Hacker News Reader

Comment by Telemakhos | Hacker News Reader

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.

View on HN

It is a blend of oils. Light oils evaporate (like kerosene does for example), and dissolve thicker oils and grease. Oils displace water in general and once in the surface pores they prevent water from getting in there again, a mixture containing light oils flows in easier and does that better. Being predominantly a light oil it is a poor lubricant, but it is better than nothing, and can flow in crevices where thicker stuff would not.

It is really simple and there is no magic.

The name took off as a brand and completely different stuff from the 40th iteration of a Water Displacer formulation is being sold under it as well.

> It's not really a lubricant, but in a pinch it can temporarily function as one.

That's wrong. WD-40 is a literally a lubricant mixed with a solvent that makes it very fluid so it can enter small interstices, the solvent then evaporates quickly, leaving the lubricant in place.

There's not a lot of lubricant in there compared to a pure lubricant, because the solvent takes a significant share of the volume, but it's still a lubricant once the solvent dries up.

You're technically correct, the best kind of correct.

However, if you're looking to lubricate something and have it last for a reasonable time, then WD-40 is a poor choice. However, using WD-40 first to hopefully dissolve contaminants/rust and remove water and then after a quick wipe to remove excess, applying something better such as 3-in-1 or silicone grease etc is a good idea.

The clue is in the name - Water Displacement 40.

If you want a spray on penetrating lubricant, then GT-85 is usually better as it has PTFE included to better lubricate. It still won't last that long though as it'll only make a thin film.

Edit: I've just seen that WD-40 make mention of a bus driver in Asia using WD-40 to remove a python from his bus' under-carriage. If in doubt, spray it with WD-40.

This definition doesn't make any sense. Virtually anything not a solid or gas is a lubricant under atmospheric conditions. Water is one of the best lubricants you can find.

"lubricant mixed with a solvent" - doesn't make sense. A solvent is a lubricant. Acetone for example, is a phenomenal lubricant. I'm not sure how you're going to stop it from evaporating, but it's a lubricant. Water is a solvent as well, for example.

wd40 is not a lubricant.

It literally says it is a lubricant on the can but you can’t find a thread on the Internet about it without someone saying that. It is a lubricant, just not a very good one for most situations.

I can't believe you're being downvoted for that comment, that's legit insanity.

I’m not surprised. If your hobbies include things that take you to the DIY corners of Reddit you are exposed daily to the “WD-40 is not a lubricant” morons who cannot be swayed by either reading the can or Googling.

“WD-40 is not a very good lubricant and you should almost always use something else” is a mouthful I guess, but their denial of reality over something so meaningless is always astounding to me.

Social media systemically rewards "Um actually" behavior and punishes nuance and discussion.

This is the expected outcome.

There is a certain type that loves to be contrarian, and they keep a whole mental library of "unintuitive factoids" at the ready for the topic to arise.

I enjoy those when they’re accurate.

The unexpected part though, is that I don’t think this is causing people to actually believe that WD-40 is not a lubricant. It’s causing them to post that perhaps.

And it seems like such a strange thing to become emotionally attached to. But these people will sooner die then admit the thing that says it is a lubricant is a lubricant.

>is that I don’t think this is causing people to actually believe that WD-40 is not a lubricant.

Why do you believe this? The vast majority of people commenting on the internet haven't used WD-40 in the past year. Why wouldn't they end up believing a wrong thing that has been confidently stated that they otherwise know nothing about?

People have always loved these factoids, long long before the internet. It was common conversation fodder for upper class folks in history to repeat outright falsehoods as "um actually"s or "You should know"s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions_...

Do you know how many people for whatever reason believe that Columbus believed the earth was round and everyone else thought it was flat, despite all historical evidence being contrary?

Basically "Common consensus is X but I'm super smart and know REAL truth Y" is like the optimal meme shape for the human brain. The biases in our brain will always support such an argument shape, and humans get a reward for relaying that info, correct or not. All our innate and fundamental physiological biases will be triggered by this kind of statement.

IMO the super interesting aspect is the second and third generations of "Um actually" where a previous "um actually" gets further "um actually!"d, and even that gets "um actuallyyyyy"d. I wonder if we will get a cycle at some point!

How can you see downvotes?

Repeating bullshit many times doesn't make it true.

It is a mixture of a lubricant and a solvent. And once the solvent evaporates, only the lubricant remains.

One (not recommended) way to test this statement is to spray some on the kitchen floor and see what happens later.

that's fine, but because it is sometimes slippery does not make it a lubricant.

Fine, put up or shut up. Post some proof.(About WD-40, not slippery things.)

Some things are lubricants for a little while, until they suddenly become the opposite. Wood glue, for example.

That’s how I would describe the original and most common WD-40 formula: a passable short-term lubricant for quick and dirty jobs, but not a long-term high quality lubricant, like, say, 3-in-1 (graphite) or silicone lubricants.

Adding to the confusion is that WD-40 sells a silicone lubricant that is a much better lubricant for many purposes than the original formula.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com