Help! ProLube Garage Door

"First learn about the basics of lubrication !"

Well, the first basic that people need to learn is that in many cases "gun oils" are nothing more than a run of the mill lightweight machine oils (either natural or synthetic, and which may or may not have a few other additives), packaged in small containers for the company that orders them (You think Remington makes its own oil?), and usually with a pretty massive markup on price.

And no, not all lubricants are good for all applications. A high-temperature, tropical weight grease intended for heavy machinery would likely be a horrible general purpose lubricant.

But, in many, if not most, cases, the lubricants we all come in contact with on a regular basis can be classified as general purpose lubricants, no matter what the packaging says.

That means that they have a wide range of applications. Are they totally interchangeable? No. It would be insanity to put 3-in-1 oil in a car's crankcase. The failure process would be swift AND spectacular.

But reverse compatibility -- for instance using motor oil on a firearm -- is far less of an issue.

Is it the PERFECT lubricant? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on its properties.

But your gun isn't going to throw a cylinder pin through the recoil shield and shudder to a halt...
 
There's no money in a quart of motor oil or automatic transmission fluid (or canola oil) lasting a lifetime. Most oils are probably good enough in basic conditions, but performance in cold weather and rust resistance tend to vary A LOT.

I wouldn't buy garage door lube for my guns, but if you have a can in your garage, it's worth a try. It's probably good enough for now, but keep an eye out for rust.
 
Guns ain't aircraft or boats!!!
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Yes, but, much like aircraft or boats, they do corrode. I'm talking looooong term preservation here, not lubrication. My reply was aimed at what G.willikers said.
 
Are you saying that it's the wrong product because of the organic clay?
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No. I am just stating that I haven't seen clay as an ingredient in any gun oil.

I agree completely with you, 99.9% of oils will work. I would just stay away from something that has such a specific application, such as garage doors.

Garage doors probably need an oil that is far thicker than what you would apply to a gun.

Use CLP, ATF, 5W30, straight mineral oil, etc. They will all do pretty much the same thing.

People cause enough problems by using WD-40 and 3-in-1 as a lubricant, so directing people to use a cheap gun oil is a safe measure. Look at a S&W revolver that has been lubed with 3-in-1, it will gum if unattended.
 
When it comes right down to things, it probably doesn't matter much which product is used.
Most are made of about the same stuff.
I've never run across any lubricating or protective product worthy of avoidance.
Whatever is on the shelf, mine or the store's, will do.
Well, maybe not coconut oil or pig fat.
 
"I've never run across any lubricating or protective product worthy of avoidance."

WD 40.

I won't let it near my guns.


"Yes, but, much like aircraft or boats, they do corrode. I'm talking looooong term preservation here, not lubrication. My reply was aimed at what G.willikers said."

Yes, I know that, I was just adopting the mien of the "IT'S GOTTA SAY GUNS ON THE LABEL!!!" crowd. :)


"auto trans fluid."

Automatic transmission fluid also makes a rather excellent cleaner because it has a very high level of surfecants (sp?) and detergents.
 
I've never run across any lubricating or protective product worthy of avoidance.
Whatever is on the shelf, mine or the store's, will do.
Well, maybe not coconut oil or pig fat.
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The pig fat would probably work for anyone without a religious objection. Bear grease was once highly thought of, right? :D
 
In spite of the name, Sperm Whale oil is very high grade.
Purty sure that ATF is nearly so, though, and easier to come by.
And the oil is located in the whale's head and not the part you might be thinking.
It's actually called spermaceti oil and has nothing to do with Italian food.
 
9x18 Walther said:
People cause enough problems by using WD-40 and 3-in-1 as a lubricant, so directing people to use a cheap gun oil is a safe measure. Look at a S&W revolver that has been lubed with 3-in-1, it will gum if unattended.
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How long does it take to gum up? It won't happen overnight, or in a week ...
 
"No. I am just stating that I haven't seen clay as an ingredient in any gun oil."

OK, I was just wondering, and this really boils down to suitability of use, which I talked about earlier.

I'd have to agree with you, a lubricant modified with bentonite clay very likely would be unsuitable for use as a gun oil.

The clay, in this case, is most likely designed to keep the oil on the garage door track as opposed to running down the track and onto the floor. In other words, the clay gives the oil something to hang on to while it still retains its lubricating properties.
 
Gum up is a general term that many people use as an all encompassing descriptive for gun lubricants that have gone tacky, sticky, thick, or even rock solid.

