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View Full Version : The main ingredient of WD-40/ Uses



Hamish
04-25-2013, 11:24 AM
"What IS The Main Ingredient of WD-40?
Before you read to the end, does anybody know what the main ingredient of WD-40?
No Cheating.....

WD-40 ~ Who knew!

I had a neighbor who bought a new pickup.
I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the sides of this beige truck (for some unknown reason).
I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news.
He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do....
probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open.
Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off.
It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck. I was impressed!

WD-40 who knew?
"Water Displacement #40".
The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts.
WD-40 was created in 1953, by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company.
Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'Water Displacement' Compound.
They were finally successful for a formulation, with their fortieth attempt, thus WD-40.
The 'Convair Company' bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.
Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.
When you read the 'shower door' part, try it.
It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door.
If yours is plastic, it works just as well as on glass.
It's a miracle!
Then try it on your stove-top.
It's now shinier than it's ever been.
You'll be amazed.

WD-40 Uses:
1. Protects silver from tarnishing.
2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4. Gives floor that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.
5. Keeps the flies off of Cows, Horses, and other Farm Critters, as well. (Ya gotta love this one!!!)
6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7. Removes lipstick stains.
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.
9. Untangles jewelry chains.
10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12. Keeps ceramic / terracotta garden pots from oxidizing.
13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on both home and vehicles doors.
18. It removes that nasty tar and scuff marks from the kitchen flooring.
It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off.
Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
19. Remove those nasty Bug guts that will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly!
20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gearshift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers...
22. Rids kids rocking chair and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31. Removes grease splatters from stove-tops.
32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37. Florida's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'
38. The favorite use in the state of New York, it protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose.
Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. It is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray it on the marks and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!
43. If you spray it inside a wet distributor cap, it will displace the moisture, allowing the engine to start.

P.S.
As for that Basic, Main Ingredient.......
Well.... it's FISH OIL...."

DHurtig
04-25-2013, 11:29 AM
Way cool... thanks for sharing

TenTea
04-25-2013, 11:49 AM
Nice refresher for a historic lubricant.

Remember the commercial from the 70's?

{chanting} "WD-WD-WD-40! WD-WD-WD-40!" {/chanting}

DeanWinchester
04-25-2013, 11:54 AM
It's great for lots of stuff.....too bad it sucks for guns.

runfiverun
04-25-2013, 11:58 AM
i'm pretty sure they are on to wd-41 or 42 now.
the new stuff ain't the same.

Ohio Rusty
04-25-2013, 05:12 PM
We've used WD40 on plastic lures fishing for Walleye in Canada...... It worked pretty well.
Ohio Rusty ><>

Hamish
04-25-2013, 06:22 PM
There is a lake about 30 minutes from me that you will *not* catch anything unless you spray your bait with it. Fish Oil, who knew?

deces
04-25-2013, 06:41 PM
Dose it remove speed pumps in roads?

km101
04-25-2013, 07:27 PM
I knew. 'Cause I got this same email about a week ago! :)

My FIL used to rub it on his elbow and his knees. Said it really helped his arthritis! I don't understand how it could, but he said it worked for him. And I cant argue with results.

firefly1957
04-25-2013, 07:29 PM
I know one guy who was using it here in Michigan and a DNR * officer gave him a ticket for putting oil in the water the judge gave him only a $5 fine but it was not worth the hassle.

*They claim it stands for Department of Natural Resources but when they do things like that Damn Near Russians is more to the point!

Hawkeye45
04-25-2013, 07:58 PM
Use number 99---can be used to deactivate misfired primers after pulling the boolit and emptying the powder.

Mr. Ed

plmitch
04-25-2013, 08:09 PM
We've used WD40 on plastic lures fishing for Walleye in Canada...... It worked pretty well.
Ohio Rusty ><>

Works great for small mouth bass too, just a squirt on a jitterbug....deadly!

Bill*
04-25-2013, 08:29 PM
My Girlfriend (who cleans houses for a living) Showed me a neat trick...She sprays WD40 on an old sock with her hand inside, and wipes/brushes the screens on storm windows and doors ( the gray or black nylon type-haven't tried it on older steel screens yet). Anyway, it dusts them,refreshes the color, and even makes them feel softer. I was impressed!

southpaw
04-25-2013, 08:32 PM
7. Removes lipstick stains.
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.

Funny they would put these two next to each other.

