Hair Clipper Oil?

[willy6]

Somebody was telling me by using hair clipper oil on the track will improve locomotive performance. I would think that would be the ultimate dust magnet and hinder locomotive operating mechanisms not to mention slippage on a grade.

[Big_Boy_4005]

You have identified some of the potential pitfalls of this practice. Some people swear by hair clipper oil others swear at it. Certainly excessive use will cause problems. the trick is to know when you have applied just the right amount. Placing a drop on each rail and allowing the train to spread it, may not be as effective as using a cloth and applying it by hand. All you really want is just the finest film coating the rails. It helps with electrical contact, especially when used with DCC.

[ClinchValleySD40]

Some people swear by it, think it's great. What you're looking for is Wahl clipper oil. I believe Micro Mark might even sell it.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by clinchvalley

I believe Micro Mark might even sell it.

I picked mine up at a local beauty supplies store.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Here is the link to the magazine index. The original article was published in RMC June of 1981. Eric Brooman was one of the contrbutors.

http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=I&MAG=RMC&MO=6&YR=1981&output=3&sort=D

[willy6]

Thank You for the link Big Boy.I'll go to the beauty supply store ,but I won't take my wife, she'll want to buy a bunch of shampoo crap and cut into my railroad budget, shampoo goes down the drain, model railroads don't.

[BR60103]

If you ask nicely, your barber might give you a bottle with a few drops left in the bottom.

[Don Gibson]

Oil is Oil!.
At one time people bathed in it . Problem is, dirt and dust stick to it - then and now.

If used as a track cleaner, it may loosen the dirt but ends up deposited on your wheels. At least Alchol-on-a rag picks up the dirt.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Don Gibson

Oil is Oil!.
At one time people bathed in it . Problem is, dirt and dust stick to it - then and now.

If used as a track cleaner, it may loosen the dirt but ends up deposited on your wheels. At least Alchol-on-a rag picks up the dirt.

Well Don, this oil is supposed to be a little different. It is actually electrically conductive, where normal lubricating oil is not.

I know exactly what you mean about it collecting dirt and depositing itself as a gummy crud on wheels, because I have had this happen. I attribute that problem to over use, but I'm not positive.

At least being in 3 rail O my cars will stay on the track longer before the crud build up causes derailments.[:0][B)][:p][:D][;)]

[Don Gibson]

Elliot:

Re:Elecrical conductive oil Cleaners . Once the 'gunk' on the track has it's grip loosened, where does it go? What picks it up?

[Big_Boy_4005]

Well Don, my experience has been that the wheels like to begin to accumulate the gunk, almost snowball fashion. Sometimes it will build up in a frog of a turnout, if it's sharp enough to knock it off the wheel.

Cars have more tentdancy to get the build up than do the engines. What can end up happening is you trade the problem of dirty track, for the problem of dirty wheels.

It isn't difficult to dislodge the crud, that can be done with an xacto or small screwdriver. Just pick up the car, and roll the wheel while holding the blade against it and the crud just flakes off. Collect it in a paper towel or over the trash can, and the dirt is gone until next time.

Of course this could get to be a big project if you have a lot of cars. The secret may be just to do it to cars when they have a noticable problem.

[Anonymous]

I have about six liquid cleaning products, brite boy, the oils, had the centerline/tony's clean machine.
The oils, Wahl, CRC2-26, and the pricey ACT-6006 from Aero-Locomotive Works@ $7.00 for an eight ounce liquid bottle.
I'm not DCC and therefore do not have to relly upon the statements"
Will leave a conductive film that will enhance current flow".

I have a single deck, 95% all within reach and out of all of the above what works best for me on track & wheels, day after day, week after week, month after month is MAAS Metal Paste Cleaner.

It not need be expensive or technical to clean, just a little elbow effort.

[BRAKIE]

Guys,I use Radio Shacks Channel Tuner Cleaner.Spray your track and forget it for 6 months..[:D] I learn this at the club as that is the way we keep our track clean...Also running your trains will help keep the track clean as well.
Another thing there is no need to keep your track squeaky clean.I know of several modelers and clubs that seldom use anything other then a old fashion locomotive or car with a bright boy attached on the bottom that they simply shove around the layout with locomotives..

[Big_Boy_4005]

Guys, this oil has nothing to do with track cleaning, at least that is not the intent. A Bright Boy is abrasive, and will leave microscopic scratches in the rails, and may not be the cleaning method of choice when it comes to a DCC layout. The main purpoes of the oil is to improve electrical contact between the wheels and the rail, thus improving signal reception for DCC.

[Don Gibson]

BIG BOY: BRAKIE:

Radio Shack's TV Tuner Cleaner and other low viscosity oils with / or without cleaning agent's DO NOT improve conductivity - by itself - only by dissolving carbon, dirt - and - Oxidation on the track and then removed by something - which a 'Bright Boy' does by scraping off and leaving alogside the rails.

