WD 40 - uses

Its amazing how many deserted wasp nests I've found over the years, in roof voids, trees, sheds etc, without the garden being overrun by wasps.  Just goes to show wasps generally go about their business without causing any problems.

That said, I recently visited Prague.  The wasps there plainly get trained at the Top Gun of wasps.  Very aggressive and persistent, and astonishingly quick and manoeuverable.  I ended up giving myself a black eye in one confrontation.  

PRSboy wrote:

Just goes to show wasps generally go about their business without causing any problems.

That's what people thought about the bankers, until it was all too late...

Wasps only use a nest for one season anyway, don't they?  At the end of the season, all the workers die off and the nest is abandoned (and not reused).

Using carbon fibre and ditching it after just one season?  No pensions for the workers?  Stuff the wasps.

brooksby wrote:

Wasps only use a nest for one season anyway, don't they?  At the end of the season, all the workers die off and the nest is abandoned (and not reused).

Wow, and people say we humans need to be more sustainable... 😜😁

TheBillder wrote:

WD-40 plus its propellant isn't nice stuff, despite what Taboola and Outbrain may suggest. Leave it in the can.

It is not a lubricant so almost useless on a bicycle where there are few places for water displacement given the use of alloy, carbon and sealed bearings...

TBF, it is a lubricant, just not a very good one. It also does have a use in rescuing corroded and abused bike parts, for example brake calipers which often get covered in grime and left wet after a ride. You can free them up using a penetrative compound like WD-40 (I found Brunox more effective). Also it can help freeing seat posts in non-carbon frames. I think the most use I got from it was barrel adjusters in (often Specialized) frames - a lot of people never touch them so they sieze, and as they are the only way to adjust a front derailleur cable without re-clamping it, which is too crude, freeing up the adjuster was always a useful job and a penetrating oil was a useful tool before resorting to drilling them out.

As an aside, always lubricate screws that you might want to use one day, especially after washing a bike, and if you want to be able use an adjuster screw, make sure you move it on an occasional basis. Always apply oil to the thread of a screw before inserting it.

So, yes, it is oversold as a lubricant, but it does have its uses, and used appropriately can revive a bike or component that might otherwise be discarded.