Jerry Jr.

cf5757
04-25-2013, 08:38 PM
I worked for several years as an area manager for the WD-40 CO. We heard some wild and crazy uses, some were 50 shades of gray, others were just weird: cleaning bowling balls, headstones, removing Crayola, . . . The carrier for the "fish oil" is an A70 Stoddard solvent, (basically paint thinner) this makes a vary good cleaner. The official ingredients are a closely guarded secret, but speculation abounds. The big changes in formula were the addition of a fragrance in the early 70's to make it more homemaker friendly. ( we always said the fragrance smelled like money!) Propellant was originally co2, but this is a less efficient propellant so isopropyl butane was used, hence the extremely flammable rating on the aerosol cans. The company ultimately changed back to co2 (and changed the can sizes) because the fire marshals didn't like those big stacks of extremely flammable products in the big box retailers. Great all-around product. All-around is the operative word. As far as arthritis, the company's official position was "we know nothing" the chemist once told me that perhaps the fast evaporation of the solvent carrier raised the skin temperature ever so slightly resulting in a little more circulation in the sprayed area, who knows? I do know that an auto parts store next to a large retirement community in SO Cal sold the old 2 oz cans by the hundreds. I had a wholesale customer who sold WD-40 to beauty salons in parts of Los Angeles. Lots of strange uses.

fatelk
04-25-2013, 09:07 PM
It's funny; I've heard people cuss WD40 as completely useless, whereas others love it. It's like anything- use it for what it's good at and you'll be happy.

cf5757
04-25-2013, 09:23 PM
Yep. I always said everyone should have a can of WD just like everyone should have a crescent wrench. There are better tools for specific jobs than a crescent wrench and there are better penetrants/lubricants/etc than WD. Both the crescent and WD are good all-around fixers. Remember, "If it moves and it shouldn't, duct tape it, if it doesn't move and it should, WD-40 it!"

JWFilips
04-25-2013, 09:27 PM
Dose it remove speed pumps in roads?
Well not really.... just the speed bumps

JWFilips
04-25-2013, 09:30 PM
It's funny; I've heard people cuss WD40 as completely useless, whereas others love it. It's like anything- use it for what it's good at and you'll be happy.

Well take the best item in the world and post it on a forum like ours and you will get 50% against it!
Kind of like the last election however the 51 % decided he was Americas best bet!

Beone
04-26-2013, 12:11 AM
WD40and duct tape. If it moves and shouldn't --duct tape it. If it dosn't Move and it should--WD40 it. A complete redneck toolbox.

MT Gianni
04-26-2013, 12:12 AM
Use number 99---can be used to deactivate misfired primers after pulling the boolit and emptying the powder.

Mr. Ed

A few of us on the board tested this. If you soak the primers well then try to fire them they will not fire, if you wait a week after drenching them they will still fire with a loud bang.

FLINTNFIRE
04-26-2013, 01:01 AM
Funny some say it sucks for guns , yet I have been using it here in the wet pacific northwest for years , yet to have any rust when it has been used , and it does work for other things , handy to have .

Soaked some primed brass in citric acid while cleaning , after they were dry primers fired same as new .

Dale in Louisiana
04-26-2013, 10:34 PM
Be careful with WD-40.

Some of our less knowledgable technicians used to call it "PM in a can". Testing a circuit breaker (big 'uns the size of washing machines in my business, and those were the little ones!) and operation times were slow? They'd dowse the mechanism with WD-40. Voila! Breaker passed.

The reason it passed was that the solvents of WD-40 would soften the hardened old grease. Got through the test, though. The trouble arose months later when that breaker needed to operate. Not only had the solvent evaporated and let the grease harden again, but in some cases it washed the old grease out leaving a dried bearing. If the reason the breaker needed to open was a routine operation, then we sent somebody out to figure out the problem at our leisure. However, if the breaker was supposed to open to clear a fault, we ended up losing equipment, blacking out a good chunk of a city, or other little joys.

WD-40 is NOT a replacement for good cleaning and proper lubrication.

dale in Louisiana
(I did the investigations on some of these)

plmitch
04-26-2013, 10:46 PM
Good tip Dale

FLINTNFIRE
04-27-2013, 01:00 AM
OK what is pm in a can ? and how does that transfer to gun cleaning , and the other uses of wd-40 ? , Will not say it is for everything , but it will clean and protect firearms quite well. And that I have done for over 30 years , black powder and corrosive primed , funny how it brings out such positive or negative feelings .

Bad Water Bill
04-27-2013, 02:20 AM
It is NOT humanly possible to make everyone happy all of the time.

southpaw
04-27-2013, 04:16 AM
OK what is pm in a can ?

Preventative Maintance.

Jerry Jr.

