"O" ring or non "O" ring chain?

[Agitator]

That's why MX1000 is so great! It's funny, reading the wd-40 can. It says; "stops squeaks...." Of course it does! For less than a week. The reason it feels cold is b/c it is evaporating (going away). THen how can it lubricate?...

Colorado: I'm simply agreeing with you and realize that you are aware of these facts.

The reason I'm emphasizing the wd40 thing is because it frustrates me a little bit that more people don't know this. Furthermore, this is just my way of showing that I agree. I've got nothing against ANYONE who uses WD40, but I could not bear to use it on my stuff. The same goes for grease, unless it's used in internal/sealed parts such as bearings, via zerk fittings, etc... When used for the proper application, grease is my favorite (lol).

Grease turns to wax when exposed to the atmosphere (over time). Or, at least, wax is the only portion of it remaining after the lighter petroleum products have evaporated (takes weeks-months). You guys ever look at old, dried up grease? it's like paraffin wax, which is one of the ingredients of grease. Man does that get sticky!

sorry if my two cents turned into a few dollars~

 

[Agitator]

BTW- I know that part of the "cold-feel" of wd40 is due to the expulsion of co2 from the can.

I mean that it feels cold to the touch even after that- if you don't believe me, spray a bit on your hands (if you want birth defects in your offspring :jk:) when your hand is wet with it (and in the sun), it'll start to feel COLD. That is due to the evaporation and low-flashpoint of the liquid.

 

[robwbright]

For what it's worth . . .

My father in law has run an auto transmission shop for 25 years or so. He is ALWAYS telling me that WD-40 IS NOT a lubricant!

I'd guess he knows what he's talking about on that, but whether he's right or not, I avoid using it as a lube.

 

[Jaybird]

WD-40 has a very light duty lubricant in it. The cold you feel is the evaporation of the carrier.
Once the carrier is evaporated, other products are left behind. Thing is, WD-40 has very little to leave behind to do a good job of lubricating anything that sees high load or friction.
It is great for pushing water out of places, and keeping mud from sticking to your fenders.
The solvent carrier also is fairly good at breaking down grease. (one of the reasons I hate to see it used on ring chains...but oh well)

Dry-film lubricants work the very same way WD-40 does, as they use a solvent carrier which evaporates and leaves behind lubricating products. Prefferably solid polar lubricants, or chemo-absorbable products that will reside at the oxide layer of the metals and lubriacte at the barrier level.

Grease is simply oil whipped up in a mixture with a base, or a "soap". In time, the oil will fall out of suspension from the soap carrier, if left to sit. Some greases hold the oil in suspension better than others.
But, once the oil has left the soap base, the soap has very little lubricity.

 

[Agitator]

SOAP!! I can't believe I said it was wax that is left behind- I guess they're in the same family though.

With the wd-40. I know what you're saying about the carrier evaporating, causing a cold feel, but, if you spray it on a flat metal surface and leave it in the sun for a few hours-days, there will be little-no wetness remaining.

 

[Jaybird]

Wet is not an indication of a lubricating product being present, unless that product is a fluid-film type lubricant, like petroleum oil.
Molybdenum in it's pure form is a powder.

 

[Agitator]

So, you're saying that, If I look at a shiny piece of metal that has no residue of any kind and feels the way it did before applying the lubricant (a week before) - that there will still be wd-40 components present?

 

[Jaybird]

Yes.
Thing is, there just isn't much in the WD-40 to be left after the carrier is gone.

A moly rich fluid that is carried by a solvent will also be dry after a week. And the moly may be visible due to it's black color. But if you look under the microscope, you will see that the little valleys in the metal surface is filled with moly.
Other lubricating fluids will deposit the fluid via the carrier, and when the carrier evaporates you will not see anything at all on the surface, or feel it either. But many of these types of fluids are actually absorbed into the oxide layer of the metal, and come to the surface when heat is present, or lack of oxygen in some instances. But that gets a little deeper than the consumer often cares to take the thing.