Besides Dumping Used oil, what do you guys use it for?

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back in 1987, My father would do oil changes on our brand new Chevrolet Chevette(we weren't wealthy back then). He would pour it into a Oil Can so he could use it on the Chain saw as a bar and chain lube and he would put some in a little oil can so he can lube the chains on my 5 speed Huffy bicycle!! And It worked great. I still do this on my Mongoose bike today.

The bad thing my dad? He would use that dirty oil and use it in our 3.5 HP B and S Lawnmower engine every season! Strange thing is? He still has the lawnmower and use it to cut the grass!!

Any thing you guys use it for!! I know some people who work at farms would use it as a alternative "grease"
 
My father inlaw used to use it on rusty hardware (hinges and such). He'd just soak them in it for a few days or a week (put them in one Sat and remove them the next). When I had a VW and Pukeout diesel the drain oil made a great (but smokey) lighter fluid for his massive burning pit. It even provided for convenient disposal at the time. The stuff flashed fairly easily with the fuel in it.

Hmm I wonder if the wick on one of those cheap bamboo torches would get most of the junk out of diesel drain oil???
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I found plans online for a drain oil burner I began building to heat my garage, haven't finished it yet(been quite some time too
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). My Dad uses it for chainsaw lube too.
 
Years ago one of the old timers I knew used to pour used motor oil into the heating oil tank for the oil burning furnace.

I suppose that moderate amounts of motor oil would mix in fine with heating oil.

John
 
A friend of my mother used to take old motor oil and spray it on the underbody of his cars. The floors on those cars were always solid.
 
quote:

Originally posted by 55:
A friend of my mother used to take old motor oil and spray it on the underbody of his cars. The floors on those cars were always solid.

makes me glad I never worked on his cars.....what an awful idea.
 
It's also a good stump remover. Drill holes in the stump and pour used dino on it, come back in a couple of days after it soaks in and light er up!
 
I just re-cyle mine responsibly. It gets re-refined and is a good oil for government vehicles and fleets. Used moter oil is a carcinogen, so I see no reason to get creative. Dump it at an approved site and let it go in an auto again. Less health risk and we all benefit.
 
When I worked in a rural garage we would get asked for used oil sometimes - those who used it....chain bar oil in chainsaws,used as a release agent on the shutters used for inground pouring of septic tanks,horse owners to paint on hooves.you'd get the odd idiot who wanted it for weed control,but we always seemed to have run out of used oil when those types turned up...
 
quote:

Originally posted by Brett Miller:
What's even worse if fixing the chain saw when the oiler quit working due to the used motor oil.

Used Motor Oil makes excellent bar and chain lubricant.. you can personally ask my Dads Sears Craftsmen Electric Chainsaw today .. right now the chain saw is 14 years old.. and my dad still use Used motor oil as a bar and chain lube.. we cut down many trees or thick branches..
 
quote:

Originally posted by haley10:
I just re-cyle mine responsibly. It gets re-refined and is a good oil for government vehicles and fleets. Used moter oil is a carcinogen, so I see no reason to get creative. Dump it at an approved site and let it go in an auto again. Less health risk and we all benefit.

Oh don't worry,, I go to my local gas station and I Recycle my Anti-freeze, all Lubricants etc.... I just save some of the used oil to use it for other things.. nothing wrong with that.
 
We used to, and I do sparingly now, use it on trailer floors and exposed wood on old farm trailers. It also works well on rusted body panels on old cars. The used drain oil seems to work into the rust, and stops the rust.
As a side note, there are some spots on my place where oil was left or poured on the ground, years and years ago. These spots seem to, now, grow the greenest grass/weeds. When the old drain oil breaks down, does it add something to the soil?
 
I once tried spraying oil to keep cars rustproofed for the winter.... it didn't work. The application would dry out and not last the season. I don't think oil is strong enough for the Michigan winters.
 
Many years ago(like back in the 70's), we used to pour used oil on our gravel driveway to keep the dust down. We're talking many 5 gallon pails full here!
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But then again, we used to wash paint off our hands with leaded gas too so
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. People just didn't know any better back then.

When I was a kid living at home, I used to have an old Kawasaki motorcycle. It leaked oil really bad so I would just dump in used oil. The pails sat outside with no lid so there was probably dust, dirt and rain in them but the bike never died...lol!

Today I buy my oil in 4L jugs. I save the containers to store the used oil to take in for recycling along with the used filters.
 
Today I take mine to the local repair shop so they can recycle it.I remember when I was a kid[40s & 50s]my dad would use it to pour on the hogs and around trees.We got our water out of the spring down over hill too.HOW DID WE EVER LIVE WITHOUT THE "EPA"?
 
quote:

Originally posted by MAJA:
As a side note, there are some spots on my place where oil was left or poured on the ground, years and years ago. These spots seem to, now, grow the greenest grass/weeds. When the old drain oil breaks down, does it add something to the soil?

You've observed it too ?

oil used on blackberry patches.
 
I've tried to use used oil on my chainsaw, but that stuff is still way too thin. It would just pour out of the chain and the reservoir would be empty in no time. What I don't recycle, I use to start the fire with. Sure beats having to sit there try to start it with paper.
 
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