Oil, Lubricants and the like.

[Bobupndown]

Acf30
Wd40
3 in 1
2 stroke oil
4 stroke oil
Haldex oil
EP90 diff oil
75w gearbox oil
3324 Auto Transmission Fluid
Variety of 10w40, 10w30, 5w30, 20w50 to suit the fleet
Copper grease
Red rubber grease
Lithium grease

That's just being an amateur tinkerer, crazy the amount of stuff you gather up.

 

[jimbo84]

Plus gas for releasing.

Any sort of new left over engine oil for lubing the lathe, mill and donkey saw.

A can of 3in1 oil for anything that needs a drop of clean clear oil.

Duckoil for rust prevention.

The correct vehicle specific oils for the car engines.

A tub of general (is it LP2) grease for anything that needs greasing.

A tub of copperslip for anything that needs to not stick together.

A tube of brembo grease for anything brake related.

 

[ATGNI]

For the homework shop, anything will do. Specialist oils were developed for specialist applications, such as high-speed machining or high-pressure applications, such as gearboxes. I just reach for whatever is closest on the shelf because I'm incredibly lazy. Many old engineering books mention these special lubricants simply because historically, many of these were so poorly specified or poorly formulated snake oils, anything from whale oil to soap suds. Once mineral oils became the norm from the 1920 things settled down a lot. A thing I consider is what chemicals I am being exposed too, I mention motor oil is cheap and easily available, but a don't really like it on my skin as it has other chemicals that I am sensitive to.

For the Oil Can / Way oil / Hydraulic oil / A cheap diesel engine oil (some will moan about the cleaning agent motor oils)
Transmission fluid is good allrounder
3in1 Ok but goes gummy for some application
Lithium Grease for most bearing
Molybdenum Grease when specified - Good for sliding mechanisms.
Copper Slip. Nickle or Silver for exhuast Studs
WD40 or any other similar rattle can from the pound shop - Cleaning and machining aluminum
Washing up liquid for fitting rubber hoses

 

[jmp49]

In the workshop, some variant of all of the above but also hydrocut water soluble cutting fluid which goes in the mill, lathe suds, and the coolant tank of the surface grinder and if I have a engine thats loosing coolant I top it off with water & this. HVB46 hydraulic oil for way lube, jacks etc & moly based grease for cutting threads, honing oil, and a stick of bandsaw blade stick lubricant, diesel & paraffin mixed in parts cleaner, proper alkaline cleaning fluid in the ultrasonic, chain lube in a can for chains & liquid container for chainsaw bar lube, contact cleaner, atf, acetone, and a tin of chain wax (link lyfe) to boil non o ring chains in.

I think what you need as general stuff depends a lot on what sort of machines your feeding and what sort of other things you need it for. I've got five shelves of different slippy things and aerosols.

 

[Keith 66]

My lathe runs on 68 hydraulic oil, Cutting oil is Crowncut 810, WD40 or similar for sharpening tools on oilstones. I have a big tub of tallow that came out of a school workshop clearance that gets used for screws, I tend to use a lot of stuff that i find in skips. Few years ago found a sealed 10 gallon drum of 20/50 washed up on the marshes, Result!