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Bored1
03-01-2014, 11:28 PM
After being told several times by a friend that I need more lubricant on my guns, wondering what everyone prefers to use, and what places are essential for different firearms (ie 1911, ar15, M1 carbine)? Been searching around alot lately, but would like some advice from here.

Read recently about using lucas red and tacky #2 for AR grease, does anyone have experience with this? I would like to find something that is relatively inexpensive and easily found. Also have seen plain motor oil used, wonder if this can be used all the time or just in short spans?

wv109323
03-01-2014, 11:43 PM
To me the biggest rip-off is the snake oils that sell for $20.00 dollars for 4 oz. There are a million of them. Nothing wrong with a motor oil. Think about it, a motor oil in an engine splashing against pistons that might be 300 to 400 degrees, forced in areas that are turning 5000 RPM's. Handling the movements of a firearm action is nothing. Some heavier oils or greases are needed for the M1 bolt. Remember any oil beats no oil.

nicholst55
03-02-2014, 12:05 AM
Automatic Transmission Fluid (Dextron) is hard to beat, too.

btroj
03-02-2014, 12:11 AM
My AR ran fine with either CLP or a generic gun oil. Never used grease except on the buffer to reduce the rattle of the spring.

I have used a variety of greases and oils and don't really have a favorite. I think STP does a fine job on the rails of my 1911 but so does oil or grease.

I use lighter oil in winter, more grease in summer.

Heck, use what you got. Like was said, ATF works too.

Love Life
03-02-2014, 12:27 AM
Why did your friend suggest you use more lubricant? Were you having issues with any of the guns?

Autos get oil, bolt guns get grease.

Bored1
03-02-2014, 01:05 AM
The M1 was just not acting right, bolt seemed to just be dragging. But in all honesty, it was my fault for not checking the oil. Honestly didn't even think about it. Put some motor oil over the bolt and rails using a qtip and all was well.

Last outing with the same friend noticed a new ar acting the same, sprayed the bolt with some rem oil and all was fine again.

I just don't want to spend the >20$ an once on something that isn't really needed, and figured with all the "keep it simple stupid" ideas floating around I could find something thats great to use, fairly cheap, reliable and easy picked up locally.

Keep the ideas coming guys!

ramhunter
03-02-2014, 01:33 AM
Go on down to your local auto parts store and pick up a quart of 5-20 mobile 1 synthetic motor oil.
it should last you for a while....

ramhunter

Outpost75
03-02-2014, 01:34 AM
Automatic Transmission Fluid (Dextron) is hard to beat, too.

Amen on ATF.

And lacking that, plain, ordinary Mineral Oil USP from the pharmacy, or SAE30 non detergent ordinary motor oil. This is not rocket science.

If you really require grease, use plain USDA H1, food grade grease, which is plain USP mineral oil base with calcium hydroxy stearate thickener, colorless, odorless, tasteless, nontoxic, resists steam and salt water washout. Approved for food processing macinery where incidental contact with foodstuffs is possible.

Also long standard for clandestine and special ops when you were in close proximity with the enemy and wanted no telltale odors to give away your position and in combat conditions where potable water is scarce and troops are not able to wash. Standard kit since WW2, learned from OSS vet and clandestine services instructor cadre at "the farm".

Cmm_3940
03-02-2014, 02:13 AM
ATF if it turns, Lubriplate SFL-0 if it slides. Both are dirt cheap.

Based on this

http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html

And remember,

WD-40 is a penetrant and moisture displacer, NOT a lubricant!!!

MBTcustom
03-02-2014, 02:39 AM
Lubricant is a 2 edged sword. It needs to be used either sparingly, or in copious amounts not very practical for firearms use.
Best advice I can give for lubing your guns is to mix up a gallon of eds red and clean them with it after every range session.
There are only a few places I will use anything more than that and in those places, I usually use molly axle grease (don't knock it, its one of the best lubricants known to man and is also one of the best rust preventatives).
Places that get grease are the inside of shotgun receivers (just a dab, and smeared very thin), Remington bolt shroud threads (you do realize those threads get turned under pressure every time you open and close the bolt? If you get a squeak, guess where it's coming from.) Revolver cylinder pins and ratchets, etc etc etc (and yes, the M1A bolt gets smeared all over with it too). Basically, any high wear area that is protected from dust. If it's a low wear area or a high speed contact area, anything more than eds red residue is spinning your wheels and giving you an oily gun.

Your big enemies against firearm function is grime. Grime is a mixture of thick lubricants (like WD-40 residue), dust, pocket lint, and gunpowder fowling. This grime turns a slick gun into a scummy, slow running trot line weight.
Common, uninformed knowledge tells you to "slap on another coat of oil!" but that just attracts more of the other ingrediants to this "grime" I'm talking about.
The key ingredient to eds red is ATF dextron III. That lubricant not only holds the prize as the worlds finest synthetic oil, but it has a unique characteristic of not attracting dust!!!
This is exactly why Woodmeiser sawmills only recomend ATF as lubricant. Everything is being bathed in sawdust, and any other lubricant turns into grime, and gums up the works.

There it is. Take it or leave it.

Love Life
03-02-2014, 03:42 AM
This thread reminds me of the good old days of standing on the SAW line with a gallon jug of CLP...