You are correct, that this 'crud' has to go somewhere - such as on rolling stock wheels. The TRADE OFF is whether you prefer cleaning off your wheels, or your track.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Don, I think you're right about this being a trade off. No mater what method we choose there will always be some amount of effort required to keep things running smoothly.

Here's a link to a discussion we had over on CTT a few months back. It isn't about hair clipper oil, but it does address the issue of crud.[swg]

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15260

[BRAKIE]

Don said:(snip)Radio Shack's TV Tuner Cleaner and other low viscosity oils with / or without cleaning -
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don,The Channel Turner Cleaner is not a oil..Its a cleaner not a lubicant.There is NO flim left behind like you would get with clipper oil and some popular track cleaners...We have use this for the last 12 years at the club with no gook built up on the rails or wheels.Just like I said spray it and forget for 6 months.

[choochin3]

I use a product called RailZip! It claims to improve electrical conductivity,prevents and removes corrosion. This product seems to work very well,just use a drop or 2 on each rail.It is made by Pacer Technology and is available ay most hobby & train stores.

[Don Gibson]

LARRY: You can believe north is south and South is north if you want to, but......

CLEANERS Dissolve things whether WATER based ( detergents) PETROLEUM based ( kerosene) or CARBOHYDRATE (alchohol ). You must think you have a 'magic' elixer.

TRY taking some soap or detergent to clean your hands without rinsing - let them air dry sometime. The dirt is re-deposited back on your hands.

TAKE some Energine Cleaning fluid (you remember that) to get out an oil spot on your pants. It spreads the soilant, not remove it. You will end up witha larger (but greatly subdued) spot. Sort of like diluting paint.

To GET RID of something one needs to have a 'desolver' (Surfactant?) to loosen it, and someplace for it to go. Even the top cleaner of all time (Freon) the dirt and oils were suspended in the solvent, which then evaporated away leaving the 'gunk'.

Don't think your "Tuner Cleaner" isn't oil based? OK, spray some on your thumb and index finger, and rub together, sometime.

Putting a 'cleaner' on your track may 'loosen' the dirt, but does not remove it. Go down to your layout and give it the 'finger' test. That carbon streak on your finger is what is being deposited on your wheels.

[BRAKIE]

Don,Just try it.You *may* like it...

[Don Gibson]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BRAKIE

Don,Just try it.You *may* like it...

I HAVE TRIED it - for two years -because like you I read an article. (I also used to clean TV tuner''s in a repair shop with Carbon Tet.. After applying we wiped the loosened black off with a rag. You?

May I respecfully suggest you try your own advice?

[rexhea]

[%-)]
Something I am not understanding.
Oil eliminates friction, right? Doesn't your loco have a problem with a grade even with a light film of oil?

re: Big_Boy ...abrasives ...will leave scratches...
If the track is nickel plated, will Bright Boy or other abrasives eventually remove the plating?

REX

[Don Gibson]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rexhea


[%-)]
Something I am not understanding.
Oil eliminates friction, right? Doesn't your loco have a problem with a grade even with a light film of oil?

Of Course! but One has to have a grade to realize it.

QUOTE: re: Big_Boy ...abrasives ...will leave scratches...

I'll let Elliot answer that one. He doesn't need any help.

[dharmon]

Don't like it.....period. Normally we use a pair of cenerline track cleaning cars with an abrasive pad cleaning car prior to operating at my club. We had a member on his own apply wahls to the track and it caused all sorts of problems......slippage, dust and crud accumilation and oil build up on older Athearns with the porous (sp) sintered metal wheels. I took quite some time to eliminate the effects of that. I am a firm believer in abrasive pads and 99 perent isopropyl alcohol to clean the tracks clean and crud free.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rexhea


[%-)]
Something I am not understanding.
Oil eliminates friction, right? Doesn't your loco have a problem with a grade even with a light film of oil?

re: Big_Boy ...abrasives ...will leave scratches...
If the track is nickel plated, will Bright Boy or other abrasives eventually remove the plating?

REX

Thanks Don.[;)] Rex, first of all nickel silver rail isn't plated, it's a solid alloy. I'm not sure how much silver, if any, is in it. Silver by itself would be worse than brass as far as oxidation is concerned. This is why most modelers don't use brass track. I'm not even sure why they bother to make it anymore.

Hair clipper oil is not a track cleaner, it is a track "conditioner". My understanding of how it works is as follows. Because it is electrically conductive, it is able to "fill in" microscopic holes, thus giving better ELECTRICAL contact between the wheel and the rail. Yes there will be a slight amount of slippage, but when the oil is proprely distributed it should hardly be noticable.

Back in the early 80's, I was living in Denver. There were a couple of guys that had layouts at their homes, and decided to try this new thing called CTC-16. CTC-16 is basicly the granddaddy of DCC. These guys were pioneers in command control, back when it was first hitting the market. They had to assemble all of their own recievers, command stations, and power stations. At first there were only a couple of board designs to choose from, and so they would cut and fit, and make them work.

