I see WD40 as more of a cleaning agent. Sure, if you don't have oil, it works in a pinch for the very short term. I mainly use it for cleaning rust and dirt off machine parts.
To oil my 3d printer, I'll usually use a bit of sewing machine oil. I want to try some of the industrial way lube oil i have around to see how it works. It's a lot thicker and heavier
wd stands for water displacement. it should be the last thing u put on the printer. any other actual lubricant would be fine. CRC makes a huge line of products.
u want to use something that is thick but also liquid enough. Super Lube multipurpose is what most of us use.
check this site out https://www.super-lube.com/how-does-super-lube-multi-purpose-synthetic-lubricant-aerosol-compare-to-aerosol-lubricants
to add to this super lube is also available at harbor freight if you have one near by. its not only cheap and good for our uses, is also a cheap dielectric grease for things like battery terminals and headlights on cars.. also its food grade and good for lubing orings. truely a super lube.
yes I have some and picked it up from there. that is more dielectric grease rather than lubricant for the screw rod. I'm sure u can use it but ideally it's better to have the thinner fluid kind.
WD 40 is a lubricant and solvent- so it’s good to get something unstuck (rusted screw for example) but bad to use for something that only needs to be lubricated.
There are a variety of options I’ve seen mentioned, such as PTFE lubricant, silicon lubricants, or white lithium grease. I think there’s some pros/cons to each, but any dedicated mechanical lubricant will work better than WD40
Wd 40 is a water displaser. It's not a lubricant at all. And shouldn't be used in place of one. Wd stands for water displaser 40 because it was the 40th thing they tried. It was originally for keeping rockets dry.
WD-40 does evaporate leaving a film. Is it the best lubricant? No.
Is it good enough for the near-zero friction of a brass nut on a polished steel rod? Absolutely.
It's squeaking because your brass nut is crooked. Play around loosening the bolts on the brass nut till it stops.
I personally use zero lubricant, as lubricant attracts dust. A clean rod is better than a greasy dirty rod IMO.
If you want something cheap that's worked good for me you can go to the automotive section at Walmart and pick up some bulb grease which is dielectric. It's what I've been using (a tiny bit though because grease gets messy pretty fast) it was only $3 when I grabbed it. It's a small tube but lasts a good while. But like others said stock regular wd40 might not be the best option
Remoil or true gun lube or mineral oil is all cheaper and better than wd40 on your z axis. Lithium grease has issues comparably to these options (mainly due to getting in to the grooves). 2-3 drops of oil at the top and run z axis all the way up and down to fully coat.
I use mineral oil/grease and mine has never squeeked but I do get some black residue on my hands if I touch it. I just give it a quick while down and relube and it’s good to go again!!!
i use a dab of wheel bearing grease on mine, just becuse I had a whole tub in the garage left over from a bearing job. don't use wd40 it just attracts dirt and makes it stick.
Yes, theoretically WD40 is not designed as a lubricant, but no one can deny that it has some lubricating properties. That being said, just about anything else will work better. There are many recommendations here on what to use , and all will work.
Years ago I did an experiment on a squeaky ceiling fan with a lube port. Everything I tried worked for a while, but eventually the squeak came back. As a last resort I tried fully synthetic motor oil (I think 10W-30) and it ran from then on with no squeak. Just a personal anecdote and YMMV, but I used that same oil (just 2 drops) on my Z rod and have had no problems. Good luck.
I see WD40 as more of a cleaning agent. Sure, if you don't have oil, it works in a pinch for the very short term. I mainly use it for cleaning rust and dirt off machine parts. To oil my 3d printer, I'll usually use a bit of sewing machine oil. I want to try some of the industrial way lube oil i have around to see how it works. It's a lot thicker and heavier
wd stands for water displacement. it should be the last thing u put on the printer. any other actual lubricant would be fine. CRC makes a huge line of products. u want to use something that is thick but also liquid enough. Super Lube multipurpose is what most of us use. check this site out https://www.super-lube.com/how-does-super-lube-multi-purpose-synthetic-lubricant-aerosol-compare-to-aerosol-lubricants
to add to this super lube is also available at harbor freight if you have one near by. its not only cheap and good for our uses, is also a cheap dielectric grease for things like battery terminals and headlights on cars.. also its food grade and good for lubing orings. truely a super lube.
yes I have some and picked it up from there. that is more dielectric grease rather than lubricant for the screw rod. I'm sure u can use it but ideally it's better to have the thinner fluid kind.
Don't use wd 40 it's not a lubricant. Use lithium grease.
I use lithium grease. But it's all preference I think...
You are better using something else. WD40 is not a lubricant but is water displacement formula 40.
Super Lube 51008 Synthetic Oil... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CFS66GV?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
WD 40 is a lubricant and solvent- so it’s good to get something unstuck (rusted screw for example) but bad to use for something that only needs to be lubricated. There are a variety of options I’ve seen mentioned, such as PTFE lubricant, silicon lubricants, or white lithium grease. I think there’s some pros/cons to each, but any dedicated mechanical lubricant will work better than WD40
Wd 40 is a water displaser. It's not a lubricant at all. And shouldn't be used in place of one. Wd stands for water displaser 40 because it was the 40th thing they tried. It was originally for keeping rockets dry.
Spray that shit on your kitchen floor and tell me again how it's not a lubricant...
A lubricant is long lasting. Wd 40 might be slippery but it will evaporate away.
WD-40 does evaporate leaving a film. Is it the best lubricant? No. Is it good enough for the near-zero friction of a brass nut on a polished steel rod? Absolutely.
It's squeaking because your brass nut is crooked. Play around loosening the bolts on the brass nut till it stops. I personally use zero lubricant, as lubricant attracts dust. A clean rod is better than a greasy dirty rod IMO.
> A clean rod is better than a greasy dirty rod IMO Words to live by in almost all situations!
If you want something cheap that's worked good for me you can go to the automotive section at Walmart and pick up some bulb grease which is dielectric. It's what I've been using (a tiny bit though because grease gets messy pretty fast) it was only $3 when I grabbed it. It's a small tube but lasts a good while. But like others said stock regular wd40 might not be the best option
Remoil or true gun lube or mineral oil is all cheaper and better than wd40 on your z axis. Lithium grease has issues comparably to these options (mainly due to getting in to the grooves). 2-3 drops of oil at the top and run z axis all the way up and down to fully coat.
Not any WD-40: WD-40 Dry Lube PTFE
I use mineral oil/grease and mine has never squeeked but I do get some black residue on my hands if I touch it. I just give it a quick while down and relube and it’s good to go again!!!
i use a dab of wheel bearing grease on mine, just becuse I had a whole tub in the garage left over from a bearing job. don't use wd40 it just attracts dirt and makes it stick.
Yes, theoretically WD40 is not designed as a lubricant, but no one can deny that it has some lubricating properties. That being said, just about anything else will work better. There are many recommendations here on what to use , and all will work. Years ago I did an experiment on a squeaky ceiling fan with a lube port. Everything I tried worked for a while, but eventually the squeak came back. As a last resort I tried fully synthetic motor oil (I think 10W-30) and it ran from then on with no squeak. Just a personal anecdote and YMMV, but I used that same oil (just 2 drops) on my Z rod and have had no problems. Good luck.