Comment by Loughla
19 hours ago
WD-40's advantage is that it's not terrible to get on your skin when you're out working, and it's cheap.
The people who use it are looking for cheap, mostly.
Source: farming. We have many different lubes and penetrating products for when we're in the actual shop, but in the field, nothing beats wd-40 for getting back to work fast, or unsticking some shit when all you have is a hammer and you just know when that fucking bolt comes loose it's going to throw rust and dirt all over your face.
The caveat is use the right one for the right job. There's a meme that if its not moving but its supposed to you need WD-40... well you need Silicone WD-40 or any silicone based oil like for a garage. If you use regular WD-40 in a garage it is a degreaser essentially, and your squeaking goes away momentarily, and then comes back. After I learned this, you have no idea how much silicone WD-40 I had to put in my garage to make the squeaking stop for good.
I'm unsure what your definition of "cheap" is for WD-40 but I find it to be very overpriced. If I need a universal lubricant that is readily available and cheap, I just use used motor oil.
> If I need a universal lubricant that is readily available and cheap, I just use used motor oil.
Why? Used motor oil is, well, used. It contains metal particles from the engine and combustion byproducts, which is why it was replaced in the first place. Granted, most lubrication applications aren't the marvels of precision parts moving at high speed that a modern engine is so can probably make do with poorer oil, but still.
You can buy industrial lubricants in bulk for pretty cheap so that unless you use huge quantities of it, it shouldn't make much difference.
As an aside, my aunt's husband worked more or less his entire career in a heavy truck repair shop. And he had an oil burner heating his house (you can see where this is going, eh?). So he got used engine oil for free, the shop was happy to get rid of it as disposing of it properly cost money. I think burning used engine oil was illegal already back then due to the pollution, and nowadays I think they have some government mandated accounting system to ensure that the same amount of oil is sent to proper recycling as comes in.
You're right about getting industrial lubricants in bulk for cheap. But I don't need 55 gallons of lubricant. I'd never use it all nor do I want to store it.
Used engine oil isn't really suitable for lubricating an engine anymore but it's fine for a temporary lubricant of a drill bit, some random hinge on a gate, or stubborn bushing on a piece of equipment. Engine oil is only really replaced on an engine because at some point it degrades enough that things like oil film bearings in the crankshaft would start to fail. A bushing on something like a small dump trailer doesn't rotate at 2300 rpm.
I thought WD-40 was more a solvent than lubricant
The WD in WD-40 stands for "water displacer." It makes water go somewhere else. Secondarily, it is a solvent, and it's great for dissolving glues, like the glue used to affix government-issued tax licenses to automobiles. It's not really a lubricant, but in a pinch it can temporarily function as one.
I like Swiss army knives, but they collect lint and gunk from my pockets. I use WD-40 to dissolve gunk, and to drive out water after an ultrasonic bath, but I lubricate with the light machine oil used for barber's clippers.
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Yeah, it mostly evaporates and only leaves a thin film behind. It's better than nothing if there's no lubricant in place, but will actually make things worse if there is a functional lubricant in place.
Used motor oil isn’t sold in aerosol cans with a little red straw for precision application. You aren’t just buying the liquid.
I just bought a little bottle I can squeeze from harbor freight. One drop is usually enough. If I need to I can give it a big squeeze and get a bunch out.
On the other hand I can't dip a pin or whatever in an aerosol can like I can a bucket.
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Motor oil doesn’t spray too well.
(Yes, you can buy bulk wd-40 liquid and put into a branded or unbranded sprayer)
Sparying oil is bad - it just collects dust. Oil what needs oil only
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Isn’t that carcinogenic?
Isn't a pretty wide range of products you'd use for this? I guess vegetable oil isn't and it works fine. Fluidfilm I don't think is either. I wear PPE for this reason however.
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Only if it's used and only if it's ingested.
Clean motor oil is not actually that harmful if swallowed - it only carcinogenic because of all the metals and carbon it builds up when in the motor.
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Before I got serious with fixing and building things at home, WD-40 was a catchall panacea you sprayed on stuff to make it work.
If it moves and it shouldn't: duct tape
If it doesn't move and it should: WD-40
If it jams, force it. If it breaks it needed replacement anyway.
And remember, if they don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!
It was, but it still is, too
Not only does WD make something work, it makes it smell good, too!
https://smellslikewd40.com
sprayed on motherboard and ssd. didn't work at all
silly goose, everyone knows you have to use fresh lemon juice on motherboards and ssds. the electrolytes from the lemon help speed up and cleanse the circuitry.
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In many cases I think Ballistol is better: great lubricant, food safe, works as solvent in many cases, relatively cheap. It does have a funny smell.
The diversity of expertise on this 'SW/tech-focused forum' continues to amaze me