Crosscut Paper Shredders: Oiling?

[Orchidflower]

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Fellowes Powershred Lubricant Cutter Oil for Confetti-Cut Shredders (35250)

If you read this review it states that the ingredient used to oil the crosscut shredder is "vegetable oil." Has anyone used vegetable oil to oil a crosscut shredder? Does it work?
(I did read on one review of how to oil your crosscut shredder that WD-40 wouldn't work.)

[Leonidas]

I know you can use vegetable oil on chainsaws - can't think of a reason why it won't work on a shredder as well. And, looking at the bottle of "shredder lubricant" I have, while it doesn't say what the ingredients are, it does claim to be biodegradable, which would seem to indicate that it might well be some kind of vegetable product.

[LoftyNotions]

I read somewhere that the WD in WD-40 stands for water displacement. I know it eventually dries up and leaves a nasty residue.

The following is from the Fellowes FAQs:

Regular oiling of cross cut shredders is a necessary maintenance step to keeping the shredder functioning properly and prolonging its life.
The frequency of oiling needed is determined by a range of factors such as the type of paper being shredded, the amount being shredded and whether the shredding is intermittent or continuous. For instance, if shredding continuous form paper, oiling may need to occur every 10 minutes.



It is a good practice to oil the cross cut shredder each time the wastebasket is emptied. (High security shredders should be oiled every 15 minutes or when capacity drops).

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There are two acceptable oiling Methods
1) Depress and hold the reverse button down. Put the tip of the oil bottle and squeeze oil across the paper entry, continue to depress the reverse button for another 10 seconds.

-OR-

2) Depress and hold the Turbo forward button. Put the tip of the oil bottle and squeeze oil across the paper entry. Release the turbo button and press the Auto-On and shred one piece of paper. Press and hold the Reverse button for 2-3 seconds.
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It is recommended that Fellowes Powershred Oil #35250 be used for oiling Fellowes shredders or a suitable substitute. A suitable substitute is limited to vegetable based oils, with a flash point over 450 ° F, that will not go rancid.

When using oil not in the original Fellowes Powershred Oil bottle, oil must be dispensed from a plastic long nozzle bottle.


Do not use any oil or lubricant that is dispensed from an aerosol container or that is petroleum-based. Use of such aerosols, oils or lubricants will void the warranty and could create a fire hazard and cause serious damage and/or injury.

I'm glad you asked this question. Before today I didn't know they needed to be lubricated.

Larry

[samclem]

I know many places where regular non-detergent motor oil (looked to be approx 30 wt) was used for many years on high-security cross-cut shredders. It's probably not the most environmentally responsible approach (as the oil ends up in a landfill with the paper shred), but the shredders lasted a long time. If vegetable-based oils work, that's probably a "greener" approach.

[Orchidflower]

I'll try the vegetable oil. If it screws up my expensive shredder, I'll post it.

[Leonidas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower I'll try the vegetable oil. If it screws up my expensive shredder, I'll post it.

Or, you could always zip down to Office Depot and buy a bottle of shredder lube...

[Orchidflower]

Didn't know they sold shredder lube. Learn something new every day....thanks.

[Sarah in SC]

I order it from Office Depot whenever I get paper. Not lubricating the shredder will kill it, I know from experience.

[HFWR]

Go to Wallyworld, and buy the cheapest, generic mineral oil you can find.

[Leonidas]

It's pretty darn cheap, like a couple of bucks for a small bottle, and for general home use a small bottle will last forever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC I order it from Office Depot whenever I get paper. Not lubricating the shredder will kill it, I know from experience.

Yep, I killed one when I first started home shredding. I was used to the huge ones we had at work and got tired of taking stuff into the office so I bought one for myself and tried to do some catching up on the stuff at home. You can run a small personal shredder into the ground in one day if you use it non-stop and don't lube. Replaced it the next day and have been using it for years now with a more reasonable workload, and lubing every now and again, and have not had a problem.

