oil on o-rings?

[marpat]

i just bought a 20 oz paintball co2 tank at cabelas
the urethane o-ring on it seemed dry so i was wondering if it would be safe to put a little rem oil on it to help seal better

[pocket]

no it will eat the urethane use vasalene it will let it slide on and also improve the life of the o-rings

[SEAKING9006]

Use mineral oil.

[pocket]

mineral oil would destroy the o-rings like look what it does to urethane based paints it eats away at them cuz thats essentially what paint thinner s ^^

[SEAKING9006]

It says on a lot of markers to use mineral oil as a lubricant. Like mine.

[Ragnarok]

no it will eat the urethane use vasalene it will let it slide on and also improve the life of the o-rings

Vaseline can do exactly the same to seals, being a petroleum product.

It's usually unwise to use petroleum oils in a high pressure environment. Now, it's unlikely to be a problem with CO2 (being inert), but it's not a good idea to get into, because you might make the mistake of using it in a pressurized air situation, and it can be dangerous in those cases, given the increased density of oxygen around.

[Daltonultra]

The big problem with using any possibly flammable oil in a high-pressure app is that sudden increases in pressure can cause it to "diesel".

My Father made the mistake of using regular gun oil in his break-barrel pellet pistol. Every so often, the oil explodes when the spring suddenly pressurizes it, exactly like a diesel motor. The thing kicks like a .45 when that happens.

[biged]

A pure silicone based lubricant will not harm o-rings of any type.

Silicone Oil: Paslode nail gun oil, $8 a bottle (home depot), great overall lubricant. Thick and sticky.
Silicone Grease: Dielectric Silicone grease, $9 a tube, (automotive stores), great grease.
Silicone Spray: Look for a "Food Grade" silicone spray. Some non-"food grade" silicone sprays will have harmful additives which will break down and deteriorate rubber quickly. Sprays are just a dry lubricant and not really suited for o-rings.

///ed///

[MaxuS the 2nd]

Or a Lithium based product.