Comment by linsomniac
12 hours ago
A coworker was asking if someone had some WD40 they could bring in because his chair was squeaking. "I do, but I'll bring in something else for your chair." Another coworker asked "Are you one of those guys that believes WD40 isn't a lubricant?" to which I answered "Absolutely."
WD40 is absolutely a lubricant (water is a lubricant even), but a poor one
And when the WD40 you sprayed dries out, and it will, all that is left are sharp little crystals, and these are the source of future squeaking.
In artillery and similar massive pressure applications are used chlorine based lubricants. These have the ultimate performance as the chlorine firmly attaches to the metal, but it also destroys the surface immediately (which is not a problem in an one shot application). Would you argue that these are not lubricants because of that?
That does not make WD40 a non lubricant, but a poor lubricant. It does lubricate moderately for a small period of time.
What did you use instead of wd40?
I brought in some spray lithium grease and he was happy with the results.