More on use of WD-40

[4V50 Gary]

Some believe and some don't. Thank you everyone for being civil.

[Ricklin]

It's a little light for lubricating, I like it for cleaning and water displacing. It has the added advantage of a fairly pleasant odor.

[Unclenick]

The whole business of getting thick and tacky has to do with the carbon chain length distribution in the mineral oils. As Bill said, they all have the potential to do this. The shorter chains gradually evaporate, leaving the less volatile longer chain molecules behind. These are more viscous, so they feel like hard grease or even wax.

WD-40's MSDS says around 10% of the product is a mixture of mineral oils. Since one of its original functions was as a corrosion inhibitor, I wouldn't be surprised to find the mix intentionally included something with long, high-viscosity molecules. But the other thing that will affect how WD-40 seems to do in comparison with the drying out of other mineral oil products is that the spray has enough carrier in it that when it evaporates, the oil film left behind is very thin, so the process of drying down to longer molecules can go faster than it does with conventional oil if you leave the item uncovered.

Years ago, I used to repair machine tools with a friend of mine when engineering work was slow. He found a machine shop in the south end of town that had the habit of spraying down their machine ways with WD-40 every morning, stating that it loosened them right up. They were also having to ship their machine tools out every six months for rebuilding. My friend pointed out that spraying them with something as light as WD-40 was like putting cutting oil on them and that they should be using proper way oil. So, on his advice, they switched. He visited them to repair a control a few years later, and in the meantime, they hadn't needed to have any of their machines rebuilt.

Right lube for the right job matters.

[tangolima]

It is pretty entertaining, or even comical, to read posts on wd-40. They remind me of brass headspace discussions that we used to have on forum.

But seriously, we all believe what we believe. No need to convince the others. Water displacement (WD) is to push out water trapped in very narrowly confined spaces, probably some sort surface tension tricks. I don't have many of such applications, so I don't use the said product. I have better products for other intended purposes.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[Nodak1858]

It is pretty entertaining, or even comical, to read posts on wd-40. They remind me of brass headspace discussions that we used to have on forum.

haha, that's what I was thinking.
I use WD40 a lot, has it's place. But honestly if you have a machine, or a gun or what ever in a dusty dirty environment and you keep squirting oil on it without actually cleaning it time after time it will keep accumulating dusty/dirt and make it's own mess.
Just like a old engine that leaks, after years of dirt and grime sticking to the oil it will make a hard coating.
Ford owners know what I mean, lol

[stuckinthe60s]

G-d bless singer sewing machine oil!

[Ricklin]

Kroil or PB blaster will cut the muck left behind by WD40. I had a sock drawer single action .357. It was so mucked up with dried out oil you could time the hammer fall with a stopwatch.
A couple of squirts of PB blaster and all was well in seconds. It did take a while to get the cylinder pin out.

[skywag]

WD-40 does not leave muck! Only poor cleaning leave muck.

[Schlitz 45]

FYI- WD-40 is not a fish attractant.
No gumming issues here but never left puddles of it, only a thin film. Best stuff ever for drying out a vehicle’s drowned ignition & get it sparking again.

[Ricklin]

I have no clue what the owner of the socks used, if anything on that old single action. Could well have been the factory lubricants, I fired it for the first time and was likely made in the late 60's early 70's.
I too find it downright handy when the ignition of my pressure washer gets rained on, a couple squirts and she fires up. Handy for getting the glue off from stickers too, and it smells ok.

[ammo.crafter]

Water Displacement

Never use WD-$) as a lubricant. It was not disigned for this purpose.

[natman]

Originally Posted by ammo.crafter

Water Displacement

Never use WD-$) as a lubricant. It was not disigned for this purpose.

Oh, please. Yes, WD-40 works great to displace water, but that's not its only use.

Try this. Get a clean glass or ceramic bowl and squirt some WD-40 in it. Let it sit for a few hours. Once all the solvent is gone, check out the thin, extremely slippery grease that's left, then tell me it's not a lubricant.

[Ricklin]

If you wish to make "muck" of mineral oil? Add heat.

[Shane Tuttle]

Originally Posted by natman

Oh, please. Yes, WD-40 works great to displace water, but that's not its only use.

Try this. Get a clean glass or ceramic bowl and squirt some WD-40 in it. Let it sit for a few hours. Once all the solvent is gone, check out the thin, extremely slippery grease that's left, then tell me it's not a lubricant.

Slippery grease? What's in WD40 that's classified as a grease?

It CAN be a lubricant. Problem is, it doesn't last, which other products perform far better.

[natman]

Originally Posted by Shane Tuttle

Slippery grease? What's in WD40 that's classified as a grease?

Well, it's thicker than oil and thinner than grease, so I called it a "thin grease". Is it technically a grease with oil and a binder? No. Perhaps thin, slippery gel would have been a better choice. However, the operative words as far as it being a lubricant were not thin grease, but extremely slippery.

[4V50 Gary]

I would use residue, not grease but I agree with natman.

[4V50 Gary]

Like it, hate it, everything has its purpose AND its limitations. All opinions have been expressed and it's for the reader now to discern what course of action they follow.