to a round shaft. Position the thoroughly degreased and dry block on the equally well-prepared shaft. Measure three times, then apply 290 to the junction and watch it disappear. Return several hours later and hit the machinery. This is really useful if the "block" has radiused faces and /or is salvaged from a previous assembly and has existing holes that expose the circumference of the shaft at a "fun" angle for drilling and reaming.. Also useful for "pacifying" adjustment screws that have to be tweaked during setup and then remain in that setting to prevent performance degradation.

As for "sticky" / high-pressure lubricants: I have been using "heavy-duty "oil stabilizer for years. Available at the ubiquitous "auto parts and supplies" stores almost everywhere, it stays "slippery" even under great pressure.

It appears to be similar to stuff found in places where sheet metal is rolled and / or deep drawn, as it does not "collapse" as a lubricant when under pressure. (Unlike standard WD-40, which is not a "serious" lubricant, but a fine WATER DISPLACEMENT substance.)

Then there is Moly grease, and spray-on Teflon and Silicone spray, (a REALLY good "paint repellent").

[trentonjennings]

Lubricants are actually very interesting and something I use a variety of for general repair, farm and restoration of antique typewriters and sewing machines.
I have an old bush hog with a leaking oil seal under the gearbox. The large nut on the bottom is rust welded on and will NOT come off. So I replaced the oil with 00 grease (between a gear oil and grease in viscosity) which is thin enough to lubricate the gears but too thick to leak through. For bicycle chains I much prefer wax. I heat a Mason jar of wax and chain on lowest oven setting, dunk the chain then hang it up to cool. Excellent chain lubricant that does not attract grit and does not mess up my trousers. My chains last longer now. Wax is also great to rub on bottom of wood drawers in antique furniture. I've read a 1940's typewriter manual that advised against oiling the machine. Sure, if you type 40 hours a week the paper dust does stick to the oil, and the oil of that era could gum up and make a varnish, but today we have synthetic oils and typewriter hobbyists just piddle around typing, so I say sparingly lubricate that machine with a quality oil! I have several long needle oilers I use during restoration. Kroil Microil is good as well as Remoil. Besides, we have dry lubricants now like spray on graphite and PTFE if you don't want to oil your typewriter. Singer oil is great for sewing machines - doesn't stain fabric. I use vegetable oil in my chain saws for the chain lubricant reservoir as I don't want to breath cancer causing petroleum oil droplets, but I sometimes do have to work the chain loose as vegetable oil over time will harden and get very gummy if it hasn't been used in awhile. Yes, Kroil is great, but I actually like the smell better than PB Blaster. And I've used "Mouse Oil" penetrant too. For oil cans I prefer the type you push the bottom as there are no moving parts to fail. Thanks for the video. Sorry to be so verbose, but you inspired me.

[Nets-nutsBr]

You missed be talking about use silicone grease for plastic / nylon gears and tell people to not use WD40 as lubricant and to not aply WD40 in rubber stuffs as well. Excellent video anyway. Very good and accurate information. Thanks for sharing that!

[FoxMacLeod]

Yay new Blondihacks! I've been fortunate, getting into machining after becoming an auto repair professional, so I'm 85% there on chems. This is a great idea though, I eat up all the machining I can find on YouTube, and I can't recall seeing anyone else put out a video about the myriad colorful bottles o' poison we need to machine stuff. Thanks for doing what you do!

[charliecarpenter]

I was given a load of old machine tools. Singer sewing machine oil helped clean and restore my micrometer, the force required to move them was clicking the ratchet stop too early, all good now. I also used it sparingly on a sticky dial indicator, which is now working well too. That little bottle has saved me at least £100 already

[satxsatxsatx]

Yes, bewildering for neophyte machinists, compounded by the diversity of STRONG opinions.

Thanks for a very useful, informative overview

[DavidHerscher]

Quinn, I just wanted to say thank you for these videos. This video, your series on the lathe and the mill, and many more of course. But these vids in particular feel like a huge relief when an aspiring machinist finds them. You see other channels using all of this stuff and they never mention what they are, where to find them, or when and why you should use them. Thank you for all of your hard work, and generosity in sharing this info with us.

[lennywintfeld]

In the olden days (1960's) we used only sulfurated cutting oil (brown oil) or white lead (lead pigment in linseed oil) for all cutting operations in the shop I was in. Probably no need for either in the 21st century. Thanks for the video!