Lubrication and Penetrating Oil for Maintenance Professionals

Lubrication is a broad subject but we’re going to focus primarily on penetrating oil. Continental Research has a deep and rich history of innovation in the industrial manufacturing and maintenance/mechanical side of the specialty chemicals business. We do sell a vast array of different cleaners, disinfectants, floor finishes, drain openers, weedkillers, and industrial degreasing products, but if we examine which of our industrial solutions have the highest demand, penetrating oil is consistently among the top products.

First things first, you should know that penetrating oil was originally considered 4-way oil because it:

Penetrates rusted nuts & bolts
Lubricates
Displaces moisture
Does a superior job as a protective coating.

To make sure we can do all these tasks effectively and without compromising any strengths we have developed 3 different kinds of penetrating oil. The reason for needing multiple types of penetrating oil spray is simple – each product will do a superior job of lubricating but each one is formulated with specific uses in mind.

What are the Best Penetrating Oils?

PF-510: We like PF-510 for many reasons. Firstly, this solution is the very best penetrating oil for use on rusted nuts and bolts, anchors. This is the most widely advertised use for penetrating oil and is extremely popular for mechanics and people working on cars, trucks, rolling stock and other equipment that gets exposed to the outdoor elements. For removing a frozen or rusted nut from a bolt, our best penetrating oil spray is PF-510. As soon as you spray the liquid from the can, the solution penetrates the rust and begins to dissolve the binding effect of the corrosion. PF-510 utilizes capillary action, the non-gravitational force that carries the oil to any available space including the microscopic porous surfaces between the nut and bolt. After just a few seconds – and maybe a good bang with the wrench - and you’ll be able to pry the bolt with any wrench, socket, or pliers.

Tefla-Lube: Tefla-Lube is widely considered one of the best penetrating oils and is very popular. A notable function is its powerful moisture displacing ability. Ever get a wet starter, alternator, or carburetor? Tefla-Lube is probably the solution.

Example Use:
Continental Research has a customer who is both located in a flood plain and uses a high amount of electricity. One day, after a night of rainstorms, there was 11 feet of water in the plant. Several days were spent cleaning up the plant with pressure washers while removing mud and other debris. The plant’s workers had used Tefla-Lube in their preventative maintenance program for many years and our customer “Rusty” was a big advocate of Tefla-Lube. As the maintenance team was contemplating replacing all the control boxes and wiring throughout the plant, they insisted on an inspection before spending over $150,000. The results of the inspection demonstrated that much plant was still in good condition and most of their heavy equipment was able to power-on without any issues. If moisture is your primary concern, there’s a good chance Tefla-Lube is the best penetrating oil for the job.

• Tefla-Lube Key Points:
• Tefla-Lube works fast
• Nonflammable to 45,000 dielectric strength
• Tefla-Lube highest flash point of any available penetrant making it virtually noncombustible as well.

Mechanics or other maintenance roles working in high flammability situations such as a truck & auto shop will not encounter flash or flames when using Tefla-Lube. The high flash point also means you can safely use Tefla-Lube on windings and rotors on small electric motors like drills, grinders, chainsaws, reciprocating saws and other handheld electronic motorized tools. You’ll hear the difference in how efficiently the motor hums once cleaned out with Tefla-Lube! Tefla-Lube is also terrific for windshield wiper motors and all kinds of other automotive appliances like winches and the sort.

Tefla-Pent: This is our top selling penetrating oil spray. Tefla-Pent is by far the best all-around lubricant of the three penetrating oil sprays Continental Research carries. Hinges, window slides, guides, and other surfaces that squeak, stick, gum up or just plain old wobble like a caster on a shopping cart are easily repaired. You’ll always have an all-around product on your bench or shelf with Tefla-Pent.

Tefla-Pent is like the utility player on a baseball team; you can put them everywhere and they’ll get the job done for you. Like PF-510, it is a superior “nut buster” with capillary action, so it seeks out the tiny micro fissures and gets them wet with anti-corrosion inhibitors. It may take a few seconds longer, but you’ll get the result you want. Tefla-Pent also has a different spray pattern and appearance than other penetrating oils. It will appear as a wet and oily light amber foam. This spray stream allows it to stay on vertical surfaces and give it just a little more time to do its job.

AG-2001 is a grease that mixes with the propellant and sprays out in a thin red liquid. As the propellant dissipates, the grease becomes thicker and grease into places without a zirt fitting or grease valve. For example, while a penetrating oil will get into a piano hinge they won’t leave behind enough PTFE (Teflon) to keep it lubricated for long. When you use AG-2001 you’ll be putting high temperature, anti-seize, anti-sling, anti-drip grease exactly where you want it - on the inside of the pin and hinge. AG-2001 works well indoors, outdoors, and particularly where sea salt and ice melting brine or other chemicals are used to keep streets from icing over during the winter months.

Slik Willy was named after President Clinton. This solution works in almost identically to AG-2001. The important distinction is that Slik Willy grease is a food grade grease and is therefore the ideal product for kitchens and cafeterias. While not an actual food contact greaser, Slik Willy is USDA authorized and safe for use in kitchens, cafeterias, food processing plants, poultry farms and other places requiring USDA approval.

Moly Coat is formulated with real molybdenum and acts as a dry lubricant. It doesn’t spray from the can dry but it performs very well in situations where things just aren’t meant to be wetted, ever. If you have two metal parts that are in constant motion in sync with each other, Moly Coat is the best lubricant way to reduce friction and wear. It’s not the perfect solution to all dry friction applications but it certainly can seem that way. Moly Coat is also excellent for corrosion protection, waterspouts for aeration in ponds at wastewater plants or decorative water sculptures. Water parks and municipal lakes also function better and last longer when coated with Moly Coat.

Kare is another product that is always included because of its unique properties. While not technically a lubricant or penetrating oil, everyone who uses these types of solutions will likely want some Kare on their shelves. Kare is a battery terminal and casing cleaner with an acid indicator that lets you know which posts are leaking and which ones are leaking badly. You can certainly attempt to repair or replace battery posts, but when the acid hits your battery, it will deteriorate the battery fast and this quickly leads to a serious problem. A great application for Kare is at the forklift charging station where you’ll save a ton in labor and parts over time by using Kare. This is because forklift charging stations are made of heavy gauge ferrous iron and are made to hold a lot of weight. That makes forklift charging stations susceptible to rust and corrosion which are the silent killers of iron. You won’t need many cases of Kare, but keeping some on hand will help you avoid major expenses.

No-Seize is of the most under appreciated products we carry. You would typically use No-Seize when assembling any type of nut and bolt project you know will eventually have to come apart for maintenance and repair. When joining metal parts, you will want to spray both male and female components with No-Seize. It will prevent corrosion, pitting, galling and allow you to disassemble easily without having to use penetrating oil sprays.

Special Feature: Before trying to remove a bent, smashed, smooshed or somehow mis-sharpened bolt spray it with No-Seize. Then as you wrench, socket or use a pliers to remove the nut you’ll see No-Seize help the nut reshape the thread configuration of the bolt. This is a major benefit that could be a product in itself!

What Lubricant or Penetrating Oil Should I Use?

Every maintenance operation is a little bit different and that’s why there are many options to choose from when deciding which lubricant or penetrating oil to use. To be sure you are using the most effective solution, reach out and Ask an Expert about your situation. If you are ready to order simply Request a Quote and we will get started right away!

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