WD40 use..

[Cypherian]

Not arguing with you, but why is it bad on firearms? My dad and grandfather do it all the time, I do too when remington oil isnt available.

There is another reason, WD40 is a penetrating oil if you have excess in the weapon and it gets on the cartridges in can penetrate the primer causing it to fail. I have seen this first hand sort of lol a friend of my fathers brought an old 38 out to shoot one day he tries to fire it 3 trigger pulls nothing. The bullets all have firing pin marks so dad tried to fire the other 2 rounds same thing. Took it to another friend of my dads who is a "GUN GUY" he looked it over put in fresh ammo worked like a champ, he took the old cartridges and took them apart after putting them in one of his 38's and cycling through them a few times. the powder was a clump the primers looked fine on the back side but of course not popped he smelled the powder and the shell and asked the guy if he had used WD40... The guy said yeah he doesn't use the gun much it sits in his night stand wiped it down a couple of times a year.. The best guess is he got enough on the cartridge's to penetrate the primers and cause them to fail and the gun powder to clump up.

Cypher

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Years ago I had a mis-informed friend that kept a can of WD40 in his vehicle. He claimed that if he sprayed some in his mouth, when being pulled over after drinking, it would mask the blood alcohol level result on a breathalyzer...He found out that didn't work.

 

[kunkernator]

Did you tell him the WD stands for Water Displacement?

Of course. But you see last time i argued with the *******, i got wrote up. He wanted me to reuse a head gasket after pulling the cylinder head off of an engine. I refused to do it, of course for obvious reasons......


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[CoogarXR]

I think it was mentioned already- but it's a great adhesive residue remover. When I was in the electronics refurbishing business, I would get equipment that had various "fail" and inventory stickers all over it. I give it the 1-2 punch with windex and wd40. Spray windex on the sticker and let it sit for about 30 seconds. The paper part of the sticker wipes right off. Then a shot of wd40 on the remaining goo-square, and it comes right off. Much more gentle than goo-gone, which can destroy many surfaces (especially plastics).

 

[Showkey]

For not being a lubricant sure works good on squeaky hinges .............

Also the perfect product for cleaning and lube for motorcycle oring chains..........

This WD lubrication thing comes up all time, these guys handle the subject describing its limitations:

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28893/wd40-bearing-lubricant

 

[Todd.Brock]

I use it to clean my tools. Get the grease off of soft grip and hard grip tools really well.

Did you know they sell Fluid Film in Lowes? I thought it was like Kroil and had to be ordered.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

To: clean/protect tools, clean MC chains, clean greasy stuff, clean tar/chain lube of rims.... I use it more for cleaning and "light" lubrication than anything else.

 

[pauls_workshop]

And another one I've mentioned before: Never use WD40 to spray inside motors at all, ever. It will act to insulate the surfaces, which is exactly what an electric motor does not need, and can help to fry the motor when it gets hot. It is not lube! Not good for the bearings either! - Paul

 

[Farmall450]

Good to know. Guess i dont let my firearms sit long enough to let that happen... Lol. Normally i use the spray Rem Oi, but have used WD40 before. Motorkote is probably the best lubricant i have found.


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I'd use rem oil but the smell

 

[davethorik]

I've found it works well with stones to help cut better. If you put a some on a stone that is packed with metal, it will get the metal out of the stone.

Also, perfume. Freaking love the smell of WD

 

[jkwilson]

I'm with the cleaner crowd. WD40 is a great cleaner. Spray it on a tool that's dirty or wet and then wipe it down. Use it to clean dirt out of something like gears, trailer hitch latch or a sprocket before lubricating it properly. Also an excellent lubricant in a pinch for odd things that bind. like catches and latches.

It's handy because it does a lot of things okay. It's not the right tool for many jobs, but it's a passable tool for a hell of a bunch of things.

If I have a set of gears on a jack that won't turn because they have mud, bits of gravel and road grime in them, a bath in the parts cleaner followed by lubrication is just the ticket. But I seldom have a parts cleaner on the road or out in a hayfield.

When it used to use propane as a propellant, it was a good starting fluid.

 

[bwringer]

Another "cleaner" here. I keep a spray bottle replenished from a gallon jug and use WD-40 to clean oily or dirty parts quite a bit.

The main reason is simply that WD-40 doesn't smell bad. It doesn't create harmful fumes, and is mostly harmless to paint, plastic, and other materials.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

I mostly use it as a cleaner, specifically on silicone rubber items.

It also works well for diesels that where not designed for the pressures of Ether, that is to say, it starts IDI light diesels rather well. Does not work hardly at all, on the newer emissions diesels, or at least that is my finding.

Otherwise, I use oil, when I need a lubricant on something, and I never allow WD40 near anything getting future body/paint work, or firearms, basically I dont keep much on hand, or find much use for it, and I keep more rattle cans of chemicals on hand, than most shops. Kinda like tools,...