WD-40 can be a nasty one for that. It's an extremely lightweight oil mixed with highly volatile carriers. It's really the carriers that give WD-40 its water displacement properties. Remember, oil floats on water...

Once those carriers evaporate (and take residual water with them) you'll get some lubricating/protective results from the oil component.

But over time, that oil starts to oxidize and break down, and when it does, it becomes tacky (gummy) and eventually varnishes.

This is true of a lot of the lightweight penetrating oils. Pretty much they will all do this.

How long that takes is the question. A lot depends on, well, a lot of things.

Will it happen in a few days? No. The process likely starts, but it doesn't happen in a week.

I know people who have used, and sworn by, WD-40 for use on their guns for decades. When you talk to them, though, there's a common thread that generally runs through the discussion -- they routinely renew the application.

In other words, they use it often enough that new applications of WD-40 either renew the old oil, or flushes it away.

Some years ago I was working outside and got caught in a rain storm. My tools got pretty soaked, so when I got inside I hosed them down with WD-40 to get the water out.

I didn't use some of my tools for quite awhile (well over a year, probably closer to two), but when I opened my socket set, the stuff that I had sprayed with WD-40 was a sticky mess -- the socket holder would no longer slide smoothly along the arm of the breaker bar.

I had to clean everything up with brake cleaner before I used it. I know of multiple other instances where WD-40 gummed over time, causing issues with the free operation of mechanical objects.

WD-40 is great for some applications, but I won't use it on firearms, or on precision mechanical instruments.

And, when I use it for its water displacement properties, I now normally follow with a thorough cleaning and degreasing with brake cleaner, followed by proper lubrication.
 
By 1950 I became aware of the problems of 3-in-1 oil as many liked it for sewing machines .I was learning about those machines and discovered the 3-in-1 problem as my mother used it on her machine. So this little kid started his education about lube properties !:rolleyes:
 
mete said:
By 1950 I became aware of the problems of 3-in-1 oil as many liked it for sewing machines .I was learning about those machines and discovered the 3-in-1 problem as my mother used it on her machine. So this little kid started his education about lube properties !
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What is the problem with 3-in-1 oil?
 
I'll probably regret responding in a lube thread but...

LPS- my experiences with all their stuff was good. I worked for a stocking distributor, and used it on our equipment around the warehouse, on my commuter bicycle, etc. With he #3- you aren't kidding when you say a waxy layer- it is nothing if not persistent. I used #1 for chain lube, and on my paintball gear. #1 is much thinner- probably close to Breakfree in formulation.

Break Free CLP. My choice. Still trying to use use up a large spray can I bought 20 years ago. At our gunsmithing shop we'd buy it by the gallon- about 1 gallon a year, give or take.

ATF. Which ATF? Some have rosin as part of the formula to firm up shifts. Type F has this (B&M recommend it for this reason). I'd buy something other than Type-F. Otherwise my understanding ATF fluid is just hydraulic fluid.

Slick 50 wheel bearing grease is surprisingly slick stuff- I used it for trigger work on paintball guns and it worked well, as long as you don't overdo it.
 
What is the problem with 3-in-1 oil?
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I've hung around the S&W forums a bit and 3-in-1 oil seems to have a tendency to gum up and turn to a shellac after a decade or more.

A lot of revolver folks used to and continue to put a drop or two of oil on the hammer and let it work its way down the internals every now and then. Few people back then and today remove the side-plate for reasons other than repairs. As long as you are using a good quality gun oil lubricating this way isn't a problem.

S&Ws need minor if any lubrication, so tearing the whole thing apart constantly is not necessary. S&W never recommends lubricating anything under the side-plate in their manual.

When you use 3-in-1 and let it sit, it gums up and the drops over the years cause the lockwork to seize. Then you need to yank the side-plate off and degrease and lightly lubricate.

Not a problem, but some folks have picked up some 60+ year old revolvers that wouldn't budge when the trigger was pulled.
 
many oils contain more that simply lubricant.. some refer to it as an add pack or (ad-pak). How the add pack may react to the presence of solvents used in typical gun cleaning is a question I ask myself and that is one reason I dont use "other" kinds of lubricants on my firearms. A bottle of Mpro7 only cost a few bucks and will last me years. Call me uptight but I dont subscribe to all the hubbub that seems to surround gun lube. If I need gun lube, I go get it. If i need to lube a tractor or machinery.. I use lube designated for that purpose.
 
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