disclosure: I work in automotive trade craft as a diesel mechanic and I dont care to have WD40 in my shop at all for a few reasons:
0. It is a solvent, not a lubricant. This is often lost on apprentices until they wear out a drive chain or blow up a firearm. WD40 does a terrible job of blurring that line. even the article touts it several times as a lubricant :(
1. it absolutely CAN NOT be used around hot work, unlike most other lubricants like ND999. cans --aerosol or not-- are treated just like a can of petrol.
2. Again, it is stunningly flammable both in and out of its aerosol form because its mostly kerosene. That means aerosol vapors floating around a powdercoat setup, an open flame, or any ignition spark, will cause it to catch fire. if your apprentice just hosed down a part with WD40 and you need to take a torch to it, youre going to have a bad time.
Haha. Yep. WD-40 is petroleum distillates and for DIY noobs.
Penetrating oil for not hot work: 90/10 vegetable oil + acetone. Much better than commercial products and very cheap. IIRC it was tested on ProjectFarm (I maybe mistaken) and written up in a Drexel paper. [0]
Machinist's Workshop - April/May 2007 says 50/50 ATF + acetone, which requires mixing before use.
It is a lubricant, just a bad one. It is good for things that primarily need corrosion protection and cleaning and don't really need lubrication, but could benefit from it. Something like a pair of pliers. Or the outer skin of a missile. But yes, it's not good for parts where the primary goal is lubrication.
Ha, its properties as a solvent are the reason I keep it around. It works better than anything I've tried—isopropyl, acetone, mineral spirits—at dissolving residue left after peeling various stickers off new purchases.
It's pretty bad at everything tbh. All it can do is done better by other products. It's just cheap and readily available, I wouldn't use it on anything of value.
Correction: article asserts that the Atlas ICBM was the first operational intercontinental missile. This is incorrect -- that honour belongs to the R-7 Semyorka, which beat it by several months and which is still in service today as the Soyuz launch vehicle.
(Yes, there's a thing called Atlas-5 that flies satellites: it's hard to see any engineering similarities between it and the original ICBM of that name; unlike the Soyuz vehicle, Which was a terrible, bad, no-good ICBM -- it took about 6 hours to fuel up and prep for launch, on pads which were 4 hours from the USSR's border as the B-52 flies -- but turned out to be a really good satellite launcher.)
Both R-7 and Atlas SM-65 were difficult to keep in a state of launch readiness and were not capable of being launched at a moment's notice (unless a "moment" is between 6 and 12 hours). This was somewhat expected as they were essentially "version 1.0" of the ICBM launch vehicle. Later generations were considerably improved.
Atlas evolved quite a bit over the years. They added Centaur to the top. They changed from the stage and a half staging. They added solid rocket boosters. They went from balloon tanks to iso grid based rigid tanks.
The biggest myth about WD-40 is that it is a lubricant, which is not what it is for. You are much better off lubricating with teflon or silicone based products, 3-in-1 oil, or straight mineral oil. I use WD-40 mostly on my boat for corrosion protection of moving parts.
people looove to say this, we have all heard it, but it does lubricate. if you have a dry bike or motorcycle chain and only wd40 on hand use it, it works. just be sure to get a better chain lubricant quick or keep applying the wd40 every day because it doesn’t stick around very long.
Last year a co-worker asked me if I could bring in some WD-40 for him. I asked what he was going to use it for; I always try to understand the problem someone is trying to solve.
He said his chair was squeaking, so I suggested lithium grease instead. Another coworker said "Are you one of those WD-40-isn't-a-lubricant guys?" I immediately replied "Absolutely".
Someone I knew of used WD-40 on their squeaky chair in their office, which triggered the gas sensor in the fire system. Which caused a full fire alarm, evacuation, and activation of the DR site. Whoops.
>The WD part of the name was descriptive for what the coating did to Water, which was Displace it, and it took the company 40 tries to get it right. I bet you can figure it out from there
Smells like marketing to me, it just doesn't need 40 attempts to come up with a simple mix of kerosene and mineral oil.
I bet the old timers used to mix their own variations long before WD-40 came on the scene.
It contains a lot of solvent (kerosene) and a smaller amount of light lubricant. One problem is that it tends to wash away heavier greases and oils that provide more persistent lubrication to things like hinges and bike chains. Then, the light lubricant is not very persistent. It can flow out of where you put it, leaving streaks, and it attracts dust.
I mostly use it to clean parts before using a proper lubricant. A much better light spray lubricant is Tri-Flow.
Unlikely: they mix 39 variations serially, testing and rejecting each one. The 40th works.
Likely: they mix up a bunch of batches of various proportions and test them. Either the one labelled 40 is the best, or (my bet) there were 40 variations and they thought it was good marketing.
Well, even if it did nothing else, a mixture of kerosene and oil would displace water. I find it to be handy, but don't ascribe any magical properties to it. And when it runs out, I might find a better way to dispense it, that doesn't get the overspray on my garage floor.
