Old engine oil as wood stain

[Lotek]

The EPA doesn't care, they don't want it in potential contact with the water supply, the problem is that used motor oil is classified as hazardous waste, you can't repurpose it like that. Granted, they are more likely to come down on you like a hammer for the boat dock, but if the inspector is in a bad mood or you piss him off...

 

[coolreed]

Very clever. But i would not smoke around it for at least a week.

 

[nehog]

Years ago I used to 'soak' the ends of fence posts in used motor oil before dropping 'em into the hole. This was before I could (would?) get pressure treated. I'd stick four in a 5 gallon pail and let them soak, then pull out one (replace it if I needed more than the three remaining) and set it. But in today's world, I'd not do that.

 

[carhunter]

Dad and I looked at a disassembled Model A Ford stored in the rafters of a barn years ago, and when we asked to see the motor, the owner pointed to a 55 gallon drum. They just dumped the whole engine in and sealed it up.

It wasn't very rusty

 

[KMinAF]

I wonder if I could load up my cheapie HVLP gun and use it to spray the fence? Of course I would avoid any open flames, standing water, cigarette tossing EPA inspectors, slippery slopes, fruit trees and vegtable gardens, my neighbors yip yip dog, small children and I would make sure to have the wind to my back all the while wearing a hazmat suit, respirator and eye protection.

 

[carhunter]

I wonder if I could load up my cheapie HVLP gun and use it to spray the fence? Of course I would avoid any open flames, standing water, cigarette tossing EPA inspectors, slippery slopes, fruit trees and vegtable gardens, my neighbors yip yip dog, small children and I would make sure to have the wind to my back all the while wearing a hazmat suit, respirator and eye protection.

Don't forget to do it after 6pm to prevent Smog

 

[K04GTI]

I dunno.. I generally think the environmental stuff is overblown and don't care that much, but you guys are really adding polluted oil/chemicals into the water supply I would think. Oil runoff can't be good.

 

[egnorant]

It is easy to take government environmental regulations to heart when they allow so many exemptions to the rules. Have you ever looked at a hot asphalt road as it gets rained on?

That ain't really rainbows flowing off of it!

Bruce

 

[Lotek]

It is easy to take government environmental regulations to heart when they allow so many exemptions to the rules. Have you ever looked at a hot asphalt road as it gets rained on?

That ain't really rainbows flowing off of it!

Bruce

You do what you can, having sailed in Long Beach Harbor and seeing dolphins there, remembering what it was like in the 70's, I'm inclined to give the regulators the benefit of the doubt. Rivers don't catch fire any more, the air is a lot cleaner now, it's working.

 

[Devildogs]

You can darken it by adding tar to the mix. I knew a guy who stained furniture this way. The highly flamable stuff evaporates and leaves the stain behind.

 

[carhunter]

You do what you can, having sailed in Long Beach Harbor and seeing dolphins there, remembering what it was like in the 70's, I'm inclined to give the regulators the benefit of the doubt. Rivers don't catch fire any more, the air is a lot cleaner now, it's working.

Great answer. IMHO we could get a lot of folks be more environmentally conscious if we dropped the "sky is falling" routine and just encouraged folks to act reasonably.

Its a lot easier to consider the effects in your own neighborhood or city, than to worry about the polar bears a million miles away.

That said, I'd rather see someone stain their wood or burn the oil in a furnace, than dump the oil in the sewer...and it also saves the eventual manufacturing and purchase of replacement wood for the trailer, or the use of another energy source for heat...

Stepping of my soapbox now

 

[CorvZ961]

So, what's the recommendation for a darker stain? 10-40? 20-50? Keep it in the engine for an extra 10,000 miles?

mix reg engine oil with used diesel oil, if memory serves it doesn't take much diesel oil to darken the "stain"

 

[cheechi]

I wonder if I could load up my cheapie HVLP gun...

OK seriously would this work in any kind of paint sprayer? it seems too viscous, even the heavily used black oil that's thin as water. Would fully/part synthetic oils make a difference?

 

[akpro]

We did this when built hay wagons, the kicker baler style. worked well and we had a lot of used motor oil around with all the tractors.

 

[carhunter]

OK seriously would this work in any kind of paint sprayer? it seems too viscous, even the heavily used black oil that's thin as water. Would fully/part synthetic oils make a difference?

