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Sat Nov 14, 2015 11:22 pm

Finally, a dedicated thread for the mythical peanut oil exhaust anti rust threatment!
What have you done, what step did you take, and of course plenty of pictures, just cause everybody wants pictures! Its always way more interesting!
For those that have done it, can you show a pic of your exhaust and how many years ago did you do the threatment?
And of course, what is that makes the peanut oil work?

TK, this thread is dedicated to you. After so many years advocating the virtues of the seasoning of the exhaust with peanut oil, now you can direct people to this one.

The info is scattered in numerous threads and hard to find, see here:

Search words: peanut oil
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/search.php?search_keywords=Peanut+oil&search_forum=20

Even with google not much is found (besides thesamba):
https://www.google.ca/search?biw=1024&bih=648&...3c6nbPCxtY

Thanks in advance!

Sat Nov 14, 2015 11:27 pm

What needs to be identified first is the flash point of peanut oil (the temp it ignites and burns), and the temp of the exhaust. I could see oil of many types preventing corrosion of bare metal. But I would have to be convinced that the oil would not burn off. Interesting, though.

DougM

Sat Nov 14, 2015 11:45 pm

IdahoDoug wrote: What needs to be identified first is the flash point of peanut oil (the temp it ignites and burns), and the temp of the exhaust. I could see oil of many types preventing corrosion of bare metal. But I would have to be convinced that the oil would not burn off. Interesting, though.

DougM
Yeah i hear you Doug, at this point i don't understand how it works.
What i have read is that the peanut oil stays in the metal after been heated and will help prevent rust...
Someone had mentionned he did the seasoning 4 times in the oven with a new exhaust part, and it stayed in a dark colored metal....
Now... Does it really work?

Sat Nov 14, 2015 11:47 pm

I have done it.
It works.
Repeat applications and heat cycles will build a coating.

No pics of this...plenty of pics of pipes with header wrap though :lol:

Sun Nov 15, 2015 5:14 am

Make sure you place the certified sticker

"Peanut in stainless steel on FF"

So that those with peanut allergies know to not drive behind you.

In NY, the acronym is usually used.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 7:16 am

The peanut oil rustproofing has been around for longer than you can imagine--

Ever season a cast iron frying pan?

Heat, oil, heat, oil, and some more heat.

The frying pan will never rust.

So, in essence your seasoning your exhaust system to keep it as rust free as possible just as anyone would season a frying pan.

The steel absorbs the peanut oil with a couple of heating cycles.

A real easy to use preventative measure, that doesn't take to long to get good results--and it won't flake, chip, or peel off---

Not at all a difficult concept, not expensive, not on the EPA lists of stuff you can't use, and it works quite well.

Try it--you'll like it.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:35 am

Terry Kay wrote:

Ever season a cast iron frying pan?

Heat, oil, heat, oil, and some more heat.

The frying pan will never rust.

Exactamondo :wink:

Thanks TK, most sound grasp that description.

As far as flash point goes...don't worry about it, change your fuel lines and ditch the plastic fuel rails, those are what you should be worried about fire wise.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:50 am

Why peanut oil? I've seasoned cast iron skillets with olive oil or vegetable oil.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:56 am

The peanut oil is all I have ever used--

Try Crisco, or Armor Lard If you'd like--whatever trips your trigger.

The peanut oil smells good I guess, and I do know that it works.

You can experiment with anything you like.

Then report back with the long term results please.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 9:12 am

The skillet example is to show how the "seasoning" prevents rust and is more of a household example.

10 to 1 says the lard will ignite.
Olive oil doesn't have a high enough burn point for this.
Same as with cooking.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 9:17 am

Neat--

Pure Lard Flames blowing outa the back end of the Van--

This will give the tailgating fools something to think about--wake them up anyway-- :wink:

Sun Nov 15, 2015 9:20 am

Call Cheech and Tommy...we could film the sequel....Up in Smoke2 :wink:

Sun Nov 15, 2015 9:28 am

Perfect--

U-Tubia Extravaganza----

Flames on Broadway-- :shock:

Sun Nov 15, 2015 10:22 am

So, it's the Terry and Dylan show. I'm looking for more than "It works, trust us" here. Oil has a flash point and when heated to that point burns off. Steel is a solid and things don't readily "soak into" solids and become one with them on a permanent basis.

