• Thelsim
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    41 year ago

    So… being one of those spouses who uses wd40 on everything. Do you have link to some easily understandable info on when to use the right lubricant?

    • Ms. ArmoredThirteen
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      41 year ago

      Mechanical stuff you’re looking at grease, oil, penetrating, or dry. I found this with a quick search for more info. Personally I’ve found white lithium grease to be the best general purpose one for my needs (squeaky hinges, drawer wheels) but it can be pretty messy if used in the wrong spots. For most fast moving things with fine parts (like a bike chain) I really like wax lubes but they can get gummy sometimes so silicone works well too.

      For sex I prefer water based because it is easier on toys and doesn’t make me fear for my life when trying to wash off in the shower after. It isn’t usually as long lasting as silicone based but it can be ‘revived’ with some water or other fluids. Anal I prefer oil based (shout out to Boy Butter because the name and logo are ridiculous but it works amazingly) but it also damages condoms so like if you’re not using an insertable go for the protection and silicone combo. For oral I’ll concede that wd40 actually has a use case here.

      • Thelsim
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        11 year ago

        Thank you for that… thorough explanation. You really know your lubes :)

    • @AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Not OP, but not really. The real issue is that WD-40 is kinda like duck tape. It definitely has its uses, and hoo boy are there a lot, but it’s too much power too fast, and corrupts young engineers and repair people into using it as a “fix all tool.”

      Sewing machine oil is a wonderful penatrating oil. This is what you use on tools inside the house that mostly just get a bit dusty.

      WD-40 does contain some oils and can be used as a penatrating oil, but it’s mainly a cleanser. You shouldn’t leave it on anything that will be damaged by cleansing solutions, so motherboards, plastic in general.

      For a general use oil, for hinges and things, I will clean with WD-40, and then once I have cleaned it I wipe it down with 3 in 1 penetrating oil, for things like door hinges, or sewing machine oil for more delicate tools.

      Edit: I had not seen the flowchart below when I wrote this comment, but it illustrates my first point beautifully

    • @lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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      21 year ago

      One easy rule of thumb is if you’re looking to lubricate something WD40 is never the correct choice. It’s not a lubricant, it’s for cleaning/breaking shit loose.

    • @ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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      51 year ago

      Wd40 is good for preventing rust, and helping to get things that are seized moving again. If you want to lubricate a door hinge, something like 3 in 1 oil is a good choice.

      • Ms. ArmoredThirteen
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        21 year ago

        Yeah it has uses but specifically people seem to use it as a catch all which is where the misuse comes in. I’ve used it to unfuck rusty screws before it is great at that