WD40 And Displacing Water

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Just a note, those that use air compressors know all about them but those who do not may not be aware that an air compressor, by it's design, concentrates the air into a confined space, thereby increasing the pressure.

What it also does is concentrate any moisture that is already in the air that is being compressed.

This is why air compressors have a drain valve on the tank so that the excess moisture that condenses within the tank can be drained when finished using the compressor, and also why commercial air compressors also tend to have line dryers to separate the moisture before it gets to whatever the compressed air is being used for to do work. Simply put, typical portable style air compressors will be blowing moisture along with the air, so you could conceivably be forcing moisture into places that may be difficult to dry or apply oil to when finished 'drying' your firearm.

If anyone is considering purchasing an air compressor to use to maintain their firearms, might I suggest instead getting a high velocity pet hair dryer. These can be had for roughly the same amount of money as the typical Lowe's, Home Depot, Tractor Supply Company portable air compressors. They have a heat setting so that not only are you applying a large volume of air but also applying heated air (albeit not as hot as a typical human hair dryer), which can certainly be an improvement in the drying process. A normal hand-held hair dryer will certainly apply highly-heated air with a certain amount of air speed / volume, but a pet hair dryer will push a much larger volume of air with enough force to blow small parts out of your grasp if not careful as would an air compressor.
 
My big concern about WD40 and firearms - is what it might do to your ammo over time... We were specifically warned about it years ago (back in the seventies) down here in south Florida where keeping your sidearm rust free is a chore... Seems that they found more than one instance back then of compromised primers in revolver ammo (I'm old enough that I can remember when hardly any police department issued anything but standard revolvers... to their rookies... like me...).
Some officers were just liberally spraying their weapons, ammo and all regularly to guard against corrosion and their ammo suffered. We were advised to remove our ammo and only go over it with a dry cloth if needed when doing weapons maintenance...

Don't believe I're read of any concerns like this in recent years so I'd be glad to hear any reports of lube spray (of any kind) causing primer troubles...
 
I have spent a lifetime time on the water and taken several guns for a quick unintended swim. (dive master lot of water time)
Fresh water rinse and then good Wd spray and wipe down.... All good and never any issues.

Side note... Since the middle 80,s I have always had small outboards as kickers OR on rubber dive boats. (from the keys to middle Florida) At least twice a year I remove the cover and spray down the entire engine area of these motors with Wd40... Under the cover these motors look brand new..

Example: I took my 1995 Yamaha 25hp to local dealer in Port Charlotte Fl. as I was short on time to service it.. Upon inspection the local dealer offered to buy that engine... His comment "that 25 year old engine looks brand new under the hood".. This is all salt water use... Wd 40 owes me nothing.. its cheap and does the job..

Not interweb BS but Based on my personal experience
 
WD 40 was designed to clean telephone equipment, particularly out side pay phones in the San Francisco area. the WD stands for 'water displacement' and the fortieth formula worked. It does displace water. So using WD 40 will assist in removing water. The original intent was fog not immersion, still, water is water.
However, it does leave a residue that gums and clogs in a firearm (or associated) context, so it should not be used as a dedicated lubricant. One notes, used on a metal surface exposed to the elements, leaving it on would be encouraged, but that's another story.

So the application of WD 40 should not be the end of the process, but as directed, it will not hurt.
 
.38 Special: ... Applied repeatedly over the years it can gum up. ...

Bad thing is that WD40 leaves behind a wax as the solvent evaporates.
Good thing is that the solvent in fresh WD40 dissolves the waxy buildup.

WD40 is inexpensive and available. I don't use it to clean any parts I can't wipe off.
I guess near 50 years is not long enough. No worry, I'll keep watching for it to start to "gum" up. Maybe 60.
 
Ultrasonic tank with a solution developed specifically for firearm cleaning and corrosion prevention. No disassembly required. Takes about 4 minutes.
 
Frogfurr... NO not much at all.... maybe 2-3 minute... and worth every penny
 
my friend works in a naval ship yard. they had a nuke carrier in dry dock working on it and he used WD 40 on the props. well the ship broke down at sea cause the WD 40 gummed up the props the ship had to be towed back. :D
You do realize anything Nimitz Class or the newer Ford Class have four props and each prop is driven by a 24" OD shaft and each prop has a diameter of 25 feet and weighs in at 66,000 LBs. While I was never in the Navy I did do two full deployments aboard CVN 69 (USS Eisenhower) as a civilian component of DoD and DoE. Now seriously I doubt WD 40 could gum up a prop driven with 260,000 brake horsepower. Not like they lube a prop shaft with WD 40. Sorry but I just can't buy into this.

Hmmm...don't recall hearing about that with any of the carriers in our yard!

Yep, I'm with the Chief on this one.

Ron
 
I use an ultrasonic cleaner like mentioned above with Eds red to perform normal cleaning of my firearms, I think that could be a good option, disassemble, insert into ultrasonic cleaner, wipe down and reassemble. I use the same rag to wipe down my firearms so they get a light coating of lubricant.
 
My wife took her CCL class with my Ruger Mk 1. The shooting portion was conducted outside. In the rain. And the instructor would not allow them to protect the guns from the rain. Even when they left the firing line.

I disassembled the Ruger and covered every metal piece with Water Displacement 40. (WD40). I then used a can of compressed air to blow off the WD 40 and wiped everything down with a dry cotton cloth. Then I oiled it. No adverse effect yet. That was, what, 10 years ago?
 
I have spent a lifetime time on the water and taken several guns for a quick unintended swim. (dive master lot of water time)
Fresh water rinse and then good Wd spray and wipe down.... All good and never any issues.

Side note... Since the middle 80,s I have always had small outboards as kickers OR on rubber dive boats. (from the keys to middle Florida) At least twice a year I remove the cover and spray down the entire engine area of these motors with Wd40... Under the cover these motors look brand new..

Example: I took my 1995 Yamaha 25hp to local dealer in Port Charlotte Fl. as I was short on time to service it.. Upon inspection the local dealer offered to buy that engine... His comment "that 25 year old engine looks brand new under the hood".. This is all salt water use... Wd 40 owes me nothing.. its cheap and does the job..

Not interweb BS but Based on my personal experience

My highest quantity usage of WD40 was for my motorcycles, back in my motorcycle days. Off or on road types. The off road types got the most mud baths, while the on road types simply got ridden through rain. Chasing out the water with WD40 after a wash with a water hose was normal operating procedure for me for 18 years. No problems ever.

The only things I ever saw varnished up were carburetor innards on used bikes I'd come across that had sat too long with fuel in those carbs.
 
Just a note, those that use air compressors know all about them but those who do not may not be aware that an air compressor, by it's design, concentrates the air into a confined space, thereby increasing the pressure.

What it also does is concentrate any moisture that is already in the air that is being compressed.

This is why air compressors have a drain valve on the tank so that the excess moisture that condenses within the tank can be drained when finished using the compressor, and also why commercial air compressors also tend to have line dryers to separate the moisture before it gets to whatever the compressed air is being used for to do work. Simply put, typical portable style air compressors will be blowing moisture along with the air, so you could conceivably be forcing moisture into places that may be difficult to dry or apply oil to when finished 'drying' your firearm.

If anyone is considering purchasing an air compressor to use to maintain their firearms, might I suggest instead getting a high velocity pet hair dryer. These can be had for roughly the same amount of money as the typical Lowe's, Home Depot, Tractor Supply Company portable air compressors. They have a heat setting so that not only are you applying a large volume of air but also applying heated air (albeit not as hot as a typical human hair dryer), which can certainly be an improvement in the drying process. A normal hand-held hair dryer will certainly apply highly-heated air with a certain amount of air speed / volume, but a pet hair dryer will push a much larger volume of air with enough force to blow small parts out of your grasp if not careful as would an air compressor.

A very good point. I only see compressor drying systems in commercial environments, too.

The humidity here gets high enough that draining my air compressor tank is important. But I've never had a rust or corrosion issue with my firearms from using my compressor. I mostly use my compressor for pocket lint duty for my pocket guns at least every few weeks. Still, the only rust issue after 14 years of licensed concealed carry has been when I sweat on my guns. The screws in my RM380 are very rust prone, none of my other carry guns have this problem.
 
You do realize anything Nimitz Class or the newer Ford Class have four props and each prop is driven by a 24" OD shaft and each prop has a diameter of 25 feet and weighs in at 66,000 LBs. While I was never in the Navy I did do two full deployments aboard CVN 69 (USS Eisenhower) as a civilian component of DoD and DoE. Now seriously I doubt WD 40 could gum up a prop driven with 260,000 brake horsepower. Not like they lube a prop shaft with WD 40. Sorry but I just can't buy into this.



Yep, I'm with the Chief on this one.

Ron
dont you know sarcasm when you see it lol
 
OK, sorry I missed that one. My bad for not being quick on the uptake. :(

I do like WD 40 as when I came across guns with light surface rust beginning I used WD 40 and #0000 steel wool to clean them up.

Ron
lol. I just said that cause of the mental affliction people have with WD 40. it has its uses. not good for everything but works for a lot of uses. really good at cleaning tar off your hands
 
IMO, Waaaaay to much.
Some of your steps are illogical, if its dry in #2, no need to use WD40 at all.
1. Field strip, rinse out sand/grit/bugs.
2. Dry using towels/canned air/air compressor/desk fan or gently blowing while whispering sweet words of love.
3. Reassemble and lube.

The thing is, I don't know that the innards are dry and the insides are the most important part to keep corrosion free. With enough wd40 I know that the moisture has been driven out.


An LCP will fit inside a small dry bag. Might be better to just keep the thing dry to begin with and not have to worry about sand and grit. It's all well and good to clean the gunk out when you get home, but I am not sure how well it would run full of water and sand if you had a sudden need to use it in the field.

It's an opinion obviously, but you asked what someone might do differently.

