So I tried the oil trick to restore the tackiness to my H3N national and it worked like a charm-- way better than Revolution Bio cleaner! I used hair clipper lubricant, which I presume is mineral oil, and put three coats. It easily picks up a ball again when clean.
Is if there is any risk of mineral oil setting off chemical sniffers in a tournament?
What there is a risk of is, if you add mineral oil too often, it having a different effect on the rubber. Part of why, a small amount once in a while works is that it damages the rubber molecules and causes there to be more fragment molecules which, if there is a certain number of rubber molecules like that, the rubber will be more grippy. But, if you add the oil, repeatedly, over time, it will cause the topsheet to be less elastic (less stretchy) and eventually, more brittle. As that happens, it will also become less grippy as well.
If what you are using is ACTUALLY mineral oil, you should be able to put it on your skin, drink it, and be fine. It should be safe. The chemical detectors should be sensing VOCs: volitile organic compounds. If there were VOCs in the oil you used, it would be fairly flammable and it would be something you would not want to put on your skin or swallow. It would also make you feel "high" if you were smelling it. I highly doubt they would use a VOC in an oil that was meant to lubricate the blades of a hair clipper. Really all you would want for that is a very thin, non-viscous oil that lets the blades move freely after it is applied. A VOC oil would evaporate leaving a residue making it harder for the blades to move.
But I would not just use an oil without reading and/or researching the ingredients used in the product carefully before using.