These guys went to great lengths to make this early system work. In many cases, they took the wheels off their engines and did their own nickel plating. The digital signal required the best possible contact between the wheel and the rail, in order for the trains to run smoothly. This is where the hair clipper oil came in. By treating the rails, there was a noticable difference in the smoothness of operation.

Back to the abrasives for a minute. Your track should really never be dirty enough to warrant the use of an abrasive. When you do that, you scratch the surface and leave microscopic ridges.

Imagine trying to drive down a cobble stone street. Electrically, that's what it looks like to the wheel of your engine. Here you are trying to make the best possible electrical contact with a rough surface.

Modern DCC may not be as fussy as the early systems were, I don't know, I haven't done HO in over 20 years.

As illogical and improbable as hair clipper oil may seem, all I can say is try it and see what you think.[;)]

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

Don't like it.....period. Normally we use a pair of cenerline track cleaning cars with an abrasive pad cleaning car prior to operating at my club. We had a member on his own apply wahls to the track and it caused all sorts of problems......slippage, dust and crud accumilation and oil build up on older Athearns with the porous (sp) sintered metal wheels. I took quite some time to eliminate the effects of that. I am a firm believer in abrasive pads and 99 perent isopropyl alcohol to clean the tracks clean and crud free.

Club layouts may not be a good place to try this concept, since there is always a wide variety of equipment coming and going. Those old Athearn wheels were some of the worst offenders when it came to poor electrical contact. The guys in Denver that I mentioned in the previous post, actually plated a few sets before NWSL came out with replacement wheels for those engines.

Does the club use DCC???

[Anonymous]

To add fuel to the fire. Take a look at your old MR Feb 02 edition"Workin" on the RR by Lionel Strang.
Also my latest loco wheel cleaning procedure. Just added an old start up power pack to my work bench (overhead lighted magnifying lamp) loco cradle holder and my favorite cleaner. It's gets easier/cleaner
sitting down. Wonder why it took me years to make this move?

[Anonymous]

Here's another country heard from.
We dont use any of the above!
We used to clean track with bright boys....
We used to use alcohol based cleaners....
We used to Use RailZip...
Now we use Dexron 3,,
Yes, thats Automatic Transmission fluid in conjuction with EVERYONE using metal wheel sets on EVERYTHING! The ATF conditions the rails just like Wahl oil and RailZip, but at a fraction of the cost. Being a modular club, we have no grades to speak of. Frequent running of trains with all metal wheels cuts our cleaning time to almost none. True, occasionally we may have to hand clean a section because of crud that builds up, but its rare. Wheelset cleanings are ever rarer!
Our track cleaning cars are getting very dusty ,,
Go figgure![%-)]

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Boy_4005

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

Don't like it.....period. Normally we use a pair of cenerline track cleaning cars with an abrasive pad cleaning car prior to operating at my club. We had a member on his own apply wahls to the track and it caused all sorts of problems......slippage, dust and crud accumilation and oil build up on older Athearns with the porous (sp) sintered metal wheels. I took quite some time to eliminate the effects of that. I am a firm believer in abrasive pads and 99 perent isopropyl alcohol to clean the tracks clean and crud free.

Club layouts may not be a good place to try this concept, since there is always a wide variety of equipment coming and going. Those old Athearn wheels were some of the worst offenders when it came to poor electrical contact. The guys in Denver that I mentioned in the previous post, actually plated a few sets before NWSL came out with replacement wheels for those engines.

Does the club use DCC???

Yes the club is DCC. Our experience was not good. I don't think there was an appreciable increase in conductivity. If there was, it was not sufficient enough to overcome the problems. And in any club environment, unilateral actions need to benefit the greatest number of members, or put another way, negatively impact the least number of members, so if using the oil created more complaints than not using it.....clean dry track seems to make everyone realtively happy.

[BRAKIE]

Don,First any advice I give is from my own experiences or what I seen done first hand and I pay little attention to articles in any model magazine or take them as the only correct answer..I trust you do the same?
Now then..As I stated we been using channel turner cleaner for the last 12 years at the club with no ill affects.80% of the time we do not clean track by using the old Athearn F7 dummy with a bright boy attach on the bottom before operating.Yard tracks seldom get clean before operation as well without any ill affects from not cleaning the tracks before operation..However twice a year we have a track cleaning Saturday at the club where we clean the track then spray on the channel turner cleaner and we are good to go for 6 more months..I am yet to clean my HO industrial switching layout after cleaning and spraying on the channel turner cleaner with no side affects that one would expect from not cleaning track..
As I stated some time back on the Atlas forum I fully believe most modelers worry more about cleaning track then they do running trains thanks to the magazine experts that think they have all the correct answers on how things work..No,the best teacher is experience.Find what works best for you and stay with it..Be not afraid to go against the gain of the so called experts or every new idea that comes along in some magazine..Your hobby life will be less complicated.