Sperm Whale Oil

[fciron]

Have you opened it and sniffed it yet? Could look fine and still be rancid.

I have a can of lard oil that came out of the back of a paint store and I’m never opening it again. Once was enough.

 

[rogertoolmaker]

Animal fats, Vegetable oil, Mineral oil. Of the three, Animal fats are the most tenacious. Mineral oil is the easiest to remove.

 

[Newman109]

Believe it or not,one of the "leading" obesity liposuction surgeons has run his Benz on diesel made from the fat he gets free 'from work'............he comissioned one of the small scale bio diesel makers to process the material.......which is far from pure,as it contains a fair amount of tissue ,body fluids and blood............neverthe less ,he can say he s done it.

Dr. Dracula was it?

 

[john.k]

Another little known fact is that animal or vegetable oil spills can destroy concrete floors.......the oil reacts with alkali in the concrete to form a calcium soap,which both swells and crumbles.

 

[Bill D]

I have to ask, being this is from sperm whales, does it make a difference if the whale was male or female? Steer and cow manure are sold separate from bull manure for fertilizer you know.
Bill D

 

[reggie_obe]

I have to ask, being this is from sperm whales, does it make a difference if the whale was male or female? Steer and cow manure are sold separate from bull manure for fertilizer you know.
Bill D

Steer manure has a higher value as an fertilizer/soil amendment, so it's kept seperate and brings in a higher dollar than cow manure. I've never heard or seen bull manure being sold as such.

 

[tdmidget]

Steer manure has a higher value as an fertilizer/soil amendment, so it's kept seperate and brings in a higher dollar than cow manure. I've never heard or seen bull manure being sold as such.

Bull Shit

 

[Newman109]

I understood that whales are a protected species under the CITES convention and therefore, oil from whales would be an illegal product.

 

[Bill Cook]

Have you opened it and sniffed it yet? Could look fine and still be rancid.

I have a can of lard oil that came out of the back of a paint store and I’m never opening it again. Once was enough.

Good point. I've worked with it. I haven't noticed any odor, and it's clear.

 

[WizardOfBoz]

Kind of tldr; but I do know that one of the guys who services watches on the interweb (wristwatch revival) claims that new synthetics beat the heck out of the old animal based lubricants.

 

[Bargaloosh]

I'd like thoughts on using sperm whale oil for lubricating precision mechanical measuring tools, i.e., micrometers. Are there any drawbacks? Are there better modern alternatives? Will it do the job adequately?

Just askin'. I remember a lot of discussion about it when I wasn't so old.

Here is a secret they don't tell you. Jojoba oil has almost the same chemical makeup of sperm oil, being a liquid wax ester and not an oil as such, and is unique in the plant kingdom in this regard as far as we know. Scientific studies seem to agree that jojoba oil has immense potential as an industrial lubricant much of which is yet untapped by industry. After the end of sperm whale hunting, manufacturers wanted to use the newly discovered jojoba oil to replace sperm oil but it was too expensive and so they came up with their synthetic alternatives. Jojoba oil is now farmed at higher rates, principally in Israel, and most of it goes to the cosmetic industry, but it is mighty fine as a lubricant. Best to find a bulk supplier rather than buying from a cosmetic supplier. I have had some for 15 years and it hasn't altered at all.
It functions well as a light machine oil and as a non-drying wood oil. I use it on my wooden cutting board and other various wood surfaces. I also use regularly brush it on my knives and tool steels to prevent rust and I plan to use it when I next service my fishing reel as a light oil. I also use it on electric hair cutters/trimmers.
For high pressure use, I understand it is best to use sulfurized jojoba oil, just the same as the sulphurized sperm oil was used, but I haven't seen this available for purchase. Similar to sperm oil, it also makes a very clean and bright oil lamp.
I haven't dealt with watch mechanics, but my guess it would work mighty fine. It is light, doesn't ever go bad and doesn't gunk up.
Hope this helps.