I carry a revolver in a chest holster when wearing waders. The gun is much more readily accessible than it would be in a pocket, doesn't get submerged unless I do, so while it can (and does) get wet it doesn't have silt getting into the nether regions under most conditions and while I have never had a malfunction with my LCP I haven't put mine through what you are describing, nor would I want to.

Larry Vickers has done some unkind things to Glocks and they still run for the most part. Never seen a LCP torture test. Maybe we need one.

I tried a chest rig to begin with, accessibility just wasn't there needing to unzip a pouch to get to the gun. And I run into enough land owners when I'm out I don't want to open carry on my chest.


I think it is fine. WD-40 triggers some folks, but I believe the concern is overdone. Applied repeatedly over the years it can gum up. Used with any kind of sense it works well.

(I'm more worried about your ammunition than your gun!)

Like I mentioned I use a solvent to strip off the wd40. Not that I've ever seen it gum anything up, but I'm just not a fan of wd40 as a rust preventative or a lubricant. As to the ammo, I don't carry it again and use it at the next range trip. To date after probably 150 rounds being submerged I've not had any misfires.
 
Just a note, those that use air compressors know all about them but those who do not may not be aware that an air compressor, by it's design, concentrates the air into a confined space, thereby increasing the pressure.

What it also does is concentrate any moisture that is already in the air that is being compressed.

This is why air compressors have a drain valve on the tank so that the excess moisture that condenses within the tank can be drained when finished using the compressor, and also why commercial air compressors also tend to have line dryers to separate the moisture before it gets to whatever the compressed air is being used for to do work. Simply put, typical portable style air compressors will be blowing moisture along with the air, so you could conceivably be forcing moisture into places that may be difficult to dry or apply oil to when finished 'drying' your firearm.

If anyone is considering purchasing an air compressor to use to maintain their firearms, might I suggest instead getting a high velocity pet hair dryer. These can be had for roughly the same amount of money as the typical Lowe's, Home Depot, Tractor Supply Company portable air compressors. They have a heat setting so that not only are you applying a large volume of air but also applying heated air (albeit not as hot as a typical human hair dryer), which can certainly be an improvement in the drying process. A normal hand-held hair dryer will certainly apply highly-heated air with a certain amount of air speed / volume, but a pet hair dryer will push a much larger volume of air with enough force to blow small parts out of your grasp if not careful as would an air compressor.

Excellent point, when I used air to blow out the water I used canned electronics cleaner air for this reason. Whenever I do use my air compressor for air tools I always drain the tank at the end of the day, and it does leave a moisture spot on my concrete from the wet air.
 
I might try out the ziplock bag idea some have mentioned, I just don't see it working great for an LCP as it might stop the slide and turn it into a single shot. A bag might work fine though if I switched to carrying my internal hammer j-frame, I may give that a try next time I head to the range. I just don't want to slow down the ability to quickly draw and fire any more than a pocket holster already does, I figure the largest threat when I'm out is a dog rushing me. I've had several over the years bark from the bank but the only ones that got in the water were friendly and just wanted to say "hi".
 
The thing is, I don't know that the innards are dry and the insides are the most important part to keep corrosion free. With enough wd40 I know that the moisture has been driven out....
If you don't know the innards are dry, how will you know if the WD40 displaced water? :scrutiny:
How much is enough WD40?:scrutiny:
How do you plan to deal with condensation that occurs when moving from cooler to warmer temperatures?:scrutiny:

In my 65 years I've never seen the need to use a cleaning procedure as you describe. I've canoed/kayaked/swam with a pistol, hiked and camped in the most humid of climates and seriously, your procedure is overkill to at the least.
 
Too much?
Provided you don't let the WD40 gum up for years, it's not half-bad lube; since you aren't shooting it I don't see why you'd clean with Hoppes.

I would water rinse, WD40 dunk, drip/wipe, and go.

If ever you leave it for months or years soaked in WD40, don't be surprised if it's polymerized, but it's nothing that Hoppes won't solve.

Also, I'd be lacquer (nail polish) sealing my ammo for scuba duty.
 
Every time I bead blasted a gun, no matter how well I masked the piece, the beads (I normally used #6, 8 and 10 depending on the finish) ALWAYS found its way inside the masked areas. For a revolver, the beads also went inside the side plate (I think it went through the trigger and hammer gap). This always made the gun's action gritty. The first time I encountered this, I panicked. I kept experimenting until I found the solution. I don't use WD40 as it's is more expensive but I believe it will work just fine. Without opening the side plate, I remove the grip and spray 3M Multipurpose Spray or Sonax MOS2 through the hammer gap and clean the oil and beads that come out from the grip. Keep doing this until the action feels smooth (it won't take long actually). I have done this countless times and never have a problem. By the way, the 3M and MOS2 won't stick around for long, so after drying the gun's exterior with napkin or towel, I have to lube and oil the gun properly again (well, I actually use engine oil). I don't think 3M or MOS2 will gum up or anything, the solutions themselves are very thin and leave a very thin coat of oil on the surface (thinner than I'd like). So your solution should work fine.
 
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