Use of wd40

[powder]

This is how I use it: buy the 1 gallon can, and one of their empty spray bottles.

Pour in one half qt. synthetic gear oil, to the empty spray bottle. I use Amsoil 75-140.

Top off the spray bottle with the WD-40. Before you spray it on anything, gently shake up the bottle. (Use whatever ratio you want, w/o watering the gear lube down too much.)

The WD-40 acts as a carrier for the gear lube, and the WD eventually evaporates, while it also displaces moisture.

This is a formula I used for chain lube on my race bikes, and decided to use it on guns as well. Less than $30 gives you A LOT of lubricant, goes a LOONNNGG way.

 

[natman]

WD40 has been known to remove all lubrication. It is also a common misconception that wd40 is a lubricant... it is not. If you want to test this, take a piece of plain steel, clean it really good with wd40 and set it outside somewhere. Do the same using something like rem oil and then compare the 2 pieces of metal in a few months. The wd40 piece will be rusted, corroded, etc.

Every time WD-40 is mentioned people say the darnedest things about it.

Lubrication is not the same thing as corrosion protection.

In real life tests WD-40 is good at both.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=...inic-Knowing-the-Limits-of-Rust-Preventatives

Spray some wd-40 into a clean glass bowl. Come back in an hour after all the solvents have evaporated. Examine the thin, greasy, extremely slippery film that remains and then explain how it's not a lubricant.

A lot of people swear that WD-40 gums up. All I know is that I've tried to make it happen but have been unable to do so, nor have I ever seen any real test to support that conclusion. I have seen several instances where people bought a gun with an unknown history, found it was gummed up and jumped to the conclusion that it must have been WD-40 that caused it. Now it may be that the solvents in WD-40 react with something else, but I have never seen any evidence that WD-40 applied to clean parts will gum up.

Now there are better firearms lubricants out there. WD-40 has a high percentage of solvents and I prefer to use a cleaner for cleaning and a lubricant for lubrication rather than trying to get one product to do it all.

 

[mtrmn]

I'm one of those Knuckle-dragging Neanderthals that use a lot of WD40. If I could get by with it, I'd spray it around the house for air freshener. (I have actually seen those pine-tree type air fresheners that looked like a can of WD40.)
I do not use WD40 as a primary lubricant, but I clean all my guns with it-especially the bolt carrier groups of my AR's. I then apply Mobil 1 for the final lube. Carbon just wipes away.
I DO NOT USE BREAKFREE CLP for a lube either. I have a gallon jug of it too. I can apply it to a gun and pull it from the safe 6 months later and the gun will be dry. To me, a dry gun is an unlubricated gun unless I specifically applied a dry-type lube to begin with. Since going to synthetic motor oil I chunk rocks at everything else for lube.

 

[kyew]

What I was told about it (by my mentor/gunsmithing teacher/uncle) is that it's an excellent rust remover/preventative, but used as a lube, it gums up the works eventually. Also, as bluing is basically "controlled rusting", its rust removing properties can shorten the lifespan of the finish on your blued firearms.

 

[amd6547]

WD40 works great...on my hedge clippers.
It would be the last thing I would use on my firearms, and say that as someone who used it back in the day, when it was considered lubrication big news.
Lubes have come a long way since then.
My number one choice for CLP is WeaponShield. Having been shooting a lot of corrosive ammo lately, I have been using Ballistol a lot, and it is a great all purpose lube.

 

[Sun Tzu warrior]

I am a millwright, have been for over 30 years, and use WD 40 all the time. Just not on my firearms, not saying you can't or shouldn't, I just don't.
The machines I work on, use water, and corrosive chemicals, WD 40 works great to break free rusted, corroded parts, but IMHO tends to flush out lubricants, and I always follow up with a good dose of oil, otherwise the squeeky wheel will cause me to return to the jobsite at no charge. (don't ask me how I know) AS to the question of being a rust preventative, I have no opinion.

