Originally Posted by
DrIsotope
Baby oil is light mineral oil with some fragrance in it. When testers are doing chain testing for wear, elongation, etc, the chain lube of choice? Mineral oil.
Out in the real world, baby oil or mineral oil don't work well because it's not chain lube. No friction modifiers, etc. It won't last. But it will work. Vaseline would work too.
“Mineral oil”
is the friction modifier...as is any lubricant. It reduces friction between two metal plates. Whether or not it does it better than other friction modifiers is the key. But there is not just one “mineral oil”. It is a wide range of hydrocarbons of various chain lengths. The one in baby oil just happens to a bit more fluid than some of the other “mineral oils”. It’s slightly more viscous than kerosene or diesel oil which could be classified as “mineral oil” because it is produced in the same way as baby oil...i.e. as a petroleum distillate.
As for Vaseline, it is a soft wax which could also be classified as a “mineral oil” since it to is a petroleum distillate. It is very close to the factory lube used on chains. Vaseline would actually be a much better replacement for “factory lube” than oil which is too thin and flows off of the chain or canning wax which is too thick and doesn’t flow at all. The much hated White Lightning actually contains some soft wax in the mixture so it is closer to “factory lube” than either oil or wax.