A pneumatic tool lubricant (or pneumatic tool lube) is very important for smooth, efficient and durable functioning of your pneumatic equipment. The main characteristic of the pneumatic tool lubricants is their ability to withstand high or low operating pressure without decomposing or loosing lubricating property.

You can use natural or synthetic lubricants for pneumatic tool lubrication purposes. However, synthetic lubes and their blends are more useful for extreme operating conditions.

Some important parameters you must consider before buy a pneumatic tool lubricant are:

1. Machinery or equipment for which you want to use pneumatic tool lube
2. Operating conditions: temperature and pressure
3. Method of application of the pneumatic tool lubes
4. Properties of the pneumatic tool lube such as viscosity, flash point, pour point and fire point
5. Requirement of additional features such as cleaning ability, anti-freeze properties

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy lubricants from a reputable pneumatic tool lubricant manufacturer

Once you understand your requirements and have enough pneumatic tool lubricant information, check out lubes offered by reputable manufacturers.

I recommend: Acculube, a reputable synthetic lube manufacturer, offers compressor oils for lubrication and cooling of rotary screw compressors. Bel-Ray Company is another lube manufacturer that supplies gear lubricants, chain lubricants, compressor oils and greases. Stanley-Bostitch is a manufacturer of fastening tools that also supplies pneumatic tool lubricants. Accro-Seal supplies polymers that can provide better lubrication for pneumatic tool equipment. Other companies that offer pneumatic tool lubricants are Workmaster and Commercial Oil.

Buy pneumatic tool lubricants from reputable distributors or retailers

You can buy a pneumatic lubricant at reputable distributors and retailers of lubricants. You can also check out the lubricant application tools for various categories of pneumatic lubricants.

I recommend: Air Engineering, a reputable distributor of air compressor and accessories, provides synthetic, synthetic-blend and specialty petroleum based lubricants. Kano Laboratories is an industrial supplier that offers a variety of lubricants including pneumatic tool lubricants. You can also buy a pneumatic tool lubricant online at other distributors such as Toolfetch and San Tex Cutting Tools.

Consult companies that have expertise in pneumatic tool lubrication

For extreme operating conditions, consult experts from reputable lube manufacturers. Some lube manufacturers formulate synthetic lubes or their blends for specialty application requirements.

I recommend: H&B Industries, a reputable chemical supplier, offers custom blended lubricants that can sustain high temperatures. With the help of certified lubrication specialist, Sun Coast Resources can provide consultancy for lubrication of your pneumatic tool equipment. For very low temperature applications where other pneumatic tool lubricants may fail due to freezing, you can use anti-freeze lubricants by Kilfrost. Schaeffer Manufacturing is a reputable lube supplier that offers synthetic, non-detergent, anti-wear lubricants for compressors. You can also buy blended synthetic compressor oil at DSI Ventures.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Refer to the pneumatic tool lubricant MSDS (material safety data sheet) to understand properties, applications and hazardousness of the lube.
• •  Periodic lubrication for pneumatic tool machinery is necessary to avoid breakdown instances.