 

[doubleh]

I did my own simple rust test one time. I cut three short piece of mild steel flat bar and cleaned one side with a grinder until there was no mill scale and the surface was bright and shiny. One piece stayed bare, one was sprayed liberally with WD-40, and the other was coated with ordinary motor oil Mobil Delvac 20-40) and laid down on the concrete apron outside my shop door. They were left alone for one week. There was no rain during that time period. At the end of one week the bare piece had light rust all over it. The WD-40 sprayed one was showing some light patches of rust while the motor oil protected one was rust free.

From that rust test I determined that WD-40 is better than nothing but oil works much better. I still use it quite a bit for various things but not on my guns. I'll throw in that it is also a pretty good drilling and tapping fluid but Tap Magic has it beat hands down.

I'll say this, Wd-40 has saved me a ton of work over my career removing stuck parts and once it even got me out of a huge mudhole in the road when my vehicle drowned out.

 

[desidog]

Ok, now that WD-40 has been flogged....

What happened to 3in1 Oil? I honestly haven't seen it anywhere in years, and occasionally i wander through the hardware store aimlessly...

 

[jimmyraythomason]

My mom and grandmother both kept 3in1 for their sewing machines(Granny's old treadle Singer and mom's electrics) and Dad used it to oil his whetstone. It was always there during my childhood('50s and '60s)but I haven't seen any in years but I haven't looked for it.

 

[Teachu2]

http://www.3inone.com/products/multi-purpose/

It's still out there.

Find 3-IN-ONE® Drip Oil at a Retailer near you:
•Walmart
•Home Depot
•Lowes
•Ace Hardware
•AutoZone
•Do It Best Hardware
•True Value Hardware
•Menards
•Walgreens
•Harbor Freight
•Amazon.com

 

[Walkalong]

WD-40 is a poor lubricant. When over used and not cleaned out of areas it can gum things up.

There are better products for penetrating tight tolerances, better options for dissolving crud, much better options for lubrication, and as good or better options for rust protection.

I do not even own any WD-40 anymore.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

There are better products for penetrating tight tolerances, better options for dissolving crud, much better options for lubrication, and as good or better options for rust protection.

While all of this is true(I have never experienced any gumming problems with it myself in decades of use)concerning better options the fact remains that WD-40 has served many of us very well for many years and I/we will continue to use it. No one is arguing that there aren't better options just that WD-40 will do a very decent job in all 3 categories..lubrication,corrosion prevention and penetrating oil.

 

[GoWolfpack]

When I saw the thread title I knew this would be good.

 

[Scooter22]

Heres the history of WD40. I keep a couple cans around to use on tools and automotive needs. I also use it for a quick wipe down on my guns after shooting in cold or wet weather to prevent surface rust before I have a chance for a full cleaning. G96 Complete Gun Spray is my main gun spray. Great spray cleaner and lube.

http://wd40.com/about-us/history/

 

[X-Rap]

The visual I get from WD40 threads is people with their hair on fire

 

[Buzznrose]

WD-40 is EXCELLENT on fish bait!

When I worked around St Mary's, MT, I was told by the local Blackfeet natives that WD-40 was excellent sprayed on bait to catch fish. I thought they were full of it, but to satisfy my curiosity, I set a trot line for burbout (fresh water cod-like bottom feeder, great eating fish!) with a dozen hooks on three consecutive nights. All hooks were baited with chunks of whitefish.

So I sprayed every other baited hook with WD-40. Three nights in a row, I caught several fish on the WD-40 tainted bait. I only caught one fish total on the unsprayed bait.

I've since used WD-40 for halibut, cod, and burbout in Alaska, sturgeon and catfish in Montana, and bass and,catfish in Delaware. Haven't used it in Texas yet but want to try it if I ever get out and do some cat fishing.

I don't use WD much for anything around the house as I prefer Ballistol, but for bait fishing, it will always have a spot in my tackle box.

