Subject: WD40-What's it good for?

From: [email-masked] (Greg Lewis)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 02:02:12 GMT

There are a lot of rumors and stories floating around about WD40...
what it's good for and what it's not; as well as some rather bizzare
applications. Some say it contains water, others say no. Some say it
contains alcohol. People use it for a rust protectant, but some say it
is no better than any other oil. Is it good for clocks? To spray into
a wet distributor? I'd particularly like to know if it is usable as a
cutting or tapping fluid. It smells good, so like most other things
that smell, taste or feel good, is it bad for you? One guy even says
it helps his arthritic joints!

So how about a thread on WD40? 

Let's separate the facts from the fiction. If you have first-hand
experience with WD40, how about a comment? But be fair. If your
experience is based on only one incident, either good or bad, that may
be a result of coincidence or other factors. Be sure of your facts,
and let's not libel the WD40 company. And if you have any bizzare
stories or rumors, please label them as such. 

___________________________________________________________________
[email-masked]
Photojournalism sequence, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism
CSU Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740-0010

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From: [email-masked] (Iain Woolf)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 10:05:07 GMT

>So how about a thread on WD40? 

Some first-hand experience: WD40 *is* good as a moisture dispersant(?)
- well it gets rid of water, and so I have found it most effective
when my car won't start because its damp. Off with the distributor
cap, spray a bit of WD40 in, pop it back on and vroom away....

I wouldn't say its the best penetrating lubricant (coz I don't think
it is), but as a thin oil in a can goes, it does its job. (For rusty
nuts and bolts, I find a product called "Plus-Gas" to work wonders.
I'm only a customer.)

WD40 Contains water? Pah!

     Iain.
-- 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Iain Woolf, BNR, Maidenhead UK | My opinions are my opinions    /~\__
 (0628) 794537     esn 590-4537 | [email-masked]    ^^             O -- O
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

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From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Edelman)
Date: 21 Dec 1993 12:50:44 GMT

WD-40 is basically kerosene and DMSO. As such, it's a fine moisture displacer
and a good penetrating oil, but a poor lubricant. Good for cleaning parts, too.

--mike

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From: [email-masked] (Bill Webster)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 14:05:18 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]
(Greg Lewis) wrote:
> applications.

In the model airplane community, we use it as an after-run oil.  Basically,
after a day of flying, we spray some into the carb of the engine, turn it 
over a few times, connect the battery, and flip start the motor.  Yes,
these little motors will actually run briefly on a few squirts of WD40.
The normal fuel we use attracts water and the WD40 is used to coat the
motor inards.  So far, after many years of WD40, none of my motors have
rust.

We also use it for cleaning the engines after an abrupt meeting with
tera-firma.

On the down side of this WD40 application, if a motor is not used for 5
years,
the WD40 in the motor goes ghewy.  So for long term storage, one can use
transmission oil or reslone (I think that's how to spell it).

I've also sprayed it directly onto the wet distributor cap of my car.
A good dowsing, and the engine fired right up.  Great for driving away
water.

Lastly, I use it on wet/dry paper when polishing my little engine parts.

Bill Webster ([email-masked])

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From: [email-masked] (william thomas powers)
Date: 21 Dec 1993 10:59:41 -0500

I use WD40 to remove asphaltum varnish after etching name/date on custom
knives.  I also carry it to use on damascus steel knives after someone
whoose brain has excessive runout has fingerprinted them.  It also removes
buffing compound residue from pommels and guards; but be careful of porous
handle materials around it.

Thomas
Columbus OH

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From: Doug White <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 93 10:27:21 -0500

> and a good penetrating oil, but a poor lubricant. Good for cleaning parts, 
too.
DMSO?  That's an organic solvent that's particularly efficient at transporting 
nasty chemicals through the skin.  I'm not sure I want to absorb either 
Kerosene or anything I've washed off of something else into my system.  Are
you sure about this?  I consider this far more worrysome than the water rumor.

Doug White
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

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From: Doug White <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 93 10:39:51 -0500

> stories or rumors, please label them as such. 

