Ballistol

Normally, I do not recommend products but this stuff here is so versatile that it needs to be shown. I ran into it in a shop for hunting supplies which sold it as a cleaning and lubrication agent for weapons.

Ballistol is a resin free universal oil with a million other uses. It's made by a company called F.W. Klever in Bavaria and can be purchased in spray cans and large volume bottles. The color is clear to a hint of yellow and it smells more like a pine tree than engine oil. Here's what it has done in my household..

Lubrication of bearings

Ever ran into the noise of ball bearings running dry in a computer (usually in the power supply)? Open it up, carefully pull the sticker on top of the fan rotor which ususally exposes the bearing. Pour a few drops into the bearing and reattach the sticker (or cut a new one from tape). This usually gives the bearing another lease on life!

Leather protection

This is probably the first thing I did with it. When riding a motorcycle in the tropics I took my leather gloves. One day, after returning from vacation, I found the gloves to be covered entirely with mould and being as rigid as a sheet of metal.
I brushed off the mould with a sponge and then started to carefully apply Ballistol, massaging it into the leather. Within no time, the leather was as soft as on day one and I am still using the same set of gloves today!

Vehicle protection

Before stowing the bike away for winter, I apply a thin coat of Ballistol and distribute it with a soft cloth. This protects the bike from corrosion. As an added benefit, the thin layer makes it easier to remove insects that stick to the headlights in spring.

Burn treatment

I have used the medical version of Ballistol (Neo Ballistol) to treat a burn on my finger that I got when touching a part of the barbecue. The pain died quickly and the wound developed much milder than what I would have expected. If I did not have Neo Ballistol, I'd have no concerns using the regular stuff as well. 

Restoration of old electronic equipment

I have used Ballistol both as a cleaning agent and a finish for housings, buttons and knobs of vintage Ham radio and measurement equipment. As well it works awesome for lubrication of mechanical bearings in my TS830.

Be careful never to use a non resin free oil here as it will leave a sticky residue which might break the device. Don't use it on potentiometers of course, there is a specialized chemical for that which I might present another day. 

More uses

Their German website has a database with more applications that people have found for it. I did not find a translation into English but apparently it can do almost everything from curing sore horse skin to removing stains.

Just to be clear: I am not in any way related to the company, I just use their product since many years. Their website has a link to a list of international distributors if you want to experiment with it.