Off-topic, but I just remembered a guy at w*rk who used to take the shredded stuff home and use it as mulch. Might be an interesting factoid for those of you who recycle dryer sheets and cut the paper towels in half. That stuff was different from what the average home shredder produces though, looked almost like dust it was shredded so finely.

[Orchidflower]

I read that you can sharpen your shredder by running aluminum foil thru it.
So, today I had about a fifth of a roll of heavy aluminum foil and tried it. Works! I can definitely tell the difference with how sharp the blades are now compared to before. That was ez!

Leonidas mentioned using the shredding pieces for mulch. I was told you move plants this way:
Water them
Put them into a plastic bag that you can tie at the top
Put the shredded paper on top of the dirt in the planter
Tie the bag at the top
Put the whole thing into a garbage can and move it that way.

Just FYI.

[Birdie Num Nums]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower I read that you can sharpen your shredder by running aluminum foil thru it. So, today I had about a fifth of a roll of heavy aluminum foil and tried it. Works! I can definitely tell the difference with how sharp the blades are now compared to before. That was ez! Leonidas mentioned using the shredding pieces for mulch. I was told you move plants this way: Water them Put them into a plastic bag that you can tie at the top Put the shredded paper on top of the dirt in the planter Tie the bag at the top Put the whole thing into a garbage can and move it that way. Just FYI.

How many inches of foil did you use?

[Orchidflower]

Wish I could tell you how many inches of foil I used, but I had some left over on a roll of heavy foil and can only guess it was the last fifth of the roll. I wouldn't scrimp on it as I ran foil thru probably 20 times just to use it up.
EZ and worked is all I know.
I'm guessing the heavy foil is alot easier to run thru the machine than the cheap thin foil is as it is sturdier, and you can get it to "behave" easier.
I wouldn't even try this with super thin foil a la Dollar Store as you would end up getting so frustrated you'd run out and buy an oil to lube the machine with then.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower I read that you can sharpen your shredder by running aluminum foil thru it. So, today I had about a fifth of a roll of heavy aluminum foil and tried it. Works! I can definitely tell the difference with how sharp the blades are now compared to before. That was ez! Leonidas mentioned using the shredding pieces for mulch. I was told you move plants this way: Water them Put them into a plastic bag that you can tie at the top Put the shredded paper on top of the dirt in the planter Tie the bag at the top Put the whole thing into a garbage can and move it that way. Just FYI.

This sounds like a wife's tale to me.... how can it sharpen a hard blade with soft aluminum Does not make sense at all.. more like a placebo affect... you just think it is sharper...

[Westernskies]

Light mineral oil on a couple of sheets of heavy paper (junk mail works well) and run it thru the shredder. Barbers have been using mineral oil to lubricate their electric clippers for many years; it works very well, and won't turn rancid.

Maybe this would be a good way to recycle dryer sheets...

[W2R]

After reading this thread, it all sounds so messy and I just didn't want to deal with it. But my new cross-cut shredder needs to be oiled. So, I went for the "non-LBYM" solution:

Ativa Shredder Lubricant Sheets Pack Of 20 by Office Depot

This product is just what I had hoped. One sheet provides just the right amount of oil evenly. It is very easy, and produces no mess at all.

[Birdie Num Nums]

I just might go to Staples or Office Depot and pick up a small bottle of shredder oil--which I could also use on my nose hair trimmer and electric hair-clipper, I should think.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdie Num Nums I just might go to Staples or Office Depot and pick up a small bottle of shredder oil--which I could also use on my nose hair trimmer and electric hair-clipper, I should think.

Generic baby oil is mineral oil, and a lot cheaper less expensive than specialized "shredder oil"...

[Bestwifeever]

I wonder if sending a couple of sheets of sandpaper through a shredder would sharpen the blades.

[KB]

I just mineral oiled the heavy duty aluminum foil before shredding it and it shredded just fine. I had never heard of lubricating a shredder. Good tip. Now, any ideas of what to do with the shredded foil?