







EI-DEL wrote:what's the heads up on using castor oil as an engine lubricant. I believe it was all the rage with the early biplanes 1920/1940's. Guess the fumes were effective in more ways than is polite to mention
"Castor oil maintains its fluidity at both extremely high and low temperatures...... In internal combustion engines, castor oil is renowned for its ability to lubricate under extreme conditions and temperatures, such as in air-cooled engines. The lubricants company Castrol takes its name from castor oil. However, castor oil tends to form gums in a short time, and its use is therefore restricted to engines that are regularly rebuilt, such as motorcycle race engines......
....Castor oil's high lubricity (reduces friction) is superior to petroleum-based lubricants; for instance, it really clings to metal, especially hot metal, and is used in racing and jet (turbine) engines. In addition, Castor oil is non-toxic and quickly biodegrades; whereas, petroleum-based oils are potential health hazards, and take a very long time to biodegrade, thus can damage the environment when concentrated."
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