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The blades in 2 out of 4 jars of our Mixer Grinder stuck within two months of its purchase and we put the jars aside as the blades stopped rotating.

I think WD-40 will do a good job (I tried it on one of them and it worked immediately), but my mother worries that it might be harmful.

Could anybody tell me if I was right and suggest the best thing to loosen them? By the way, loosening bolts with the plastic tool the company provided never worked.

Update: I should have used coconut oil or vegetable oil, but I think it attracts dust and worsens the problem if we don't use the jar for sometime.

Niall C.
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Netizen
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    Food grade mineral oil is probably what you want to use, to prevent rancidity and rusting issues. –  Aug 02 '16 at 14:13
  • @Ben Welborn Will WD-40 which I already applied inside one of the jars cause any harm for health or anything as such? – Netizen Aug 02 '16 at 14:48
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    [WD-40 contains](http://www.wd40.com.au/wp-content/downloads/sds-tds/WD-40_Aerosol_AUNZ-GHS_SDS.pdf) naphtha, hydrodesulfurized heavy; 1,2,4-trimethyl benzene; 1,3,5-trimethyl benzene; mixed xylene isomers; and surfactant, which are not for food use. WD-40 can harm/dissolve certain plastics and rubbers (perhaps used in your blender). FDA only allows food grade mineral to be used for lubricating food processing equipment. Now, I know that this is not a food facility, but WD-40 isn't food grade. I think the toxicity of WD-40 is relatively minor, but I would definitely opt for mineral oil. – Ben Welborn Aug 02 '16 at 15:00
  • You are going to clean it before using it? WD-40 is only mildly toxic. – paparazzo Aug 02 '16 at 15:08
  • Of course, already cleaned with detergent powder and dish wash bars. – Netizen Aug 02 '16 at 15:23
  • I an not a Dr and don't take this as medical advice but I cannot imagine there is enough WD-40 left over to hurt anyone. – paparazzo Aug 02 '16 at 15:37
  • @BenWelborn, I'd love to upvote your comment as an answer... and a few thers apparently as well. Welcome to Stack Exchange, btw.! – Stephie Aug 02 '16 at 19:59
  • @Stephie He is a top answerer in the SE's home improvement community, i.e., http://diy.stackexchange.com/ :) – Netizen Aug 02 '16 at 21:50
  • Thanks for your help, @BenWelborn, Paparazzi and Stephie – Netizen Aug 02 '16 at 21:51
  • @IamSJ - Yet Ben is new at Seasoned Advice. I made a mistake and wrote "Stack Exchange" instead. Thanks for the hint. And welcome to Seasoned Advice! – Stephie Aug 03 '16 at 04:36
  • *within two months of its purchase*? Bring it back and demand a refund. –  Aug 03 '16 at 11:18

2 Answers2

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WD-40 contains naphtha, hydrodesulfurized heavy; 1,2,4-trimethyl benzene; 1,3,5-trimethyl benzene; mixed xylene isomers; and surfactant, which are not for food use. WD-40 can harm/dissolve certain plastics and rubbers (perhaps used in your blender).

I think the toxicity of WD-40 is relatively minor, but essentially, WD-40 isn't food grade. Now, I know that this is not a food facility, but I would definitely opt for food grade mineral oil to prevent rancidity and rusting issues. FDA Code of Federal Regulations 178.3570 allows food grade mineral to be used for lubricating food processing equipment, and USP grade mineral oil happens to be the primary lubricant in the industry (I'd guess at least 90% of the lubrication is done with mineral oil).

CFR 178.3570 also allows use of naturally-sourced fatty acids (like capric acid, caprylic acid and caproic acid, which are more for antibacterial applications, and can/will cause corrosion issues), polybutene (maybe for electronic parts), isopropyl oleate (pricey), and castor oil (which is gummy, can become rancid, and induces cramping). The petrolatum that is mentioned is USP grade (CAS Number: 8009-03-8) which is basically vaseline; and it is only for use in "as a protective coating of the surfaces of metal or wood tanks used in fermentation process". The rest of the lubricants that are mentioned in CFR 178.3570 are not actually lubricants (more like, antibiotic soaps and chealating agents) or are simply exotic materials (even for industrial manufacturers).

So, what I'm saying (to be 100% clear) is that USP mineral oil is the only realistic lubricant allowed by FDA. Isopropyl oleate would be my second choice, but the price is going to be about 10 fold higher than mineral oil, and castor oil would be my third choice for reasons mentioned above. The rest of the "lubricants" are basically industrial-use lubricant additives (used in very minor amounts for more specific applications).

Ben Welborn
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  • Thanks! Could you tell me if caster oil attracts dust just like coconut oil and vegetable oils? – Netizen Aug 03 '16 at 15:15
  • @IamSJ Oils don't really attract dust, but I understand your meaning. Yes. Oils will collect dust. Mineral oil and Castor oil will both become gummy, but mineral oil will take longer to become gummy than castor oil, and certainly longer than other natural oils. Castor oil is actually pretty thick and almost gummy to begin with. It's not a good lubricant. – Ben Welborn Aug 03 '16 at 15:25
  • @IamSJ isopropyl oleate is made via an esterification reaction with essentially isopropanol and oleic acid. The esterified product (isopropyl oleate) has lower viscosity, and can be mixed with castor oil or mineral oil. – Ben Welborn Aug 03 '16 at 15:30
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WD-40 is a solvent and would remove whatever was causing the blades to grind, but I would clean it out afterwards and use oil as a lubricant.

Quinto
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