So, I'm having trouble accepting this without some attempt to explain the science from you guys.

Well respected paint and coating companies routinely try to develop paint coatings for exhaust that routinely fail in the real world. These are companies with chemical engineers and big budgets and they fail to develop exhaust coatings. So, I (and others here I'm sure) have a hard time accepting that a random member of the legume family has magical properties to coat super hot steel against rust.

Doug

Sun Nov 15, 2015 10:23 am

I have yet to use any oils on my exhaust, but I plan to the next time I replace it. I have yet to read the proper technique; does one simply brush/slather it on, then drive around to heat it up? Are periodic reapplications required?

I do know that peanut and canola oils both have very high smoking points, the temperature at which they begin to break down and burn off, so are considered by cooks to be the best choice for pan frying or deep-frying foods like fish, etc..

Sun Nov 15, 2015 10:47 am

I would think there is a danger of fire from heating any oil to its smoke point.
Here are the smoke points of different cooking oils:

But as far as seasoning: apparently there is more to it than that. It seems you want an oil that will polymerize (form a hard plastic surface).
http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

Sun Nov 15, 2015 11:08 am

IdahoDoug wrote: So, it's the Terry and Dylan show. I'm looking for more than "It works, trust us" here. Oil has a flash point and when heated to that point burns off. Steel is a solid and things don't readily "soak into" solids and become one with them on a permanent basis.

So, obviously you are not the chef of the past or future.

If you don't care for it works, slide over to you tube & search cast iron frying pan seasoning, frying pan seasoning, google it, whatever.

There you'll find all of the information you'll ever need Doug, and then some.

If you have never heard of this, truely you have been under a big rock.

I've got a few old cast iron frying pans that were my Great Grandmothers.
She seasoned them with peanut oil, she told me so, and to this day they have not one spot of rust on them.

Steel doesn't absorb anything.
OK.
Blow some WD 40 on a naked piece of steel, wipe it off, and try and prime it.

Let me know what happens.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 11:14 am

IdahoDoug wrote: So, it's the Terry and Dylan show. I'm looking for more than "It works, trust us" here. Oil has a flash point and when heated to that point burns off. Steel is a solid and things don't readily "soak into" solids and become one with them on a permanent basis.

So, I'm having trouble accepting this without some attempt to explain the science from you guys.

Well respected paint and coating companies routinely try to develop paint coatings for exhaust that routinely fail in the real world. These are companies with chemical engineers and big budgets and they fail to develop exhaust coatings. So, I (and others here I'm sure) have a hard time accepting that a random member of the legume family has magical properties to coat super hot steel against rust.

Doug

You are continually looking for some sort of evidence.
Go buy some oil and put it on your exhaust.
Why don't you actually try this, take the time to post pictures, do all the scientific testing needed and share a bit.

The iDoug show wouldn't make it past the pilot stage thus far :!:

TK and I are in syndication.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 11:15 am

Jeffrey Lee wrote: I have yet to use any oils on my exhaust, but I plan to the next time I replace it. I have yet to read the proper technique; does one simply brush/slather it on, then drive around to heat it up? Are periodic reapplications required?

Read the post I wrote about how to do this seasoning---heat cycles .
About 6 messages back.

If you want slap the peanut oil on once a year.
It's a guick job.
Not time consuming.

I just thought about something for Doug.
You want documentation of this process, slide over to Vanagon.com about 20 years back.
This is where it all started, this is where it was introduced.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 12:03 pm

I've used vegetable oil to season the Scout Troop's cast iron, as well as my own, by wiping it on and baking it in the oven. Unfortunately, we had a Scout with a peanut allergy, so I never used peanut oil. The oil will, in fact, harden to a semi-durable finish. I don't know how it would hold up to road salt and mud spray, but it is a sound approach for ferrous metals.