SAE 30 for paper shredder?

[MasterSolenoid]

I never knew you were supposed to lube these.....

I bought my paper shredder in 1998 for home use.
I have 'never' oiled it.
What am I missing?

Actually, the owner's manual says, to oil if the cutting cylinder stops with a squeak or rubbing sound,
or if cutting capacity is diminished.
Later today I will give it some oil .... just because.

 

[Wylie6G72]

I bought my paper shredder in 1998 for home use.
I have 'never' oiled it.
What am I missing?

Smoother, quieter, less-labored operation. Mine actually sounds different from when it's dry to when it's oiled.

I have a very very old bottle of Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 that I occasionally drizzle into the paper slot while it's running. It's supposed to prolong the life of your blades. My owner's manual says to do this periodically.

 

[Astro14]

I bought my paper shredder in 1998 for home use.
I have 'never' oiled it.
What am I missing?

Actually, the owner's manual says, to oil if the cutting cylinder stops with a squeak or rubbing sound,
or if cutting capacity is diminished.
Later today I will give it some oil .... just because.

Like a car, depends on the miles…

Light use? Might not need maintenance.

Heavy use? Won’t last long without maintenance.

 

[Astro14]

I bought my paper shredder in 1998 for home use.
I have 'never' oiled it.
What am I missing?

Actually, the owner's manual says, to oil if the cutting cylinder stops with a squeak or rubbing sound,
or if cutting capacity is diminished.
Later today I will give it some oil .... just because.

Like a car, depends on the miles…

Light use? Might not need maintenance.

Heavy use? Won’t last long without maintenance.

Used to have a lot of very high quality shredders at work (DoD takes shredding seriously).

They had automatic oilers.

 

[OilUzer]

...
Used to have a lot of very high quality shredders at work (DoD takes shredding seriously).

They had automatic oilers.

i read somewhere that very secret docs are first shredded, then burned and the ashes are then mixed with water and stirred so there is no trace of anything ... Is that true?

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Well, I just opened my paper shredder up (after 24 years of use).
This exposed the cutters, motor, gears, circuit board, and wiring.
I could NOT believe all the pieces of paper and paper-dust in there.
The gears (heavy duty steel) were covered with dried up grease.

PLUS, I found out what was making that rattling sound inside.
Two (out of eight) screws holding everything together were missing, and another was loose.

Yes, it did sound quitter after shredding an oil soaked paper.

I will finish cleaning it tomorrow and regrease the gears.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

i read somewhere that very secret docs are first shredded, then burned and the ashes are then mixed with water and stirred so there is no trace of anything ... Is that true?

I would believe it. (or they eat them).
I saw on a TV show how 'scrap' postage stamps are destroyed by the Govt.
Something like shred, then burn.

 

[ZeeOSix]

i read somewhere that very secret docs are first shredded, then burned and the ashes are then mixed with water and stirred so there is no trace of anything ... Is that true?

Seen them ran through a machine that basically made it look like fine volcanic ash. Absolutely zero chance of getting anything out of that.

 

[kschachn]

Seen them ran through a machine that basically made it look like fine volcanic ash. Absolutely zero chance of getting anything out of that.

Yes, the place that does ours pulverizes the paper into a powder. It takes a while, not like normal shredding.

 

[OilUzer]

Nothing to do with my shred and burn post but interesting old (2015) stuff.

Digital currency anyone?

Shredding old money

LA's Federal Reserve is burning money ... literally​

Five thousand tons of U.S. currency are shredded each year by the Federal Reserve. The currency processing facility in Los Angeles is one of more than 20 of its kind in the country.

In 2010, the Federal Reserve recycled 30 percent of its shredded currency. By 2014, recycling rose to 90 percent.

Every year, the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles sends more than 500 tons of shredded currency to the facility to be burned into energy.

Heat from the burning refuse produces steam, which enters a steam turbine coupled to a generator.

The Los Angeles Federal Reserve produces 535 tons of shredded currency each year. Recycled shredded currency is also used for manufacturing insulation, table tops, t-shirts and more.

 

[spackard]

The shredders used to have machined cutters and those needed occasional oil. The newer style has punched metal teeth (no machining) that rip paper, and I don't think these need oil. I don't like vegetable oil; it becomes very gummy after years and the shreds start sticking in everything.