New Oxford Bantam 150

[madkayaker]

The reason there full of oil is to get a very high duty cycle as in all day at full wack! For less than that you could run it air called with little risk of problems. I have a 220A air-cooled and have never managed to get it hot enough to be worried about it and there is no fan etc

 

[penfold]

Be aware that old oil cooled oil can contain pcb's which is really nasty stuff! there should be room for the oil to expand as it heats up which is why there is breathers on the top of the tank. I have access to used but good for lv work oil (pcb free) if I had seen you needed some could have meet up as I live near Penrith!

In the UK, closed uses of PCBs in new equipment were banned in 1981, when nearly all UK PCB synthesis ceased, but closed uses in existing equipment containing in excess of 5 litres of PCBs were not stopped until December 2000.[26]

When was yours built?

How can they enter my body?

PCBs can enter your body in three ways:
by direct contact with the skin. PCBs pass easily through intact skin, so this is likely to be the main way they get into your body;
by breathing in fumes, spray or droplets if PCB-containing equipment is being cut or heated;
by swallowing PCBs if you eat, drink or smoke in the workplace.

How can they Affect my health?

If you are repeatedly exposed to PCBs they can gradually build up in your body. PCBs can cause a skin condition called chloracne, which produces pustules, blackheads and cysts. In animals PCBs can cause damage to the liver, reduce the ability to fight infection, as well as other effects. Apart from chloracne, none of the range of effects seen in animals has been seen in people working with PCBs, although it is possible that they could occur if high exposures were to occur.

Short answer; don't bathe in it and don't breathe in the fumes in the very unlikely event of you overheating it. the EA says this about PCBs. You can test for PCBs yourself.