WD-40 & Silicone Spray. When is one better over the other?

[Doug Miller]

Varnish has two meanings, and, yes, that's one of them -- but you were

*clearly* using the other meaning when you described varnish as a blend of oil and resin.

Yes, some *are* drying oils, as I clearly acknowledged -- but most are not, e.g. corn, soybean, canola, etc.

Then your bike manuals are wrong. Which do you suppose is a better source for the composition of 3-in-1 oil, some bike manual, or the manufacturer of 3-in-1 oil?

Don't just take my word for it -- go to wd40.com and read the MSDS for yourself. Go to a hardware store and read the label on the can. 3-in-1 oil is a petroleum oil. It is NOT vegetable-based.

[Ether Jones]

Yes, CO2 is the propellant. But the Heptane is just a solvent to help thin the silicone and allow it to penetrate. It evaporates rapidly, once it's out of the can, leaving the silicone lubricant evenly dispersed.

[Ether Jones]

silicon and silicone are two completely different things.

[Al Bundy]

[e-mail] (Doug Miller) wrote in news:b%KWg.13133$ [e-mail]:

Just took a shot at it. Nothing belittling meant but "Doug" and "Miller" are not exactly rare :-)

[Richard J Kinch]

Of your examples, only canola is non-drying.

Corn (maize), soybean, safflower, sunflower, and some other vegetable oils are semi-drying and do find use in paints. This is why they get gummy on the outside of the bottle.

Drying vs non-drying is not a neat distinction. All of the above consist of the same 5 fatty acids, just in different proportions. Two of those five fatty acids are polyunsaturated and contribute drying properties. Raw linseed oil typically contains 30 percent non-drying fatty acids: palmitic, stearic, and oleic. Same constituents as found in beef or pork fat.

[Ether Jones]

Depends on your definition of "best". For my cars, full synthetic oils have proven to be "best".

[Father Haskell]

Or the mechanic who has to rebuild a hub after it's been gunked up by

3-in-1.

[Doug Miller]

I'm not debating whether 3-in-1 is, or is not, an appropriate product for lubricating a bicycle -- I'm just saying that it's NOT a vegetable oil. The ingredients statement on the product package says it's petroleum. The manufacturer's MSDS says it's petroleum.

You have a bike manual that says it's vegetable.

Your bike manual is wrong.

[Doug Miller]

I didn't say that any of them were non-drying -- I said they are not drying, which encompasses non-drying *and* semi-drying. As you say...

I was responding to a post that implied that "vegetable oil" and "drying oil" were equivalent, which is absolutely not the case.

[Father Haskell]

I have a bike manual that says it gums up freehubs.

I've taken down freehubs and seen the claimed effect for myself.

[Tom The Great]

Ah thx, for the spelling assist. :D

tom

[Ether Jones]

You said in an earlier post that you had a bike manual that said 3-in-1 oil is vegetable-based. That claim is what Doug is contesting.

When Doug wrote "Your bike manual is wrong", he was referring to your claim that the bike manual said 3-in-1 oil is vegetable-based. He took no position on whether or not it gunks up hubs.

[Doug Miller]

You said earlier that your bike manual said that 3-in-1 is a vegetable oil.

*That* is what I was referring to when I said this:

I never said anything about what it did, or didn't, do to freehubs or any other part of a bicycle. I said it's not a vegetable oil, it's a petroleum oil.

[Charlie Morgan]

And you have proved that a gummed up hub is proof positive of vegetable based oil? Interesting!

CWM

[Father Haskell]

Doesn't much matter what it's made of. It fouls up delicate machinery. Italian bike component manufacturer Campagnolo claims that their tolerances and finish exceed aerospace grade. Read that as saying bike shops are probably the best place to buy lubricating oils.

3-in-1 is good for door hinges. Good also for jamming locks with less risk of raising suspicion than super glue.

[Doug Miller]

The original post asked what lubricant to use on a door hinge!! What it may do to delicate machinery is completely irrelevant to this discussion.

And it's *not* vegetable oil, no matter what your bike manual says.

[Charlie Morgan]

Most bike mechanics are folks who are on a waiting list to advance to employment at Walmart. They aren't usually people who could make it doing much else.

CWM

[Ether Jones]

It matters that we correct the false information that you posted, to wit, your claim that it is made of vegetable oil.

[Tony Hwang]

Hmmm, For a while until it dries up and induce rust and what not. WD-40 is not lubricant, it is water repellent/solvent. It makes metal bare. water drops will lubricate for a while as well.

[Father Haskell]

Fascinating stuff. Enjoy: