Ice Machine oil???

[zak77]

Ok, so i picked up this old Hobart scale to use around the house so i'm reviewing the instructions for it and it has 2 dampers that contain Ice Machine Oil to help dampen the movement of the scale. Based on the way there was no dampening of the scale when i checked it out, it seems as though someone may have drained it at some point, i'll open it up this weekend and go through it.

So if i need to add oil, what is an acceptable substitute? I pulled up Citgo's Ice Machine Oil 68 docs and it states this oil is a "highly refined, pour depressed, paraffinic oil developed too lubricate ammonia compressors in industrial refrigeration systems". My application is not in a refrigeration unit so if there's a modern substitute, that'd be great.

 

[rlitman]

Looking up Citgo Ice Machine Oil 68, I see the viscosity listed as 68cSt @40C, which is equivalent to 20W ISO grade oil.

 

[zak77]

So what would be a common oil that i might find at home or Tractor Supply that would be a good substitute? I have some extra Porter Cable Synthetic Blend Air Compressor oil, would that be acceptable?

 

[EOC_Jason]

Can you post a picture of the scale or a similar one?

If only using for dampening, why not just use like mineral oil?

 

[Jinks]

Assuming rlitman's research is correct any 20W or 20Wxx would do since you won't be heating it & it would always retain it's 20W viscosity. More important would be volume. I always used correct viscosity fork oil in motorcycles, but usually added 1 extra ounce for better dampening........YMMV

 

[zak77]

Can you post a picture of the scale or a similar one?

If only using for dampening, why not just use like mineral oil?

It's a Hobart/Dayton 970 scale 30lb. I took it apart last night and there's still some oil left in the reservoir but i dont think it's doing much to dampen the movement of the mechanism so i need to dig into that deeper. It came with a switch that'd turn the light on when another over 2.5 oz was placed on the scale but unfortunately someone removed that switch, probably because the wiring is ****. So i'll rewire it and install a rocker switch to manually turn the lights on and off. I like these old pieces of equipment.

I thought about mineral oil but wouldnt that have a tendency to dry up and get gummy?

 

[EOC_Jason]

Mineral oil is petroleum based... I don't see why it would dry up any more / less than a motor oil...

But being a scale like that I would think having something food-grade would be what you want...

Either like the mineral oil in the laxatives section, or if you think that's too thick, perhaps baby oil... or a mixture of the two?

 

[zak77]

I use mineral oil on my wood cutting boards and i tried it once on my meat slicer, since it's near food, but after sitting for a little bit of time the mineral oil gummed up and i had to clean it all off then use a petroleum product. It wasnt for a part that actually contacted food so i wasnt worried but it did not work out as i hoped.

 

[rlitman]

...Either like the mineral oil in the laxatives section, or if you think that's too thick, perhaps baby oil... or a mixture of the two?

They're the same product. The only difference is that baby oil is scented.

I use mineral oil on my wood cutting boards and i tried it once on my meat slicer, since it's near food, but after sitting for a little bit of time the mineral oil gummed up and i had to clean it all off then use a petroleum product. It wasnt for a part that actually contacted food so i wasnt worried but it did not work out as i hoped.

Mineral oil is a petroleum product, and will not gum up on its own. I used it on my butcherblock countertops for many years, and never had a gumming issue.

My guess is that on your slicer, the mineral oil attracted and mingled with the fats in the meats you were slicing, which then went rancid. Rancidifying is the same oxidation process that hardens linseed oil, and makes hardening oils (not mineral oil) gummy. Being a non-polar oil, it is attracted to other oils, so if for example you fried a lot and got oil smoke in the air, that could cause it to gum up too.

 

[zak77]

I honestly cant remember 100% what oil i used that gummed up the works but i use a light petroleum oil on the slides for my slicer. I'll try the mineral oil and see how it works. It will not come in contact with any food, it's located at the very base of the scale, under a metal cover.

 

[larry_g]

I would make the assumption that particular oil was spec'ed because of the possibility of those scales being used in a refrigerated area. With that assumption then an oil needed to maintain viscosity at a wide range of temps. If being used in a kitchen environment at house hold temps then most any light oil recommended above would work.

lg
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