WD-40 marketing is clever. Sometimes you need that brand for a product to be stocked. Regular household oil costs pennies in a can, the margin is therefore low and a retailer isn't going to be making much money on each sale. You could put a brand on a regular household oil and try to charge more but it is not something people care about, they will go for the generic oil somewhere else.
However WD-40 with its mythical backstory and ambiguous brand name can command a premium over regular household oil. This makes it work for the retailer as it no longer sells for pennies. The shop down the road that also stocks it will also have it at the same price, it is a brand that works for the retailer. People can ask for it by name and not feel they are getting conned.
This works up the retail chain with wholesalers and international distributors able to make money from the brand.
Odd that for such a beginner's grade product it comes from the cutting edge of the space age.
Great study in marketing. Not good at all as a lubricant nor anti-seize, and probably shouldn't be the most ubiquitous thing people own for those general use cases but it is. A light machine oil for cleaning and preserving tools and other metal, and a penetrating anti-seize would be more handy.
Looking at the MSDS, I believe the "water displacement" chemical used is naptha, but they don't go into detail about the oil used, but it's long rumored to be kerosene... Take that as you will.
Lots of people here are saying that WD-40 will clean dirt out but is not a lubricant (or is a terrible lubricant). As a not-very-practical person, here's my question:
If you have something very dirty that you want to lubricate, say a bicycle chain, is it reasonable to apply WD-40 first to get rid of the dirt and then apply a better lubricant on the now-clean chain? Or will the WD-40 stick around long enough to prevent the better lubricant sticking? If the second, what the hell am I meant to do about my dirty chain that needs lubricating?
WD40 is indeed great for cleaning things, including bike parts. And you can use it as you suggest, then apply another lubricant designed for bike chains.
However, there are other cleaners specifically designed for bike chains. It's just that WD40 is often in the workshop or toolbox so it tends to get used for this sort of task.
I just watched this Everyday Astronaut video about stainless steel vs. composites, which mentions WD-40's use in aerospace. It's an entertaining, informational video. https://youtu.be/LogE40_wR9k?t=305 (jumps directly to the WD-40 reference)
Just because the main ingredient is kerosene doesn't necessarily mean that's all that's needed to make the equivalent.
I wonder how hard it would be to duplicate the formula if one had a spectral analyzer. Study the plots, make a best guess batch, test its plot against the original, adjust, rinse, repeat...
(Same with KFC. I could profit off the President if I can get him the same thing at a discount. He's a volume customer. I confess, I also like KFC. Despite the rumors, it doesn't make one's skin orange, just chubby.)
I'll claim no membership among "enthusiasts", but either way, the most glorious lube for me is Ballistol. Good on nearly everything, including that mentioned. To me, since childhood, WD-40 has always had a loathsome aroma. I first discovered it, as a youth, in my pa's garage, where I'd spray it over the flame of my lighter to excessive satisfaction, and onto many things with minimal discretion. Always made me nauseous, combustion or not.
I have almost acquired an affection for the scent of Ballistol, which is marketed as having "No Carcinogens", but does quite well on the many things that are and ain't (carcinogenic). I sincerely recommend it.
I wouldn't use WD-40 on firearms except maybe as an emergency rust preventative, and that's only if my favorite products weren't already available. There's just far too many better (and affordable) products, and there's just as many stories of WD-40 polymerizing and gumming up delicate parts as there are alleged uses of it. You'd almost certainly have to soak the guns in another cleaner or oil (like Ballistol, as eth0up suggests) before you could ever use them again...
In fact, I've used Ballistol to clean up and lubricate rollers on sliding doors that were previously gummed up from excessive use of WD-40!
[+] [-] nimbius|6 years ago|reply
0. It is a solvent, not a lubricant. This is often lost on apprentices until they wear out a drive chain or blow up a firearm. WD40 does a terrible job of blurring that line. even the article touts it several times as a lubricant :(
1. it absolutely CAN NOT be used around hot work, unlike most other lubricants like ND999. cans --aerosol or not-- are treated just like a can of petrol.
2. Again, it is stunningly flammable both in and out of its aerosol form because its mostly kerosene. That means aerosol vapors floating around a powdercoat setup, an open flame, or any ignition spark, will cause it to catch fire. if your apprentice just hosed down a part with WD40 and you need to take a torch to it, youre going to have a bad time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40
[+] [-] forkexec|6 years ago|reply
Penetrating oil for not hot work: 90/10 vegetable oil + acetone. Much better than commercial products and very cheap. IIRC it was tested on ProjectFarm (I maybe mistaken) and written up in a Drexel paper. [0]
Machinist's Workshop - April/May 2007 says 50/50 ATF + acetone, which requires mixing before use.
0. https://www.engineeringforchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2015...