44man
04-27-2013, 09:10 AM
NEVER use WD-40 on what you need to protect or lubricate.
I just got a wonderful 94 Win to clean. WD-40 was used on it. IT WAS RUSTY but caught in time for me to clean it up.
I have seen firing pins on bolt guns locked up from it's use. Nothing dissolves hardened WD-40. I also did locksmith work and the stuff will RUIN a lock.
I cleaned painted surfaces from dust with WD-40 long ago to see later, they were rusted bad with paint gone.
I am convinced that WD-40 PROMOTES rust.
In my shop it is the most hated junk ever.
Get Sheath or Barricade from Birchwood-Casey and live life.

popper
04-27-2013, 02:12 PM
OK, tried on a fly I've never caught anything with. Didn't work. Changed to a different fly & caught 4 bass and some BG. Must have a can of WD-44 or something. I did use it often as starter fluid for the stubborn lawn mower.

TXGunNut
04-27-2013, 02:31 PM
WD-40 has it's uses but it's a poor lubricant. It's a short-term fix for hundreds of things but serious maintenance requires a good cleaning and a proper lubricant with products designed for the job at hand.

Mal Paso
04-27-2013, 11:53 PM
I am convinced that WD-40 PROMOTES rust.


Many Engine Machinists have sprayed a cast iron head or block with WD40 to hold it and found it rusted in a few days.......... Once ........ Ask around.

It isn't a very good lubricant either. Maybe it's easier than a drop of oil but it won't last as long.

You can spray it in a distributor cap to displace moisture but if you don't clean it out it will attract dust and moisture and ignition problems. Why go there, a hair dryer or torch won't leave a residue.

I personally rusted a cast iron table saw with it in 2 weeks. WD40 is not allowed here.

Dale in Louisiana
04-28-2013, 11:47 AM
Pass by your local industrial supply house and get yourself a can of CRC Stor & Lube (http://www.crcindustries.com/ei/product_detail.aspx?id=02061). It actually does what a lot of people THINK WD-40 does: lubricate and protect.

dale in Louisiana
(One day too many in the substation)

alamogunr
04-28-2013, 02:29 PM
WD-40 ~ Who knew!
I had a neighbor who bought a new pickup.

43. If you spray it inside a wet distributor cap, it will displace the moisture, allowing the engine to start.

"

What's a distributor cap?:kidding:

Four-Sixty
04-29-2013, 11:08 AM
I myself am in the camp that WD40 is misued quite a lot.

I did try it on our windows and WOW, I can open them all the way with ease for the first time in the 8 years we've been in our house! The house was built in 72. This was a neat discovery.

smokemjoe
04-29-2013, 02:05 PM
I spray it on my dish on my Dirct TV Dish, The snow dont pile up on it,
Used it on my hands when worked engine tear down, finger got sore and tigh.
Dont work on muzzeloader gun barrel inside, always got red rust from it, I used them ever week in, no use B&B oil.

DLCTEX
04-30-2013, 10:43 AM
Use WD-40 to remove the adhesive left by Duct Tape. Last week I recommended that a person use It to remove some paint that had gotten rubbed on the tail gate. No WD-40 so he tried carb cleaner, big mistake! I also had an old friend who used it on arthritic joints, he often smelled like it in church.

sundog
04-30-2013, 10:53 AM
I actually prefer lighter fluid (naptha) or charcoal lighter for removing 'goo'. Works faster and cleaner.

fatelk
04-30-2013, 11:20 PM
It's a little like the old M1 carbine; either loved or hated. A friend's dad is a Korean war vet. Any chance he gets he tells people what a total piece of junk the little carbine is. They're inaccurate and underpowered, won't even penetrate Chinese winter coats.

Of coarse we know differently, but that's the way he sees it to this day. I can understand where he could see it that way if he was expecting it to do what a Garand will, because it just won't. I feel the same way about WD40. It's great stuff within it's limitations.

One thing I don't use it for much anymore though is loosening rusted parts. I remember reading some time back about acetone/ATF, and it really does work! There was a list somewhere where someone tested various different fluids to compare how they could penetrate and loosen rusted parts. WD40 was downright lousy, and acetone/ATF was at the top of the list.

Bad Water Bill
04-30-2013, 11:46 PM
IIRC It was from a biker site. A 50-50 mix is what they suggested.

TXGunNut
05-01-2013, 09:38 PM
I take a can on every hunting trip, only use it on occasion. If I get caught out in a heavy rain I douse my rifle/shotgun/pistol with WD-40 because WD means "Water Displacer" or something like that. Then I wipe things down, give it a light cleaning and a good oiling...with real oil.

David2011
05-01-2013, 09:51 PM
Older WD-40 packaging didn't include the word "lubricant" or any of its variations. Newer packaging does claim to lubricate.

David

Mizzouboy
05-02-2013, 12:21 PM
WD-40 is great for what it is intended, water displacemnt, or a quick lube. Boeshield T-9 is much better as a long term protectant. It dries to a waxy film. Great for storing collectible firearms.

labradigger1
05-02-2013, 12:51 PM
best stuff in the world, after pb of course