On the
Cool Tools site, newsletter reader
LarryA2010 took exception to my mentioning that I’d used WD-40 to stop a squeaky door hinge (frankly, it’s all I had on hand at that moment):
“…you don’t necessarily want to use WD-40 to lubricate anything. It isn’t really a lubricant. It is mostly a cleaner/degreaser and water displacer (supposedly).
I have been searching for a solution for years. I’ve tried WD-40, 3-in-1 Oil, Tri-Flow, B'Laster PTFE and graphite spray, silicone spray, powdered graphite, WS2 (Tungsten Disulfide), directly in the hinges and removing the pins. They all work for about two or three months before they dry out and the squeak comes back. I finally did an exhaustive search online and the consensus that made the most sense to me was using
Lithium grease. Most posts said to remove the pins from the hinges but that is laborious and often at least one pin is really stuck and requires hammer and screwdriver. So I looked at the SDS and found out that it is 10-20% each of hydrotreated light naphtha and hydrotreated heavy naphthenic. I put a good size dab of the grease into a needle-tip PE squeeze bottle and topped it up with
VM&P naphtha (close enough) and added a ball bearing to aid mixing. It dissolved instantly. Now all I have to do is dribble the thin liquid from the top of the hinge just under the collar of the pin until it starts leaking at the bottom of the pin onto a paper towel. The operation is clean and so far this has lasted a lot longer than any other lube I tried. The only problem is the naphtha evaporates between uses even with an added O-ring in the cap. Topping up is not that bothersome though considering that this works so well.”
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