Most sprayers have different fluid nozzles and air caps for stain, as its usually lighter or more watery. It also doesn't have as much solvent and therefore atomizes differently.

You can experiment, and possibly thin the thick stuff with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol. Lacquer thinner works too but its chemically very 'hot'

maybe try one of the cheapie HF guns, as you may never get it clean again!

 

[rkevins]

what does itlook like when it gets rained on ?

 

[Lotek]

Most sprayers have different fluid nozzles and air caps for stain, as its usually lighter or more watery. It also doesn't have as much solvent and therefore atomizes differently.

You can experiment, and possibly thin the thick stuff with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol. Lacquer thinner works too but its chemically very 'hot'

maybe try one of the cheapie HF guns, as you may never get it clean again!

It's been done

Playing with fire is one thing...

 

[cyamaha2007]

been using it on trailer floors since they get soaked any way.... lots of loose engines transmissions and axles rolling around. I use it to keep the floor uniform. The farm i worked for saved all the old grease from bearings, they spread it on like peanut butter on the underside of trucks trailers mixers freakin everything. It was a 1/4in thick on every steel surface, i will say the 5 years i was the wrench i never a rusted out break line or rusted bumpers. No rust on those 65-81 chevys.

 

[KMinAF]

what does itlook like when it gets rained on ?

Beads up like a freshly waxed paint job

 

[cheechi]

It's been done

Playing with fire is one thing...

I thought you said you weren't trying to be a debbie downer?

Having a weapon such as that lying around the garage would be AWESOME, but it sounds like you meant it as a bad thing. Paint and thinner are both commonly sprayed from paint sprayers, and I've heard those are both pretty flammable.

And yes, I was planning to use a HF for any experimentation, no point in wasting money on trying to save money.

 

[PeterT]

I recycle used motor oil by putting a 1/2 gal on burn barrel fires. I burn most of my trash & a little used oil really gets it going.
If I have an especially stubborn trash bag, I throw an old tire on it with a little oil. It burns right down.

 

[Lotek]

I thought you said you weren't trying to be a debbie downer?

Having a weapon such as that lying around the garage would be AWESOME, but it sounds like you meant it as a bad thing. Paint and thinner are both commonly sprayed from paint sprayers, and I've heard those are both pretty flammable.

And yes, I was planning to use a HF for any experimentation, no point in wasting money on trying to save money.

Sorry...

As someone who was banned from bringing "materials" to the block party fireworks ever since the neighbor lost his eyebrows( I told him to step back after lighting the trail, and the city repaved the street the next year anyway, it wasn't that much thermite...) I'm always in favor of explosions. Tell you what, I'll hold your beer for you.

 

[carhunter]

Sorry...

As someone who was banned from bringing "materials" to the block party fireworks ever since the neighbor lost his eyebrows

You haven't lived until you've ducked flaming munitions ejected from a bonfire


Its a rite of passage LOL

 

[cheechi]

I'm always in favor of explosions. Tell you what, I'll hold your beer for you.

That's more like it!

 

[Lotek]

yay, lotek is going to oil my trailer deck

Great, the wife has 18 tons of grinding sludge mixed with cutting oil to get rid of, where do you want it delivered?

Should leave a nice patina...

 

[56rpm]

Do we not oil the roads? Does not asphalt have mucho oil in it? Does not oil come from the ground? Before we had a use for oil it flowed out naturally. Sheesh. It works great on wood, please continue using it.

 

[Red Leader]

Ahh I don't think I could ever do it. I don't think I'd mind industrial or outdoor applications. but I remember reading a post somewhere (it might have been on this forum or the OWWM forum) where a member was having to deal with an indoor oak floor that the previous owner (an old timer) used old motor oil to coat it and it ruined the floor and looked horrible.

I'm supposin' though that an indoor oak floor and a trailer bed are a tad different, however

 

[Jarhead0408]

I used household oil on the Kabar I took to Iraq. Put on a medium coat and rubbed it in for about 3 minutes. Did that about 15 times and she came out looking beautiful!
I let it st a few hours/days between coats.

 

[softailgarage]

I used household oil on the Kabar I took to Iraq. Put on a medium coat and rubbed it in for about 3 minutes. Did that about 15 times and she came out looking beautiful!
I let it st a few hours/days between coats.

