Thread: Camellia Oil Becoming Sticky On Blade

Originally Posted by Crotalus

Don't ask me for info to back this up, but google it.

FWIW, years ago, pre-internet, there was a NRA Mag. editor by the name of Ed Harris. He is the person behind Ed's Red Bore Cleaner. I've been using it for years.

Anyway, he wrote an article against using WD-40 saying it actually attacks metal. It can also harm the scales on a razor. I don't use it for anything except penetrating rusted parts.

From Ed Harris: ca 1990

Yes to all of your previous questions. Break Free is a better cleaner
for encrusted, hardened fouling on automatic weapon mechanisms than
your run of the mill bore cleaners. It will neutralize chlorate primer
residue and black powder - this is part of the specification, becausew
Mil-L-63460 is used as cannon bore clenaer and all artillery rounds
have blackpowder igniters. It is not particularly effective on heavy
metal fouling, but dissolves powder fouling better than anything. It
is also safer to use than WD-40, which caused problems with stress
corrosion cracking of stainless when I was at Ruger, and we wouldn't
have the stuff in the shop. WD-40 is bad news and I would not use it!
Break Free is better than anything else I have used in protecting
weapons against salt water exposure. I have used it to coat M16 rifles
and M60 MGs which were subjected to complete saltwater immersion, and
nothing else is even close. When they adopted CLP they replaced 27
different FSN's with this material. It works, and is worth the price
to me.


What this actually means is that WD-40 was being used as a cutting oil by Ruger when cutting barrel twists, a use that it was NOT designed for, this statement gained legs and has morphed over the years...