The few times I've used it, I've always found that something called LPS-1
works as well (or better?).  They appear to be very similar, and may even be
chemically identical, I just happen to use the LPS.  The same company makes
an LPS-2 and 3.  LPS-2 is a much heavier lubricant, and 3 is designed to
leave a protective residue for long term rust protection ('mothballing').
They also make an 'Electro-Contact Cleaner' that is a good cleaning solvent.

I've used LPS to clean up bike chains, lubricate an alarm clock gear train,
free up a sticky emergency brake cable, oil the throttle cable on my lawn
mower, and countless light lubricating and cleaning jobs.  I much prefer
Liquid Wrench if I need a penetrating oil.  All of these tests are highly
subjective.  I do seem to recall hosing down something with WD-40 that
rusted much more quickly than I thought it should.  I don't recall that
happening with LPS-1.

Doug White
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

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From: [email-masked] (R.C. Jones)
Date: 21 Dec 93 16:18:26 GMT

Every time it rains in Orange County (not often). I use WD40 to
spray the distributor and spark wires which instantly stops
sputtering. WD40 loosens nuts, but over time hardens which tends
to 'glue' a nut in place.

-- 
  |___________________________________________________________________| 
>>| Dik Jones, Earth Model Interpretation   Internet: [email-masked] |
  | Chevron Petroleum Technology Company.        Tel:  (310) 694-7056 | 
  | La Habra, California 90633-0446              Fax:  (310) 694-7063 |

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From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Edelman)
Date: 21 Dec 1993 16:32:04 GMT

In article [email-masked],  Doug White <[email-masked]> writes:
>> WD-40 is basically kerosene and DMSO...
>> 

>you sure about this? ...
 
Yep. Read it in another forum. It also has some detergents, I believe. The DMSO is
why horse trainers spray it on sprains.

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From: [email-masked] (David E. Miller)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 18:27:03 GMT

Greg Lewis ([email-masked]) wrote:

: There are a lot of rumors and stories floating around about WD40...
 . . . . . . 
: is no better than any other oil. Is it good for clocks? To spray into
 . . . . . .                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It is NOT good for clocks.  My father repairs clocks, and he often  
charges extra when someone brings in a clock that has been WD40'd.
It really gums up the works.  I have seen the results when I help
him.  It is not pretty.

(off topic)  I hand made a pendulum rod with him over Thanksgiving.
It looked great if I do say so myself.  (back on topic)

WD40 is great for many things.  Just not clocks.  Heck, I've even
used it as bug spray in a pinch.
--
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
          "Excuse me, could you help me?  I'm a spy."
          Tom Baker as the Doctor in _Genesis of the Daleks_
          David E. Miller   [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Dale Gee)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 22:03:37 GMT

Used WD-40 to salvage a keyboard that had froze up solid from the pepis syndrome

Also used it as a hand cleaner. Works great in removing oil and grease.

Dale

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From: [email-masked] (Burl C. Tanner)
Date: 21 Dec 1993 18:03 CST

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Greg Lewis) writes...
>There are a lot of rumors and stories floating around about WD40...

i know that it works fine as a water dispersant and for washing off 
salt residue. i used to work doing oceanographic research and the
sea water was always doing something to the electronics and other
pieces of equipment. i would have to take electronics enclosures 
apart on deck to "repair" them. waves crashing over the gun'ales
and all. i used wd-40 liberally on the electronics and i had fewer
severe problems than a lot of other people.

though that "lack of problems" stuff got me sent to sea a lot
more often, no money though.

[email-masked]

this space for rent, post no bills

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From: [email-masked] (Kevin Martinez)
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 00:46:04 GMT

WD40 and a Bic lighter can make a pretty good flamethrower for use with a 
garbage can full of maggots for instance. They sure wiggle fast then!

Kevin Martinez
[email-masked] 
-- 
---------------------------------------
 Member of the Vicki Robinson Fan Club
 Kevin Martinez          [email-masked]
--------------------------------------

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From: [email-masked] (Steve Gaudio)
Date: 22 Dec 1993 01:58:21 GMT

'WD' stands for 'water displacement', useful for blowing off water off
circuitry that's already wetted.

like most petroleum products, WD-40 reacts with air and becomes acidic,
speeding corrosion. i recommend wax or LPS-3 for such protection.

WD-40 also removes old adhesive tape residue. faster than denatured,
safer than acetone.

but i still think it's overrated as a lubricant. and it smells like
hell.

-steve.

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From: [email-masked] ()
Date: 22 Dec 1993 02:51:41 GMT

>Yep. Read it in another forum. It also has some detergents, I believe. The DMSO
>is why horse trainers spray it on sprains.

  are you telling me that horse trainers spray DW-40 on their horses
sprains, or are you saying that they use DMSO?

  EBo --

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From: [email-masked] (Neil R. Marsh)
Date: 21 Dec 1993 18:53:23 -0800

> you sure about this?  I consider this far more worrysome than the water rumor.

        I've quipped that WD-40 is to machines what DMSO is to people
a number of times but I don't believe that WD contains any.  (For 
those who don't remember, DMSO was touted as a cure-all a few years 
back.)

        Several years ago I had a bad shoulder and a horse-trainer 
friend had some veterinary-grade DMSO.  Helped the shoulder the first 
couple of times, then I started to develop an allergy to it.  My hide 
would get red and sting like hell.  I stay away from it now.  (You 
also get a taste in your mouth that's been described as oysters with 
garlic.  No.  I like both, and it doesn't taste like either one.)  
Point is, I slopped the hell out of some gear with WD last night and 
got plenty on me.  If there was DMSO in it, believe me, I'd know.  
You'd all be able to hear me howling.

        I like it for lubricating/driving moisture out of locks, un-
squeaking squeaky hinges, stuff like that.  Don't use it on guns 
without making damn sure it's dried out.  The carrier, whatever it is, 
will allegedly get past a crimp and neutralize primers.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neil Marsh  [email-masked] -or- [email-masked]  Chehalis, WA USA
My account                        My PC                       My opinion

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From: [email-masked] (Edward Keating)
Date: 21 Dec 93 17:29:33 GMT

>So how about a thread on WD40? 

Kerosene and a bit of a detergent. It does dry, check the film that is left.
Kerosene in addition to being a fuel, is also an excellent lubricant.
I buy my kerosene in bulk and use it in place of WD40. Smells the same and
performs the same functions. (removes labels just as well as WD40.)

-- 
Original by [email-masked]
"Flame all you want, we'll make more."
"Beware of Geeks bearing gifs."

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From: [email-masked] (Richard Foulk)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 93 22:39:17 GMT

> [...]

I have a vague recollection of some Navy types on the net saying that
WD40 was banned from sea-duty because it attracts water, and eventually
causes rust.

-- 
Richard Foulk		[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Iain Woolf)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 10:05:07 GMT

Iain.

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From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Edelman)
Date: 21 Dec 1993 12:50:44 GMT

--mike

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From: [email-masked] (Bill Webster)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 14:05:18 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (william thomas powers)
Date: 21 Dec 1993 10:59:41 -0500

Thomas
Columbus OH

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From: Doug White <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 93 10:27:21 -0500

Doug White
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

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From: Doug White <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 93 10:39:51 -0500

Doug White
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

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From: [email-masked] (R.C. Jones)
Date: 21 Dec 93 16:18:26 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Edelman)
Date: 21 Dec 1993 16:32:04 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (David E. Miller)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 18:27:03 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Dale Gee)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 22:03:37 GMT

Dale

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From: [email-masked] (Burl C. Tanner)
Date: 21 Dec 1993 18:03 CST

[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Kevin Martinez)
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 00:46:04 GMT

Kevin Martinez
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Steve Gaudio)
Date: 22 Dec 1993 01:58:21 GMT

-steve.

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From: [email-masked] ()
Date: 22 Dec 1993 02:51:41 GMT

EBo --

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From: [email-masked] (Neil R. Marsh)
Date: 21 Dec 1993 18:53:23 -0800

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From: [email-masked] (Edward Keating)
Date: 21 Dec 93 17:29:33 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Richard Foulk)
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 93 22:39:17 GMT

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 22 Dec 93 21:14:30 GMT

I've used it for all kinds of things, many of which have been mentioned
above.  I have cleaned bike chains with it without removing them (just
soak it good, most of the crud runs off).  It will also remove pine sap
from your hands!
    Brian

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From: [email-masked] (Ralph Snel)
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 16:08:27 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Greg Lewis) writes:
> [...] One guy even says
My granddad uses it for that, and claims there's nothing better...