 

[the gypsy]

It has been posted earlier but no matter how many times it is repeated it always slips many peoples mind. WD40 is not a lubricant. It was invented as a water displacement for NASA. This is the reason for its' product name WD water displacement and 40 because it was the 40th try before they got a good formula. I use it in an emergency as a lubricant if I am in a bind, but use it mostly to clean my tools. It is good to spray on wires in engine compartment to displace any humidity problems. But it is not the miracle lubricant many people take it for because it is not meant to lubricate.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

WD40 is not a lubricant. It was invented as a water displacement for NASA.

On that note, I keep cans of Fluid Film around, it runs absolute circles around WD40 for preserving metal surfaces. It looks/works more like cosmoline, than WD40, although in the past I used WD40 for its intended purpose, but found it only lasts several months and either evaporates, degrades, oxidizes or whatever, and turns up missing and flash rust starts setting in.

 

[butsir]

I use it to clean traces of burnt rubber footwear chrome exhaust pipes motorcycle.

 

[countryroad82]

I've found it good for causing me headaches and woes when the owners of vehicles use it to shine up their door jambs, weatherstrips, tires, anything rubber. Stuffs a b%^ch to clean off and still will sometimes give me paint problems. I hate the stuff, won't allow it to cross the threshold of my shop.

 

[Cap'nJake]

I used to work at autozone and saw a person use it to de-ice a windshield... it got the ice off but they still couldn't see. I tried to tell them not to do it.

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[Doug Arthurs]

Haven't seen anyone mention to use it instead of kerosene as a cutting fluid on aluminum. Helps improve the surface finish.

 

[928'er]

I've found it good for causing me headaches and woes when the owners of vehicles use it to shine up their door jambs, weatherstrips, tires, anything rubber. Stuffs a b%^ch to clean off and still will sometimes give me paint problems. I hate the stuff, won't allow it to cross the threshold of my shop.

Friend with a body shop told me a tale of someone prepping their car for a new paint job. They had sanded most of the old finish off and had to leave the car outside over night. Someone had the bright idea to wipe it down with WD40 to prevent surface rust. They never could get paint to stick to that car....

 

[zendriver]

Fwiw Brakes squeal, where the caliper piston, meets the metal plate, of the brake pad. A quick shot of wd40 will stop the squeal, temporary without really effecting braking (hopefully). if the pad was worn, it would have a grinding noise. I've used WD40 to quickly revive cloudy headlight fixtures.


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[Bigblue&Goldie]

My uses:

-clean hands
-clean tools
-spray rusty/dirty threads when running a nut off (not considered a penetrating oil)
-spray bare metal that I don't want rusting

I used it tonight on my race car on uncoated metal after I got done welding on it. It's really common in offroad to scotchBrite a chassis and then rub it down with wd40.

 

[TomB19]

I've used WD40 when cutting aluminum with carbide tools. It works great.

 

[azhatchback]

I spray it on my out door water faucets when they start getting hard to turn or jam up. It works like a champ.

I also clean the door locks on my house with WD when they jam up real bad and graphite powder won't do the job. I live in a very dusty area.

 

[bonneyman]

I've found it good for causing me headaches and woes when the owners of vehicles use it to shine up their door jambs, weatherstrips, tires, anything rubber. Stuffs a b%^ch to clean off and still will sometimes give me paint problems. I hate the stuff, won't allow it to cross the threshold of my shop.

^ This

Used to use it all the time to clean tar off my hands, clean tools, loosen up stuck parts, etc. Till I started getting bad headaches that lasted 2 or 3 days. Nothing would help (aspirin, Tylenol, etc). Finally made the connection it was the WD-40. It contains DMSO as a penetrant - which also goes through your skin, carrying the distillates with it. The headaches were a toxic reaction. I have since gone to other products for the various jobs I used it for.

Loosen stuck parts = JAFE juice
Rust preventive = Rem gun oil or marine grease
Hand cleaner = Ballistol gun oil
Oiling small moving parts = silicone oil
Clearing headlight lenses = polishing compound

 

[chruler]

I never use it as a lubricant, or on anything that I'm going to lubricate. WD40 cuts grease and oil and in my experience isn't good to have on lubricated surfaces.

Otherwise, I use it to get tar off my motorcycle rims, remove stickers from things, clean up old, greasy parts. I'm in the cleaning camp.

You can pour water on a squeaky door hinge and it will stop squeaking for a day or two. Same thing with WD40. Once the carrier evaporates, the solvent has no lubricating properties.

 

[anndel]

I use WD-40 to clean and lubricate some tools, clean rust off tools and metal, when using the tap and die, etc., many more uses. For my ratchets, I take them apart and use brake parts cleaner to clean them then apply a light coating of synthetic wheel bearing grease.

