Air tool oil

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porthos

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
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i have a small 1/4 in. air tool (usa made) that i have never used if i should; is there a replacement for store bought air tool oil? would marvel oil work?? compressor oil, gun oil??
 
I used to use Marvel oil when i was at work. Now I just use a little ATF. After 40yrs of use my old HF Pneumatic die grinder the vanes finally wore out. Everything else is fine.
 
I use air tool oil. HF sells it, so does Home Depot and Lowes. It is lighter than Marvel, and ATF. It has additional rust inhibitors, is a light mineral oil, and doesn't gum up. I recently bought a paint mixer that had red oil in the oiler could have been either Marvel or ATF, but it had gotten thicker than my air tool oil.

So all three work, I prefer the lighter oil.
 
Marvel Mystery Oil. Specifically, the original stuff. By brand name. Contrary to my typical advice, "Air Tool Oil" is maybe not the best solution for an air tool. Maybe in a lab somewhere. (Maybe......). But in the real world, Marvel Mystery oil.

If you use an air tool a couple of times a week or more, a couple or three drops each morning before the first use, and you're good for all day. That's not much. It's pretty thin stuff, it makes smallish drops, but its all you need.

If you use your air tool infrequently, shift the recommended oiling to the end of the day. Oil it before you put it away. Same few drops, and run the motor for a few seconds. Forward or reverse doesn't matter, the air just goes different ways in the same places. Just put it in there and give it a quick buzz.

It doesn't take much, it just takes diligence. I won't say that there is "nobody" making a quality air tool oil, but I havn't seen it yet. 30 plus running air tools daily, on "not horrible but still questionable" air, ranging from used a lot most days to used yearly or less. I've worn out plenty of air tools, but not in the air-oiled parts since I stopped using air tool oil.

The only exceptinon I have to that is reciprocating pistons. Air hammers/air chisels, needle scalers, and the like. Oil them VERY seldomly, and very sparingly. Same Mystery oil, just not often. They work different.
 
Former mechanic opinion, get aDRO for the airline used......

D=dryer, R= regulator,O=oiler.......

ETA, Used Snap-on, Mac, Matco, NAPA Air Tool oil, depending on what I had, in almost 20 Yrs., never wore out a new air tool.
 
I don't want oil anywhere near my air system, so I oil air tools manually.

The best oil is way oil... I mean, vacuum pump oil. Sticks where it should and is the right ISO 68 range. Most of us already have oil cans full of it. It's better than anything else I can think of for the application.
 
pontiac428 said:
I don't want oil anywhere near my air system, so I oil air tools manually.

The best oil is way oil... I mean, vacuum pump oil. Sticks where it should and is the right ISO 68 range. Most of us already have oil cans full of it. It's better than anything else I can think of for the application.
Click to expand...
Ditto.

I oil sparingly and usually only after prolonged use to drive out moisture.

The guns/grinders at work are used daily and never oiled.

Body shop tools are another tool that usually do not see oil as there are contamination issues.
 
I have a single point-of-use setup with a regulator-dryer-oiler. I connect to it via a hose and from it to the tool (obviously) with a hose. Works great, no oil getting into the rest of the system.

GsT
 
One of these days, I'll pick one of these up.
steckmfg.com

16600 Air Tool Oiler - Steck Manufacturing

The adjustable oil nozzle of the Steck Air Tool Oiler Dispenser allows technicians to easily and conveniently oil their air tool each time it is retrieved from the toolbox. This unique self-centering, non-drip, dispenser head design allows the technician to easily push the air tool inlet under...
steckmfg.com steckmfg.com
 
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