Baby Oil as C2 chain lube, etc.?

8Charlie50 · Post by **8Charlie50** » November 28th, 2007, 8:29 pm

C2 describes their Chain Lube as "a clean and clear, highly refined mineral oil, manufactured for Concept 2 Inc."

Wikipedia says, "Mineral oil with added fragrance is marketed as baby oil in the US, UK and Canada."

My question is: Is it OK to use Johnson & Johnson Baby Oil to lube the chain and for the very light, occasional use on the rail that some folks advocate?

I am not interested in supporting J&J and I actually like to spend money @ C2, but there is a certain convenience in walking into a local store for the baby oil as opposed to shipping the chain oil 1,000+ miles when chain lube is the only thing I need to order. I suspect that if it is OK to use baby oil, I will oil my chain more often since the baby oil is not such a rare, valued substance, which is how I now think of my C2 chain lube. Thanks.

-jb - rowing to keep warm in MN

Citroen · Post by **Citroen** » November 29th, 2007, 3:25 pm

If you don't have the C2 oil, then use 3-in-1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-In-One_Oil

Don't use WD40.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » November 29th, 2007, 3:40 pm

No, don't use 3 in 1 oil, it is highly toxic and smells.

You might get asphyxiated while you're rowing.

I use Concept2 oil on the chain and would not use anything else except this.

You can get pure mineral oil from the grocery to use on the railing.

paul s · Post by **paul s** » November 29th, 2007, 4:52 pm

You can get pure mineral oil from the grocery to use on the railing.

Just as a point of curiosity, why use mineral oil on the rail? I've always used windex or something similiar because I thought the idea was for the rollers to roll on the rail. Wouldn't mineral oil make the rail sliprier?

Thanks, Paul Salata

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » November 29th, 2007, 7:15 pm

Paul, it just works for me.

I've rowed 37 million meters and not ever had any problem with the rollers.

8Charlie50 · Post by **8Charlie50** » November 29th, 2007, 7:38 pm

I had no idea that anyone used the C2 lube on the rail until recently when I read about it here in the forum. I use Windex and paper towel pretty often but not every day.

Today I bought some baby oil - a store brand, not even J&J - and it is noticeably less viscous by which I mean it is thinner than C2 chain lube, at least to the touch by finger. C2 says their lube is 20 weight so this is a lower number than that, if I understand the designation scheme correctly.

I intend to use the baby oil a time or two as an experiment. If I notice any negative aspects to its use I shall report back. Otherwise there does not seem to be any need to report further. No one has indicated that they have ever tried this; there really has not been any answer to my question, just speculation and discussion of other non-C2 lubes.

I am aware of both the positive and negative aspects of using a lube that is thinner than what has been recommended for this application. I don't intend to use the baby oil exclusively; I probably will use it more often than I would use the C2 lube.

If anyone from C2 would care to comment I would be happy to listen and follow whatever advice you might have.

-jb - Original Poster, still rowing to keep warm in MN

c2jonw · Post by **c2jonw** » December 3rd, 2007, 12:27 pm

I really can't say if commercil baby oil will work. We have not tested it and so I would not recommend it. What we know will work is the lube that we send out with every machine. This is a highly processed 20 weight mineral oil that is clear and odorless. Alternatively we also recommend household 3 in 1 oil (20 weight version) or a 20 weight motor oil. Obviously with these alternatives there is the consideration of odor and cleanliness. We do not recommend any of the wide variety of high tech bicycle chain lubes that are on the market. They are typically expensive and many of them are little more than a solvent that cleans but does not lubricate, which is critical in our application. There may be something else out there that does the trick, but we feel it makes the most sense to stick with the original manufacturers spec (I mean the chain manufacturer), which is 20 weight oil.
I should probably note the criteria we used to evaluate the effectiveness of lubricants. Basically we take a continuous loop of chain and run it with a motor under tension with a specific lubricant for a known period of time. Chain "stretch" or elongation is then measured and compared. Elongation is caused by wear between the pins and bushings of each chain link and is effected by the hardness of the mating surfaces and the lubrication used. Excessive elongation leads to premature sprocket wear and skipping. Tests carried out many years ago indicated wear reductions on the order of 10-40 times less with 20 weight oil when compared to other chain lubes.
Use of our chain oil on the monorail was originally recommended by a user as a means to reduce an irritating squeak and to clean the rail, and it seems to work quite well in this capacity. Just be sure to buff it out well so it doesn't become a dirt magnet. C2JonW

8Charlie50 · Post by **8Charlie50** » December 3rd, 2007, 4:37 pm

Thanks for your response Jon. Based on what you said and especially:

"Excessive elongation leads to premature sprocket wear and skipping. Tests carried out many years ago indicated wear reductions on the order of 10-40 times less with 20 weight oil when compared to other chain lubes,"

I shall plan to use nothing but C2 lube. I respect the kind of research that must have gone into that conclusion and I know how meticulous and conscientious C2 has always been when it comes to facts. Thanks again.

-jb

paul s · Post by **paul s** » December 3rd, 2007, 5:10 pm

I shall plan to use nothing but C2 lube. I respect the kind of research that must have gone into that conclusion and I know how meticulous and conscientious C2 has always been when it comes to facts. Thanks again.

Amen

Paul Salata

Ron · Post by **Ron** » December 4th, 2007, 11:01 am

How do you get the C2 oil???

paul s · Post by **paul s** » December 4th, 2007, 11:09 am

For oil go here - https://www2.concept2.com/VIA/index.jsp

SteveV · Post by **SteveV** » December 9th, 2007, 1:29 pm

paul s wrote:For oil go here - https://www2.concept2.com/VIA/index.jsp

Nice link, it lets us Brits see how cheap you lot are getting rowers fro. We can't normally access the prices page