Just tried that, does look alot nicer and thats just the initial coat, thanks

 

[NUTTSGT]

Ahh I don't think I could ever do it. I don't think I'd mind industrial or outdoor applications. but I remember reading a post somewhere (it might have been on this forum or the OWWM forum) where a member was having to deal with an indoor oak floor that the previous owner (an old timer) used old motor oil to coat it and it ruined the floor and looked horrible.

I'm supposin' though that an indoor oak floor and a trailer bed are a tad different, however

That may have been me.

The wood floor on the side of the garage was coated with used motor oil. What a freaking mess that was, every time you knelt down, you had a dirty *** knee. It would take Shout or Simple Green on my laundry to get the stain out.
Over the years, I'd sweep sawdust around to get most of it off, atleast the thickest **** on top. It darkened the wood up enough that I thought it was oak until I removed it and found that it was pine. It literally runined the floor.

It did yield some nice firewood that burned nice and hot.

The thread I made.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52789

 

[superdutymike27]

Another idea I have used in the past is coffee grounds. Either the used or unused kind.

 

[Lotek]

Another idea I have used in the past is coffee grounds. Either the used or unused kind.

Gives the coffee that smooth taste?

 

[burleymike]

A guy I know used to treat his fence posts with a mix of used oil, creosote, and diesel. All those posts are still sitting right were he put them 40 years ago. The pressure treated posts from the late 1980's are not doing so well.

I won't use oil for posts since the water table is so darn high here.

As far as flammability I do believe it adds to the flammability but not much. A piece of pine that is full of sap is probably just as flammable. Last year I tore down part of an old calf shed that had been coated with oil at some point. I used some of that wood for morning fires in the stove. The oil would boil out of the wood quickly like pitch and then the wood would finish burning. It was nothing spectacular.

 

[KMinAF]

Another idea I have used in the past is coffee grounds. Either the used or unused kind.

I guess that would be benneficial at the border if I were hauling illegal "weeds" in my trailer.

 

[Jarhead0408]

Just tried that, does look alot nicer and thats just the initial coat, thanks

Glad you like it! Keep it up and she'll look gorgeous! Rub it in like you love it and she'll shine for you! Post a pic up sometime.

 

[Jarhead0408]

Oh yeah, I forgot. It really smoothes out the feel of the handle too! Without it it's a little too hard and the edges of the slots in the handle feel like they could be too dry and chip away over time. After using the oil on it it'll be alot softer grip to it.

 

[John in OH]

That looks pretty nice! Does it seem to be slippery?

I have heard about old-time farmers using a mixture including diesel fuel and possibly oil to preserve barn wood, so you're not crazy or anything.

Yep! My Grandfather had a garage/gas station to supplement his farm income back in the 1920's. He would take the used motor oil (no added diesel fuel that I ever heard of) and paint it on the barns in lieu of paint. Of course, over the many years most of the oil has now been washed out of the siding ... except for an east facing side of a large wagon shed. This siding has a beautiful weathered dark brown color ... never seen any other unfinished barn siding that looked like this ... quite unique!

 

[cheechi]

Another idea I have used in the past is coffee grounds. Either the used or unused kind.

Similar to that, I've seen people use their tobacco spit bottle to make stain for wood furniture. A less gross version might be to just buy a pouch and soak it into some oil or water.

 

[Kevin C]

My school, U Mass Lowell bought some old brick mill buildings with the hope of restoring them and converting them into dorms.

The buildings were from the industrial revolution and used water power to run shafts that ran belting to drive sewing machines. Over the years a lot of oil got deposited on the wood floors.

Before the conversion started a fire broke out. Could have been arson.. know one knows. What is known is the oil soaked wood burned like you would not believe. Seriously, it was one of the biggest fires I have ever seen.

The best fire I have seen? The pier in Santa Barbara. The creosote treated wood had flames that went hundreds of feet in the air. Add oil to wood and you get really good fuel.

 

[Red Leader]

That may have been me.

The wood floor on the side of the garage was coated with used motor oil. What a freaking mess that was, every time you knelt down, you had a dirty *** knee. It would take Shout or Simple Green on my laundry to get the stain out.
Over the years, I'd sweep sawdust around to get most of it off, atleast the thickest **** on top. It darkened the wood up enough that I thought it was oak until I removed it and found that it was pine. It literally runined the floor.

It did yield some nice firewood that burned nice and hot.

The thread I made.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52789

Dang, Eric you could be right - it might have well been you. I just remember whoever was having to deal with it was NOT happy