If you want to stop a squeaky hinge on a exterior gate, a very thick oil like axle grease would be best.
For indoor use, like on a door hinge, graphite should be tried first since it won't make that much of a mess.
[+] [-] kube-system|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] _greim_|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] downerending|6 years ago|reply
(Let's hear it for grumpy, old dads.)
[+] [-] rawoke083600|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lm28469|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] germinalphrase|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] King-Aaron|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hinkley|6 years ago|reply
It tends to get banned among cyclists, too.
[+] [-] lloydatkinson|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cstross|6 years ago|reply
(Yes, there's a thing called Atlas-5 that flies satellites: it's hard to see any engineering similarities between it and the original ICBM of that name; unlike the Soyuz vehicle, Which was a terrible, bad, no-good ICBM -- it took about 6 hours to fuel up and prep for launch, on pads which were 4 hours from the USSR's border as the B-52 flies -- but turned out to be a really good satellite launcher.)
[+] [-] basementcat|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] milsorgen|6 years ago|reply
That's not quite true, the evolved platforms are used but the initial R-7 wasn't used all that long.
[+] [-] chipsa|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] anonymousiam|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] joshuaheard|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gameswithgo|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] barney54|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] linsomniac|6 years ago|reply
He said his chair was squeaking, so I suggested lithium grease instead. Another coworker said "Are you one of those WD-40-isn't-a-lubricant guys?" I immediately replied "Absolutely".
[+] [-] mrspuratic|6 years ago|reply
Another good reason not to use it ;-)
[+] [-] smileypete|6 years ago|reply
Smells like marketing to me, it just doesn't need 40 attempts to come up with a simple mix of kerosene and mineral oil.
I bet the old timers used to mix their own variations long before WD-40 came on the scene.
https://www.wired.com/2009/04/st-whatsinside-6/
[+] [-] spicybbq|6 years ago|reply
I mostly use it to clean parts before using a proper lubricant. A much better light spray lubricant is Tri-Flow.
[+] [-] maxerickson|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] samatman|6 years ago|reply
Likely: they mix up a bunch of batches of various proportions and test them. Either the one labelled 40 is the best, or (my bet) there were 40 variations and they thought it was good marketing.
[+] [-] analog31|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] econcon|6 years ago|reply
For most general purpose use, I use white Lithium grease.
If it's metal to plastic or plastic to plastic contact surface: silicone oil/grease (mostly in 3d printed parts)
If it's metal on metal and in dirty environment: I use dry teflon lube or ceramic lube (mostly on my mountain bike and 3d printer lead screw)
If it's heavy metal on metal where it can heat significantly: MolyD grease or graphite grease
[+] [-] Theodores|6 years ago|reply
However WD-40 with its mythical backstory and ambiguous brand name can command a premium over regular household oil. This makes it work for the retailer as it no longer sells for pennies. The shop down the road that also stocks it will also have it at the same price, it is a brand that works for the retailer. People can ask for it by name and not feel they are getting conned.
This works up the retail chain with wholesalers and international distributors able to make money from the brand.
Odd that for such a beginner's grade product it comes from the cutting edge of the space age.
[+] [-] kev009|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Craighead|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] exabrial|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] quietbritishjim|6 years ago|reply
If you have something very dirty that you want to lubricate, say a bicycle chain, is it reasonable to apply WD-40 first to get rid of the dirt and then apply a better lubricant on the now-clean chain? Or will the WD-40 stick around long enough to prevent the better lubricant sticking? If the second, what the hell am I meant to do about my dirty chain that needs lubricating?
[+] [-] m0nty|6 years ago|reply
However, there are other cleaners specifically designed for bike chains. It's just that WD40 is often in the workshop or toolbox so it tends to get used for this sort of task.
[+] [-] WilsonPaige|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lsaferite|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] CapitalistCartr|6 years ago|reply
Then my wife repurposed them as decorative elements.
[+] [-] linsomniac|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] joefaith|6 years ago|reply
https://www.nulon.com.au/products/aerosols/start-ya-bastard-...
[+] [-] metiscus|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] snarfy|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Mc_Big_G|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tabtab|6 years ago|reply
I wonder how hard it would be to duplicate the formula if one had a spectral analyzer. Study the plots, make a best guess batch, test its plot against the original, adjust, rinse, repeat...
(Same with KFC. I could profit off the President if I can get him the same thing at a discount. He's a volume customer. I confess, I also like KFC. Despite the rumors, it doesn't make one's skin orange, just chubby.)
[+] [-] cat199|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] eth0up|6 years ago|reply
I have almost acquired an affection for the scent of Ballistol, which is marketed as having "No Carcinogens", but does quite well on the many things that are and ain't (carcinogenic). I sincerely recommend it.
[+] [-] Zancarius|6 years ago|reply
In fact, I've used Ballistol to clean up and lubricate rollers on sliding doors that were previously gummed up from excessive use of WD-40!