Thread: What's wrong with WD40?

Originally Posted by Utopian

I would say it makes sense that WD40 can dissolve grease, but I do not agree that WD40 is hygroscopic. That makes no sense. First, I don't know of many oily substances that are hygroscopic. Second, the name of WD40 is from the chemist who was trying to derive a water displacing anti-corrosive. The name is an acronym for Water Displacement attempt number 40. If WD40 caused rust, I doubt if it would be as commonly used as it is.

Nonetheless, there is ample anecdotal evidence that WD-40 is hydroscopic, no matter what the manufacturer claims about it. It is wonderful for releasing frozen bolts, but steel that has been sprayed with WD40 and not relubed afterwards will rust much faster than had it simply been left dry to begin with.

If what you are looking for is a good spray-on rust preventative, then the Birchwood-Casey "Barricade" stuff is really good. Like WD-40 it contains both a solvent and lubricating oil, so you spray it on and it spreads out and penetrates every nook and cranny, but can be left on the steel and will actually protect the steel instead of attracting rust. It's just not any good at releasing stuck bolts...

Having absolutely no scientific evidence what so ever, I can only go by hands on experience.....

I have used WD-40 for the last 2 years on my razors, from cleaning off tape residue to cleaning the inside of scales and pivots....I also wipe it on every single razor after shaving and drying the blade...
It protects my DD and Shumate collections inside of their cabinet and I have not had one problem with rust, or gumming up.....

Now I do actually before using a razor, rinse the blade under hot water.....

Disclaimer: I have not used it on untreated wood scales like the Livi's have, or on the old old pressed leather scales.....

If you want a cheap alternative to Camelia oil, try Wahl's clipper oil available in Wal Mart, Target, Walgreens, CVS. it's basically Mineral oil and safe for your blades and will not harm your scales.

Thirty years ago gun magazines warned against using WD40 as a rust preventative. I read that even oil left on the surface of metal will eventually allow moisture to get between the metal and the lubricant and they recommended wiping the metal down every so often with fresh rust preventative. The best stuff I ever came across is called R.I.G. but regrettably I believe they are out of business. Fortunately for me I have a large can of the stuff. I have an Outer's Silicone Gun Cloth impregnated with the stuff for wiping my razors. Hasn't done my skin any harm yet.

'Inox' is my preferred poison & you can even buy it in America

Inox-MX3 The Supreme Lubricant...

Go to the nearest pharmacy and pick up a bottle of Baby Oil (Mineral Oil)... It's cheap, non toxic, leaves no residue... and has a bunch or other uses.

Originally Posted by mparker762

Nonetheless, there is ample anecdotal evidence that WD-40 is hydroscopic, no matter what the manufacturer claims about it.

The reason for the anecdotal evidence of it's hydroscopic properties is actually up above in one of the previous posts.

The reason is that it is mostly made up of solvents, and leaves VERY little lubrication behind. So, it will strip away all the oil/grease that is protecting a piece of metal from oxidation, and not leave enough of it's own lubricant behind to do anything useful in terms of lubrication or protection.

That's why I used to love it for cleaning my bike chain when I commuted on a bicycle. It would dissolve all the old grease, drive out all the water in between the links, and flush out all the road grit in the process so I could re-lube the chain after it dried. Once I started doing that every week instead of just adding more chain lube, my chains started lasting about twice as long.

its def not for face.
ive met several old men that swear that spraying wd40 on your knees is better than any arthritis medicine...

found this page saying the health effects of it.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts79.html

WD-40 literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. That's the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who developed WD-40 back in 1953. The chemist, Norm Larsen, was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion — a task which is done by displacing water. Norm's persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try.

it shouldnt cause rust though....
i think if your using it on machinery or whatever the parts should be wiped and done up with manufactureer reccomended oils.

The only thing WD-40 is good for is cleaning grease off of your hands in the shop and getting those stickers and labels off of jars. It will gum up guns or fish reels big time.

bj

They may have reformulated WD 40.