Doug Miller wrote:
In article .com, "Father Haskell" wrote:

Charlie Morgan wrote:
On 8 Oct 2006 15:21:13 -0700, "Father Haskell"
wrote:

Use a petrol-based machine oil, like bike lube. Don't use 3-in-1,
since it's a vegetable-based oil and oxidizes into varnish.

??? You're kidding, right?

Not according to the several bike repair manuals I've read. Oils
come in two flavors, drying and non-drying. Drying types, made
from plants, are what varnishes are made from, with the addition
of resins to add body.

Wow. So many errors in just two paragraphs.

First off, *no* oil "oxidizes into varnish". Varnish, as you said, contains
resin. The oxidation process doesn't magically cause resin to appear if it
wasn't there before.

Second, varnish isn't just oil plus resin: it needs a solvent or vehicle as
well.

"Varnish," meaning a dried coating of gunk that jams up fine, precision

machinery, like Sturmey-Archer 5-speed hubs. Not "varnish" enough
that I'd use it to refinish a piano.

Third, you imply that all vegetable oils are drying oils, when in fact many,
if not most, vegetable oils are non-drying.

Linseed, tung, etc.

Finally, the claim that 3-in-1 oil is "vegetable-based" is simply absurd,

Not according to the bike manuals.

and
is, I suspect, what triggered the "??? You're kidding, right?" remark. Just
look at the label on a can of it: "Contains petroleum distillates." Or read
the MSDS he http://www.wd40.com/Brands/pdfs/msds...purpose.us.pdf

If so, I'll gladly reconsider.