Canola Oil?!? Really?

I've recently been seeing an increase in unexplainable jams while printing with PLA. My Nozzle is clean of any blockages and there are no lumps in my filament. The tube is clean of dust and debris. I've been searching some of the other forums and found this:

[groups.google.com]

Apparently putting a dab of canola oil on the end of your filament as you load it into the printer will help avoid jams. Has anyone here heard of this? If so can they give me some more information on how well it works before I do something that is (potentially) really stupid like give my filament an oil bath?

Edit: there are errors in the temperature ranges in the links provide.

After watching a video of a Nylon part softening in mineral oil, and sticking to it's self while immersed in the oil;
I got the idea that oil might be useful for adhesion, and work as an antioxidant in the barrel of the extruder.

It makes sense that an oil could help to prevent clogging of the nozzle, as it's a lubricant.

The boiling-point range for white mineral oil is 218 to 643 degrees C (424 to 1,189 degrees F).
[www.ehow.com]

Testing the melting point of Shapeways WSF
[www.youtube.com]

Mineral oil
[en.wikipedia.org]

The flash point of a volatile material is the lowest temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air.
Medicinal grade oils have a flash point of 185 to 122 degrees C (365 to 430 degrees F).
Technical grade oils have a flash point of 171 to 185 degrees C (340 to 365 degrees F).
[en.wikipedia.org]

Of all the vegetable oils Safflower oil is among the top that can handle the most heat.
Safflower oil (refined) smoke point is 510°F (266°C)
But I think your pet will try to eat it if it smells like food.
[en.wikipedia.org]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2013 03:40PM by A2.

I have been wiping canola oil on my filament for several months primarily to reduce friction in the bowden tube. I can confirm, it works.

Canola oil is cheap and has a relatively high smoke point. Used in small amounts, I have not noticed any ill effects on prints. As long as you don't go above the smoke point, I don't believe that it leaves any residues in the hotend either.

this is somthing some of the up! people have been doing for a while to get their printers printing with pla reliably

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Oil attracts dust, so I wouldn't recommend precoating a coil of filament.
Add a small box ahead of the extruder to contain a foam pad soaked in oil, and run the filament through a hole in the box.

Filament Dust filte
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[www.thingiverse.com]
[www.thingiverse.com]

A2: the up! guys just dip the end of the filament in the oil before feeding it into the extruder, some have even ventured into using other oils and the proper extrusion lubricants as used in the big extrusion machines

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