50/50 oil and paraffin makes penetrating oil. If you want it in a drip can rather than just a small spice-size bottle, it can be slowly sucked up the drip tube. I'm perfectly happy with using a toothpick/screwdriver/etc to apply it.
Paraffin cuts the oil viscosity, allowing it to penetrate cracks.
NT
But it's not the same thing as penetrating oil. WD40 is a water dispersing oil which does a rather different job.
Andy Burns wrote: [snip]
That was Ronson Oily Bird.
I suspect that's true, possibly fooled by the name "Ronson".
ah, then you would probably like the one I use: 'Sterling' graphited penetrating oil, comes in a spray though. black, thin and flammable. works well too! I buy it through a firm called Beale, they have some good stuff at good prices and an excellent catalogue. beale.co.uk iirc
That's a bit overhyped, it's just some lubricant mixed in with some solvent, if you really want drippable pentrating oil then lanolised acetone works really well, you just have to keep the lid on to stop it evaporating.
In the best traditions of uk.diy, make your own from 1 part Dexron automatic transmission fluid and 1 part white spirit.
Despite what some say WD40 is also a good penetrating fluid.
If standard WD40 is *that* good, why does the company also make its own specialist penetrant product?
Because people are prepared to pay for it. I'd agree that good penetrating fluid works better, but WD40's adequate for most bolts. Spending the extra money on new bolts or nuts would be more use for many a job.
It is called marketing. Essentially the same product sold at varying prices to different markets.
I must be unusual in finding penetrating oil pretty useless.
It would appear that all the old formulations are still there complete with a list of suppliers.
Oil be seeing you in all the old familiar places.
ews.eternal-september.org...
No,it's the same stuff as the aerosol cans. Leaves an oily film. I use it on my spades etc
@news.eternal-september.org...
No, it's a lubricant as well.
snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org...
But that's Wikipedia.
And quite why would the penetrational properties be so sensibly employed in stopping a spade going rusty?
If the OP wants the closest replacement to what he is running out of, one of the penetrating oils sold as such would, IMHO, be the best thing to get.
If he wants a water displacement product, WD40 might be fine, and might have adequate penetrant capability for some purposes. But it wouldn't be my choice.
Further, if one can has lasted since he was knee high (or whatever it was he said), why on earth would he want five litres of non-optimal product?
It can be handy when it can be left soaking for long enough, but oxy-acetylene undoes anything.
On some cars there are threaded pins welded into the chassis that the subframe fits on. A big washer and nut is then fitted to stop the car jumping out of the subframe bushes. Official way to replace that thread is to weld a new bit of plate with the pin attached into the car. Unofficial way is to cut the threaded bit off the pin, weld a bolt with a nut on, then cut the head off the bolt. File a lead in on the cut end and run the nut off to restore the thread.
Either way it's £200 for a welder. Or a transporter and a garage job, still no change from £200.
So you really do want to give the nut the very best chance of coming off without damaging the thread.
In message , Chris Wilson writes
All except the drip penetrant, which, is what the OP wanted and as I said earlier is still there on the US site
You still have to get the old ones out/off first.
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