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Almost the final harvest. Cilantro, kohlrabi, leeks, beetroot greens.
I still have more beetroot growing and some broccoli (which probably wonât bloom)
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Out of semi-deference to the title of this thread, and with thanks in advance if anyone can direct me to a more appropriate thread, I am making⌠âshredded paper.â I am creating uh rapid disassembled paper pieces. âWhatch workinâ on?â the header asks? Why, I am âworking onâ boxes and boxes old tax records, and thanks to the pandemic, our credit union no longer has a free âshred dayâ for members to bring in old file boxes filled with decades-old paperwork that must be destroyed.
Which brings me to my question about machinery.
I managed to wreck our 20-year old Fellowes paper shredder (we even took it apart to bypass some faulty switches, but the thing was toasted), we ordered a bigger new one and now we have to understand how to lubricate it. The wee bottle of âFellowes Performance oilâ [insert joke here 
] bundled with the new machine is handy but going fast when used as directed.
Veg oil vs petroleum-based oil to lube a crosscut paper shredder?
Manufacturer is vague:
https://www.fellowes.com/us/en/resources/how-to/how-to-oil-your-shredder.aspx
I then read Lifehacker (which may have been a mistake):
Hmm, so am I to believe that the wee bottle bundled with our new shredding machine is cheapo canola?
Ok but then thereâs this:
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I bought a rather large inexpensive bottle at a Staples maybe 20 + years ago. I just looked and it doesnât appear to tell me what type of oil it is
I wonder if this stuff goes bad?
eta: I use something similar when I use my glass cutter (stained glass and fusing). It may be the same thing.
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Iâd go with the âdonât use vegetable oilâ suggestion. Most cooking oils will oxidize and gum up with time.
Something like 3 in 1 oil is probably a bit heavy for that, unless the cutters are shaped in a way that would let you apply the oil and wipe it away.
Something like the oil sold as âsewing machine oilâ or the oil used for electric hair clippers is probably the right sort of thing.
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I was using this on the previous (now kaput) shredder:
⌠and had wondered if that was what made it stop working.
We cut our own hair at home and we oil our electric hair clippers with every use.
I agree with your logic. I think I will skip on the canola and I agree gumming up a new shredder is ungood.
I also have some very nice sewing machine oil (for my sewing machine) but itâs too spendy to put on the shredder if I can get away with putting on the Wahlâs clipper oil.
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This doesnât onebox properlyâŚ
âŚbut itâs shredder oil sheets.
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Came back to mention that Iâd found out those exist. And that at least some of them contain vegetable oil.
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When in doubt, my go-to for anything mechanical is WD-40.
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Iâd be cautious with WD-40 - it doesnât lubricate all that well. Sewing machine oil should be perfect for this.
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yeah, WD-40 is a success mostly due to convenient packaging. the pressurized can is more fun and a bit easier than squeezing a trigger on a spray bottle, but Iâve seen bike shops use it in trigger spray bottles and buy it in bulk containers that are unpressurized. itâs not like Coca-Cola, the product is not inherently âcarbonatedâ or whatever the propellent is, thatâs added to the spray can like paint etc.
it was probably more importantly the first or an early adopter of the tiny straw that fits into the nozzle (now integrated in the nozzle but itâs a bad design, my straw works but the normal spray wonât work).
since you can easily aim and spray it into the relevant area, itâs just easy to get results and gets used out of habit even though most actual lubricants are packaged this way now.
the formula uses a very light lubricant as a carrier but was never intended to be a lubricant, thatâs just what everyone uses it for due initially to the packaging and once it caught on it became a cultural panacea for all things mechanical. the manufacturer does nothing to dissuade anybody from this usage since a product most households keep on hand makes a hell of a lot more money than a product created for the original niche application. to wit: the WD in WD-40 stands for
WATER
DISPLACEMENT.
if e.g. your hedge trimmers get wet, spray wide over the metal surfaces and get into the pivot with the straw before you put them up to keep them from rust. the lubrication is like an ancillary benefit and is weak and short-lived.
one of these things filled with common motor oil is a much better all-purpose lube, and the straw on these is flexible so itâs even better.
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I use military surplus gun oil on hair clippers, shredders, sewing machines, and suchlike. Got a small case of it dirt cheap a decade or so ago, and Iâm down to the last bottle 
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I am fond of Ballistol. It is kinda pricey. It has some amazing properties.
(sigh) I use the bottle of oil that Wahlâs hair clipper kit comes with. I have no idea whatâs in it. 
Thereâs no list of ingredients on the bottle either. Argh!
I used to use TriFlow, but it has PTFEs in it. My friend the seamstress and upholsterer swears by it. Itâs fine for non-contact stuff, I think. I may have to go with Ballistol or maybe 3-in-1 oil for my sewing machines, esp. the old Viking since I havenât had it serviced in a while⌠
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Oh yes, how could I forget Ballistol!
Also handy for cleaning (small) wounds, numbing toothaches or soothing an upset tummy.
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I once thought of writing a short story in which every possible on- and off-label use of Ballistol figured into the plot. A kind of exercise. A thought experiment.
Your suggestions are a little novel.
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Not that novel, one of my grandads told me. Can confirm, too - I tried it all out.
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What kind of German are you that you wouldnât reach for Ballistol?
Edit: clearly I posted this before reading the rest of the thread
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Itâs especially good on small burns, the kind you get in the kitchen. Soothes instantly.
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