Comment by OutOfHere
18 hours ago
It or its variants probably contains PFAS which probably makes it hazardous to spray. Also, I suspect that breathing its ambient vapor while spraying it is is bad for the body and brain.
Canola oil works in practice for basic tasks, but requires routine reapplication.
WD-40 classic does not contain PFAS. Which is not to say you should breath it in.
> Canola oil works super well in practice without any of these risks.
I cannot advise enough against using canola oil for most lubrication purposes. It's biodegradable and will break down (good for some applications) but for the most part oil breaking down is a bad thing if you want to keep something well maintained. It would gum up over time, start reacting chemically with dust or other chemicals, and potentially even cause damage. Especially if you lubricate to prevent rust.
Also, in the context of breaking loose bolts, oil alone doesn't have any capacity to break up or penetrate rust.
canola is good for lubricating your paper shredder and very little else.
I have used it on doors for years with zero trouble. Granted, I have to reapply every four months. It is infinitely safer than the toxic brew that is WD40.
Do not use canola oil for most lubrication tasks. You should almost always be using lithium grease.
Spray on white lithium grease works for most "architectural" or furniture uses (ex: door hinges, gas springs on chairs, garage door rails and chain, etc).
For anything constantly moving (ex: gearboxes or bearings) you want a more viscous lithium grease (ex: red n tacky or lucas xtra/green).
But in pretty much every situation (on land) you want to be using a form of lithium grease if you want to actually keep the interface lubricated.
Thanks. Is that better than silicone?
Depends on your use case. White lithium is better for metal on metal and silicone works better for plastic and rubber applications
It is, but it also stains forever anything it touches.
> Canola oil works in practice for basic tasks
From childhood experience, thinking all oils were the same, absolutely not. It goes rancid and gums up after some time.