[Fwirt]

WD-40 works great for its intended purpose. The problem is that they've marketed it the way that the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding raves about Windex. It's not a good lubricant, as many people have noted, as it evaporates and concentrates contaminants. It's not a good protective coating because again, it evaporates. What it is good at is drying off metal parts, and as a mediocre and cheap rust remover.

If I accidentally leave some pliers or my socket set out in the rain, I soak them with WD-40, scrub off the rust with a wire brush, and wipe off the excess with a towel. It does a decent job of preventing further damage. If I have some rusty parts sometimes I'll throw them in a glass jar, soak 'em with WD-40, shake them around, let them sit for a day or so, and then scrub them with a wire brush. Gets most of the rust off.

If you want a lubricant, just buy the correct one for the job. Silicone oil, lithium grease, graphite, all will do a better job in the long run than WD-40 if you use them in their intended role. My goto "universal lube" personally is "Super Lube", a PTFE-based lubricant which is NSF rated for incidental contact with food and dielectric.

[furyofantares]

> WD-40 works great for its intended purpose.

When I was a kid some family friends used WD40 on their joints - arthritic knees and such. Church friends, actually, which I mention only because stuff like that probably helped me reject the religion as readily as I did.

A web search for "WD40 arthritis" shows that there are still people doing this.

[self_awareness]

> Church friends, actually, which I mention only because stuff like that probably helped me reject the religion as readily as I did.

You mean they got this suggestion from a priest? Or what's the connection?

[userbinator]

Maybe they think it'll work better since it penetrates deeper than vaseline.

[user3939382]

It’s like python. It’s not the best at anything but it’s a decent all arounder. Not everything that’s practical and useful has to be super specialized + best in class.

[aidenn0]

I prefer 3-in-1 as an all-rounder.

[SAI_Peregrinus]

It's also a pretty good cutting fluid for aluminum. If you don't have a dedicated coolant setup a spray bottle of WD40 works nicely.

[1970-01-01]

>If you want a lubricant, just buy the correct one for the job.

I use WD-40 exclusively as the lube to mount rubber tires onto wheels. I've found it's the best choice for that task. The wax paste tire lube is inferior. I'm just reaching for the WD-40 anyway to remove the wax paste residue on the wheel rim.

[rajnathani]

As a side note: PTFE = PFAS forever chemical.

[sejje]

WD40 is a pretty good for bluing, too, in combination with heat. And the smell.