Need help cross referencing lubrication oil for an antique food mixer

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Andy;
I think that common motor oils at that time were what are now known as SAE 20 and 30 (or ISO VG 68 and 100). Speed of the mixer can give some clues; my guess is that low rpm mixers would work better with thicker oil, and higher rpms mixers with thinner oil. However, Other than the viscosity, there are other issues you should be looking at. One of them certainly is gaskets and seals’ swell/shrink characteristics. There could be issue with any paint that the oil gets in contact with. Assuming that the oils at that time were predominantly Group-1 oils, today’s “match” oil should have this characteristic quite similar. I know I didn’t help you much in your quest, but just wanted to caution you about other issues that should be considered. Good luck.

Andy,

attach the photograph of the drum, and also all of the information there.
It may help us to identifying

regards,

Nurudin

At the time, additive technology was pretty much non-existent, so 'engine oil' would have meany something much different from what it does today. The product in question is most likely primarily or completely base oil. 'Polarine' seems to imply good low-temp characteristics (just a guess based on 'polar' in the name). So maybe something at least partially naphthenic?

Here is a link to a Popular Mechanics from Oct 1911 with a Polarine ad on page 116.

Oct 1911 Polarine Ad

It touts low temp performance & deposit control. Naphthenics would help with both by their low pour point & superior solvency relative to paraffinics. It may be a naphthenic-paraffinic blend to get the 'superior' VI of what would come to be called a Group I paraffinic. (In those days is was 'Group Only'.) While the paraffinics from that era might have a VI around 80 or less, some naphthenic VIs calculate to negative numbers.

I looked at some other old stuff (I love the inter-tubes!) and found that a tractor engine oil recommendation with a an SUS vis @ 100F of 460, which is roughly equivalent to a modern ISO 100.

It also lent some evidence to the notion that the 'Light/Medium/Heavy' classifications were actually the industry standards of the day. Mobil still uses those classifications for some of their more venerable industrial oils.

Light - ISO 32
Medium - ISO 46
Heavy Medium - ISO 68
Heavy - ISO 100

So the vis might be an ISO 46. Regardless, viscosity is going to be key here. A food-grade ISO 46 or 68 circulating oil, with no EP or AW additives and definitely no detergents might be good staring point.

Good luck, sounds like a cool project.

Thanks for all the replies.
From further research, it seems that "medium" engine oil in the '20s would have been around SAE 40 (ISO 150). We are going to try a bio-based ISO 150 circulating oil and see how it works.
Thanks again,
Andy

Food grade, right?

Hi,

If the ambient temp is aprox. 30 C, I would go for an SAE 30 or ISO VG 100 type, rather than SAE 40 an ISO VG 150.

Hussam