Ralph

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From: [email-masked] (Bob Neidorff)
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 16:47:03 GMT

I have heard that it is basically kerosene, detergent, and a propellent.
The detergent may contain water, but if it does, it isn't much.  

The kerosene makes a good solvent for grimy oil and such, and is also a
good aluminum cutting fluid.  However, kerosene has bad fumes, and
is flammable.  It is probably bad to breath, so I think that WD40 is
a BAD CHOICE for a general household lubricant.

The kerosene is volatile, so any lubrication from the kerosene is
temporary.  It probably leaves the detergent behind which is less
of a quality lubricant and more of a cleaning compound.

I have heard that for delicate mechanisms, it is a no-no.  Spray
or dropper 3-in-1 oil is much preferred.  This is the advice of
a sewing machine repair man.  I guess that same advice goes for
small clocks.  I would be extremely careful what is put into a watch.

For unsticking rusted bolts, I have never had success with WD40.
Liquid Wrench works better.  Brute force is almost always still
required.

For door hinges, it WD40 is a temporary fix.  3-in-1 oil is still
a better choice.

In summary, WD40 is a good aluminum cutting fluid and a good solvent
for grime in mechanisms.

-- 
Bob Neidorff; Unitrode I. C. Corp.  |  Internet: [email-masked]
7 Continental Blvd.                 |  Voice   : (US) 603-424-2410
Merrimack, NH  03054-0399 USA       |  FAX     : (US) 603-424-3460

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From: [email-masked] (Kris Schludermann)
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 22:59:18 GMT

I use it on all my rubber belts and hoses. so far i have 170k (6 years) on
the factory set. all the hosese are still soft and pliable,  same goes for
all the rubber boots on the fuel injection system electrical connection. 
i also use it on CV joint boots & to purge brake residual brake fluid out of
the bleeder vavle. you can literally see the rubber soak up the WD-40.

kris

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From: [email-masked] (Henry Sommer)
Date: 24 Dec 93 04:49:16 GMT

here's a few places I've told not to use it.

	near paint.  the painet where I usedt( to work got mad because I sprayed
it in the same end of the shop where he was working.  He said it contained
silicone.

	as a cutting or tapping fluid  Carrol smith prepare to win.

	In locks it atracts dirt and gums the hell out of the locks i have
heard this one numerous times from loksmiths and others.

	If it does contain silcone that is why it works good with rubber
which is suposed to repond well to an ocasial blast of silicone spray.

	PB Blaster Or Garila knocker works better for free rusted bolts.
Ask anyone that works in a mufler shop (a real good place to find nabsty
rusted resembalcs of bolts.)

--
        Henry Sommer               Mechanical Engineering student
        [email-masked]   Georgia Institute of Technology

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From: [email-masked] (Mal Goris)
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 02:49:56 GMT

> : There are a lot of rumors and stories floating around about WD40...

Both my Uncle and Grandpa were watchmakers. WD-40 would probably be one of the worst
possible lubricants for watches and clocks, according to them. Proper watch lubricant is
a mix of vegetable oil and mineral oil. Mineral oil alone isn't suitable because it
spreads out over the metal surfaces and doesn't stay where it was put. Vegetable oil
does stay where it is put, but goes rancid after a time and ceases to properly
lubricate. Hence a mix of the two tends to combine the best properties of each. WD-40 on
the other hand is so volatile that after only a short period it would evaporate leaving
a residue that would do more harm than good to the fine bearings in a watch.

I've seen WD-40 used as a flame thrower. Light a match and direct a spray jet
from a WD-40 pressure can over the match.

  -- Mal Goris
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Morgan Hall)
Date: Mon, 27 Dec 1993 15:24:37 GMT

Haven't seen this on here yet, so here's one for the WD40 fans:

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's heavily used as a salmon lure.  Yep,
just bait up the ol' hook, fly, lure, or whatever and saturate with WD40.
The fish seem to love it.

BTW -- I've been told that it's a fish oil base.  Me? I dunno.

Morgan