As most everyone knows, petroleum-based oils are pumped out of the ground as crude oil. The crude is then refined to remove contaminants and impurities. This is repeated until the desired level of purity is reached. All petroleum-based oils have a certain level of impurities. Petroleum-based sewing machine oil is a mixture of hydrocarbon chains of varying lengths and a very small percentage of impurities such as wax and sulfur. When this type of oil evaporates it leaves behind these impurities and over time, with repeated oiling, will cause a buildup of sticky residue. Up until the advent of synthetic oil, such petroleum-based oil has provided a good solution for lubricating sewing machines. Synthetic oils are manufactured to produce hydrocarbon chains that are, for all practical purposes, the same length and are essentially free of impurities. There is no residue buildup when synthetic oil evaporates. In addition, the identical chains ensure that synthetic is "slicker" than petroleum-based oil. The reason I am writing all this background is to emphasize that synthetic oil has become the best solution for sewing machine lubrication.
Liberty Oil is sold as 100% synthetic oil in different sizes and applicator lengths. The manufacturer states that it contains "two friction modifiers". I don't know exactly what that means in the context of the 100% synthetic claim. This particular item is packaged in a 1 oz flexible soft plastic bottle with a 1 1/2" stainless steel applicator. The applicator is a fairly sharp needle that is thin enough and long enough to easily access what would normally be hard to reach oiling points. It could be my imagination, but my machine seems to run quieter with synthetic oil than it did with petroleum oil. I am very happy with this purchase. Synthetic oil is the way to go...five stars.
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