 

[jkwilson]

^ This

Used to use it all the time to clean tar off my hands, clean tools, loosen up stuck parts, etc. Till I started getting bad headaches that lasted 2 or 3 days. Nothing would help (aspirin, Tylenol, etc). Finally made the connection it was the WD-40. It contains DMSO as a penetrant - which also goes through your skin, carrying the distillates with it. The headaches were a toxic reaction. I have since gone to other products for the various jobs I used it for.

Loosen stuck parts = JAFE juice
Rust preventive = Rem gun oil or marine grease
Hand cleaner = Ballistol gun oil
Oiling small moving parts = silicone oil
Clearing headlight lenses = polishing compound

If it contained DMSO you would be able to taste it as soon as it touched your skin. A simple glance at the MSDS tells you it doesn't contain DMSO:

"None of the components is considered a reproductive hazard."

DMSO is a reproductive hazard so either the company is lying on their MSDS (You could own them if they were) or it doesn't contain DMSO.

 

[G_P]

I mainly use it on old equipment where everything that is supposed to move is full of congealed grease. The WD40 dissolves some of the old grease and gets things moving again so I can see if the machine actually works.
Note, these are machines that will be torn apart, cleaned and lubed properly once I confirm what works and what needs replacing. I dont use it as a long term lube.

It's also good for cleaning old oil and grease off metal. It helps dissolve the old stuff making it easier to wipe away, and leaves a bit of oil behind to slow down rusting until the part can be repainted.

 

[MarkG]

Guy I bought my boat from used to spray it on his hands. Said it helped his arthritis.

I know of a guy who did the same thing on elbow & knee joints! Strange, but if the guy thinks it helps, OK. I just don't like the idea of soaking in all the chemicals though.

 

[Coach James]

If it contained DMSO you would be able to taste it as soon as it touched your skin. A simple glance at the MSDS tells you it doesn't contain DMSO:

"None of the components is considered a reproductive hazard."

DMSO is a reproductive hazard so either the company is lying on their MSDS (You could own them if they were) or it doesn't contain DMSO.

I doubt that also. I used DMSO in a lab setting and with just an open container in the lab, I could taste it.

Coach

 

[66354dream]

I know people who spray it on a bolt that's been rusted in for 20 years, come back in 5 minutes and express surprise when it won't budge...

You and I both, WD40 is worthless for breaking loose seized rusted fasteners. I did a test a few years ago and poured a little WD40, PB blaster and Kroyl in styrofoam cups and placed them on top of a paper towels overnight. WD40 paper towel was completely dry, PB paper towel had a ring around the bottom of the cup and Kroyl completely saturated the cup and paper towel.

 

[G_P]

Kroil is my go to penetrating oil for rusted fasteners. I also have a very old can of "pipe break". It's great stuff and I think it might even work better than Kroil.

 

[Bronson]

It makes My breath smell fishy.

 

[Bronson]

Seriously, I use WD-40 quite a bit in the shop.
Mainly to clean parts of surface rust and dirt.
Depending on the material and surface issues, I spray it on, let it sit, then clean with brake cleaner, then bead blast and prime or polish or whatever is called for.
When I buy a project motorcycle that has sat out in the weather, I pressure wash it, then spray everything down with a liberal dose of WD, let it sit a couple days, then begin teardown.
It makes it easy to clean the parts again as I pull them off to repair or modify for re-assembly.

 

[Hammell]

I use it for bait, spray on lures, live bait for fishing, and works great on left over chicken dinners for crab bait, really brings them in. No kidding, and on my guns, kept them rust free for decades even with salt water.

 

[gol4]

I have pine tress by my driveway. It works great to clean off the pine sap that drips on my vehicles.

 

[bwringer]

If it contained DMSO you would be able to taste it as soon as it touched your skin. A simple glance at the MSDS tells you it doesn't contain DMSO:

"None of the components is considered a reproductive hazard."

DMSO is a reproductive hazard so either the company is lying on their MSDS (You could own them if they were) or it doesn't contain DMSO.

There are all kinds of doofy urban legends about what's really in WD-40. I have to admit I haven't seen the DMSO one before...

 

[skunkape1]

I don't understand the crowd that sees WD as useless. I've used it on fine firearms for 30+ years with no ill effects. I don't just hose the gun down but spray a rag and then wipe the gun down. I wipe off with a dry rag so you basically can't tell it was used and no chance to gunk up/varnish.

I despise rust on firearms and it's what I use to perfect effect.

 

[autopts]

I Don't know if this is true or not but I heard of a novice mechanic at a dealership using WD 40 to free up a window regulator between the door and the panel. He must have put 1/2 a can in the panel because when he used the power lock, it blew the door panel 10ft onto the service area. Whether its true or not, I could not verify it. While we are on the topic of toxins. Read this nightmare of a article below.
http://www.brewracingframes.com/safety-alert-brake-cleaner--phosgene-gas.html