3 ms·

wd40 is not a lubricant.

by sitzkrieg 9mo ago

coatmatter 9mo ago
One (not recommended) way to test this statement is to spray some on the kitchen floor and see what happens later.
- sitzkrieg 9mo ago
  that's fine, but because it is sometimes slippery does not make it a lubricant.
  - bloomingeek 9mo ago
    Fine, put up or shut up. Post some proof.(About WD-40, not slippery things.)
    - otterley 9mo ago
      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.
littlestymaar 9mo ago
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.
mattmaroon 9mo ago
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.
- littlestymaar 9mo ago
  I can't believe you're being downvoted for that comment, that's legit insanity.
  - mattmaroon 9mo ago
    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.
    - mrguyorama 9mo ago
      Social media systemically rewards "Um actually" behavior and punishes nuance and discussion. This is the expected outcome.
      - mattmaroon 9mo ago
        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.
        mrguyorama 9mo ago
        >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_about_history 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!

wd40 is not a lubricant.

coatmatter 9mo ago

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

sitzkrieg 9mo ago
that's fine, but because it is sometimes slippery does not make it a lubricant.
- bloomingeek 9mo ago
  Fine, put up or shut up. Post some proof.(About WD-40, not slippery things.)
  - otterley 9mo ago
    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.

littlestymaar 9mo ago

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.

mattmaroon 9mo ago

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.

littlestymaar 9mo ago
I can't believe you're being downvoted for that comment, that's legit insanity.
- mattmaroon 9mo ago
  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.
  - mrguyorama 9mo ago
    Social media systemically rewards "Um actually" behavior and punishes nuance and discussion. This is the expected outcome.
    - mattmaroon 9mo ago
      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.
      - mrguyorama 9mo ago
        >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_about_history 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!