Renewable resources like methyl oleate are studied as feedstock for biofriendly lubricants. A crucial point in this study is the transfer from lab-scale results to a scale where new lubricants may be produced on a larger scale. Tens of liters are needed for sound tribological characterization. In the talk, issues will be discussed such as the selection of stirrers for the more technical scale, or the recycling of the spent catalysts.