- Thread starter shaun68
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Nah, use transformer oil. It'll smell less like old fish and chips when it gets hot.
Never heard that one myself. People go to great lengths to find exactly the correct type of oil so emptying the mrs's chip pan into it wont do any good.
Plus you'll get bits of batter in the weld which won't give a very nice joint.
Never heard that one myself. People go to great lengths to find exactly the correct type of oil so emptying the mrs's chip pan into it wont do any good.
Plus you'll get bits of batter in the weld which won't give a very nice joint.
Paul.
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Shell Diala Oil or equivalent is the stuff you need, it has insulating and extinguishing properties, don't know if you can cook chips in it though 
,
We discussed transformer oil here a while a go.
,We discussed transformer oil here a while a go.
yes did seem a bit fishy lol but he assured us he was not joking and the mrs wont be happy using her cooking oil lol
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If you do go with the cooking oil
I'll have fish & chips twice, tinned roe and a battered sausage
scarecrow
Outstanding in his field
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If you do go with the cooking oil
I'll have fish & chips twice, tinned roe and a battered sausage
what amps would you like that at sir
The 'toxic' nature of the oil is very overstated. Used motor oil is about 20 times more hazardous to health. Its a knee jerk reaction to a reclassifaction.
Transformer oil is used as it insulates and has a high flash point. Vegetable oil just isn't in the same league. Its all a bit acedemic as you'd have to weld seriously for a long time to get to that stage. I have heard people have been able to get the oil in these to smoke, but I've never had one get more then warm. But I'd want to be sure the metal box stays insulated from the power.
Transformer oil is used as it insulates and has a high flash point. Vegetable oil just isn't in the same league. Its all a bit acedemic as you'd have to weld seriously for a long time to get to that stage. I have heard people have been able to get the oil in these to smoke, but I've never had one get more then warm. But I'd want to be sure the metal box stays insulated from the power.
Wedg1e
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If anyone gets stuck, I have a DOZEN 55-gallon drums full of transformer oil going spare.
It's all been removed from x-ray systems so although it's probably fine for welding equipment etc., we don't reuse it as we can't take a chance on the dielectric strength being reduced at the sort of voltages this kit works at (up to 225,000 volts).
We approached an oil recyclers to take the stuff away and the first thing they insisted on was a PCB test for each barrel. That cost us £40 a pop but at least we did discover that only 3 of the barrels are a bit iffy in that respect; the rest have either no or very low PCB levels (ie they were happy to take them).
The oil is mostly Shell Diala, some of it being BG which is the recommended spec. for most systems these days.
Needless to say you'd need a van or pickup as these drums are a bit heavy...
It's all been removed from x-ray systems so although it's probably fine for welding equipment etc., we don't reuse it as we can't take a chance on the dielectric strength being reduced at the sort of voltages this kit works at (up to 225,000 volts).
We approached an oil recyclers to take the stuff away and the first thing they insisted on was a PCB test for each barrel. That cost us £40 a pop but at least we did discover that only 3 of the barrels are a bit iffy in that respect; the rest have either no or very low PCB levels (ie they were happy to take them).
The oil is mostly Shell Diala, some of it being BG which is the recommended spec. for most systems these days.
Needless to say you'd need a van or pickup as these drums are a bit heavy...
madkayaker
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stick with the proper stuff to much of a fire risk and low dielectric strength.
Another point is vegetable oil breaks down everytime you heat it. Which is why you have to change it when your chips start tasting funny. Transformer oil is far more stable, but I'm sure it tastes foul if you cook chips in it.
Shame you're up the other end of the country wedg1e or I'd have a keg off you
Shame you're up the other end of the country wedg1e or I'd have a keg off you
I can believe it. As I think Aero has said, there's no way an oil filled welder will get anywhere near the temperature of a chip pan in normal use so scare stories about chip pan smells and fires simply aren't valid. A top-up might be a bit risky because you would contaminate all your original transformer oil but you could always give it a try with a full load of vegetable oil. I'm sure the proper Shell oil is optimal but it gets back to the Pareto type argument - you might get 80% of the benefit for 20% (or perhaps nearer 3%) of the cost of the proper oil. Car engine oil (new of course) must be worth a try, also. Has your tutor tried that? As for insulation properties, I must experiment but I'm not suggesting anybody else should: put a 2 amp fuse in a 240v mains plug. Wire it up to two steel or copper rods carefully positioned about one quarter inch apart, with only (i) vegetable oil and (ii) engine oil between them. Would there be a short? Would the fuse blow? Would there be any bubbles or other signs of electrolytic activity? I doubt it. Measure any current flows and resistances, as well.
madkayaker
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That breaks the EAWR 1989 and also doesn't give a reliable result. Insulation resistance must be tested with a proper tester outputting 500VDC and a resistance value greater than 1M ohms.
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Why even consider saving pennies on putting the wrong oil into a welder?
You splash out and buy the right oil, which isnt gonna break the bank - you know the welder is gonna run right - it's not as if you have to refill it all the time.
You splash out and buy the right oil, which isnt gonna break the bank - you know the welder is gonna run right - it's not as if you have to refill it all the time.
Does anyone know what the proper Shell oil actually costs for say (1) 5 litres for a quick top up and (2) 100 litres to fill one of those Oxford tanks?
Weldingartisan
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GeorgeB, I do love your posts. You don't even know the cost of transformer oil yet you are contemplating life threatening alternatives to save a few bob! I do respect a man who's canny with his cash, but there are limits. W/A