 

[jcwit]

WD-40? Works GREAT for spraying on tie rod ends before dismantling and replacing with new ones.

 

[Blanco]

WD

I don't claim to be an expert on WD-40, so take what I add with a grain of salt.
I have been working on guns for well over 30 years, I do not consider myself a gunsmith. I have worked on all my personal guns and those of friends and relatives.
I have found that wd-40 is an excellent solvent. If I remember my history WD-40 was invented by Lockheed as a solvent and water displacer for aircraft electrical and electronics.
The solvent in WD is a compound known as Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyl_sulfoxide
One of it's properties is that it is absorbed through the skin directly into the blood. This could be bad in the case of guns where lead or other toxic substances could be leeched directly into the body.

My personal experience with WD-40 has mostly been negative when used as a lubricant or preservative. I have had guns that were cleaned with it begin rusting within a months time.
I will not slight those of you who use it without issue, To each their own.

I will let you in on one of my secrets. I use a homebrew better known as Ed's red. The basic ingredients are available anywhere. I think it was Popular Mechanics tested it against all the popular penetrating lubricants and it beat them all. It is a superior cleaner and lubricant to every "gun" product I have tried. It will work as a preservative but only for short term (1yr) as it will eventually evaporate over time
http://handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=9
I will add that my version excludes acetone as this will cause condensation on metals.
Mine uses 4 basic ingredients
Valvoline universal ATF (low Odor)
odorless mineral spirits
Light weight machine oil like 3n1
d-limoline (orange oil)
I make up a gallon at a time and give the excess to friends... Who beg for more.

 

[hentown]

I feel like I just woke up in the middle of a bad dream about WD-40 cults. In my humble opinion, it's not the best solvent. Also, in my opinion, 3-in-1 oil is just about worthless as a firearms lubricant.

 

[XD 45acp]

Been using 3N1 on my Trap shotgun since 1964. Have shot it in ALL weather conditions and have NO rust. My Winchester looks just like the day I bought it at The "64 Grand American. Now, just remember, it is a full true blue oil, which means it will collect dirt probably alot faster than the new lubes of today. So, regular cleaning is important if you shoot alot ( me, about 500 rnds + per week ). I apply it as thin as possible. Tried and true is ok, but technology has come a LONG way since '64. Guess I shouldn't be so hard headed.

 

[denpython]

back in the good ol' days I recall a story of the WD40 craze inspiring some to use it for fish frying at camping trips.....

 

[doubleh]

OK, one more WD-40 use. My wife's old aunt developed arthritis in one of her knees when she was in her late 60s. She rubbed it with WD-40 to relieve the pain. I made the mistake of jokingly telling her that all it did was make her smell like WD-40. She in turn and quite explicitly told me it DID stop her knee from hurting and if I gave her anymore guff about using it she would whip me with the can.

I guess it did work. She lived to be 93 years old and was still getting around on that arthritic knee.

 

[cocon]

Too much of a good thing.

I have used WD40 for years, I used it on my guns for a while but stopped when I got to know Jhon Harrison the Birminghan gun maker. ( He mostly made guns for Holland and Holland and other firms as an outworker). He explained about WD 40 being a penertrating oil and you do not want it soaking into your gun stock. It is fine for de watering but should be wiped off after. If a gun gets soaked with water, it should be disasembled <deleted> and allowed to dry out while the metal work is de watered and dried out. Then oil and reasemble. I try not to go shooting in the rain but sometimes it rains as you are out shooting, most inconvenient.

 

[stressed]

Silicone lubricant is a far better option then WD40, costs the same and can be picked up in the same isle.

I remember in Iraq locals using motor oil to lube their AK's, worked quite well. Smelled like a car burning oil after a few magazines in rapid succession. In an oil rich country though, why not.

I just use what is mean for firearms. CLP or dry lube.

 

[788Ham]

Spray it on your boat prop and housing before putting the boat and motor away for the winter, no water on anything come spring!