My first thought is for you to consult with a petro-chemist to see if oil breaks down. If it doesn't, and still protects the machinery, why mess with a good thing. That said, I know oil settles, and the equipment may seize anyway. You did not say what type of machinery, so I am taking a broad stab here. I have worked or dealt with several historic mining properties. What one group thinks will never be run again may change in the future. At the Quincy Mine Hoist in Hancock, MI they have the worlds largest steam hoist. It would be great to see run, but can not because of cost to replace lost or seized items. Here at the Soudan mine, everything was kept in working order when it closed, and we are able to offer our tours ½ mile underground because of that foresight. Yet we too have some items we can't run, our crusher, our larry cars, etc. In a nut shell, even if you plan to not run the item, if you can keep it in operating order, or at least mothball it in a way so it may be later operated, it will be appreciated down the road. Richard A. Fields Mine Interpretive Supervisor Soudan Underground Mine State Park P.O. Box 335 Soudan, MN 55782 (218) 753-2245/ Fax 2246 http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/parks_and_recreation/state_parks/soudan_underground_mine/index.html >>> [log in to unmask] 08/12/02 12:49PM >>> Hello, all, I have a question about 60-year-old+ oil in machinery. The questions deals specifically with machinery at the Kennecott Mine in Alaska. There are no plans to ever run the machinery again, but the question is whether to drain the oil and replace it with synthetic, drain the oil and leave the machinery empty (not my choice because I think the parts would rust immediately in the climate here), or leave it alone. There's not a problem with leakage or containment at this point because all of the machinery have catch basins underneath. It's not an environmental issue at the moment, but a preservation one. Has anyone had any experience with this sort of thing? Thanks, Amy. Amy Marshall Curator Wrangell-St. Elias National Park/Preserve ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).