Lube your guns. It truly does matter.

Here is a gun that was kept fed with nothing but good old CLP as given by uncle sugar (grease was used for the M203). I want to say in this picture that the weapon was cleanish after getting a mud bath in a puddle that happened to be the lowest spot around me. This gun fired every time. CLP works as, will others, but CLP is cheap.

We used LSA or LSA-T on the belt feds the majority of the time.

You can get wrapped around the axle about lubricants or you can KISS. Lube your gun after you clean it. If you shoot hot and heavy with no real chance to clean in a lull, then squirt some more CLP in there. However; I believe in CONUS that you should have all the time in the world to do proper weapons maintenance.

country gent
03-02-2014, 11:40 AM
I use a light oil in some places and a heavy grease for locking lugs, and cam surfaces. ( think of the cam in the op rod on garands and semi autos) where there is alot of high pressure sliding forces. The garand actuallu called for plasti lube for this area and rails. The M14/m1a roller called for a grease, there was even a little cup to grease it with a grease gun. Plati lube is a very thick tough tenacious grease that clings and maintains a lube layer under tremendous pressures. Some have used a light coat of never sieze in place of it. I use alot of clp for oil and a heavy grease where called for. In dusty dirty conditions a dry lube may be better. Molybedneum, silicone, teflon will impregnate a surface and remain after the carrier is gone. Cold weather use is the bane of most petrolium/wax based lubes as it thickens them to the point of causing problems.

bassetman1974
03-02-2014, 12:01 PM
No fans of old G96?

EMC45
03-02-2014, 12:09 PM
I have used CLP for a Loooonnnnggggg time. I like it. It works. I like to use Kroil for a cleaner and CLP after the cleanup. In the Armory all we ever had was CLP and kerosene if the wash tanks were actually working. CLP worked for my M9, M16 and my M60. They all ran just fine. I do use grease sometimes. Rig or Tetra Gun Grease. They both work good. They work nicely on the rails of semi auto pistols. ATF works good as well.

JSnover
03-02-2014, 12:25 PM
I'm with the cheapskates, used everything and have no preference as long as it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I hate WD40 and I don't use Hoppe's after a bad experience.
I've cleaned with more solvents than I could list here but my current favorites are alcohol, PB B'laster or carburetor cleaner.

flydoc
03-02-2014, 12:33 PM
I am a big fan of Tetra gun grease. It is teflon and applied to the friction areas, rubbed in and wiped off, leaving no visible residue, really slicks up the action, does not collect dirt, gum up, or stain the wood. Temperature does not matter. Clean all the old stuff off before using it.

John 242
03-02-2014, 01:03 PM
While in the service, I used CLP on my rifle/carbine and pistol, but I wasn't a fan. I believe, but have no empirical data, that a slightly thicker oil is better. CLP, in my opinion, is a half-arsed oil and a half-arsed solvent. It does neither job well. I prefer other lubes like LSA. Mil-Tech seemed okay.

I tried a molly type grease (GMD) on my M4 and didn't like it. Too thick, seemed to attract a lot of grit and dirt, and too much of a pain in the butt to clean off. I cleaned my weapon every day, and grease was just too much to deal with.
In cold weather, I've seen grease turn to the consistency of wax.
With all of that being said, we used GMD on our crew served weapons and it was an outstanding lubricant!

For CCW, grease has some advantages. Unlike oils, which seems to evaporate or 'run away' over time, grease stays in place and continues to lubricate. So... on a pistol, especially one meant for CCW, grease stays in place longer and seems to lube better than most oils (the same would apply to rifles and shotguns kept for home defense, in a patrol car, etc.).

I do believe that neither oil or grease is better than the other. Both have their applications. I wouldn't smear grease in the lock-work of a revolver and hunt polar bears in sub-zero weather. I probably wouldn't use any lube at all!
Perhaps a dry lube?

I subscribe to the school of thought that it's better to lube the heck out of something, than to not lube it at all, BUT, each situation is different and how and where you use your gun, matters.

Rattlesnake Charlie
03-02-2014, 01:21 PM
My carry pistols get a coating of Dri-Slide on all moving parts. It drys leaving behind a coating of molybdenum disulfide. Never collects dust. I can disassemble the pistol every couple of weeks and just blow the lint and any dust out. I would not want to shoot it a lot with just this lubricant, but it does keep it from getting grimy and slowing down in the winter. I've been using RemOil for most things needing oil. I use grease specified for the M1 Garand on my Garand and bolt lugs and rails of my Saiga-12 and AKs. Put it on, wipe most of it off. Never had an issue. Too much lubricant often causes things to get gummy. If that happens when you need it to work, flood it with more light oil to flush and lubricate. Worry about the mess later.

jmort
03-02-2014, 01:40 PM
There are two new CLPs that work real good Frog Lube and Gunzilla. Then there is the old stand by Ballsitol. Hickcok 45 uses Ballistol on his Glocks to good effect. These are the three I use.

DLCTEX
03-02-2014, 01:40 PM
I have been using CLP for some time due partly to having bought several aerosol cans to ship to soldiers overseas, then finding out I could not ship them due to air freight. I replaced them with non-aero. and kept the rest. Lucas Red and Tacky does the grease needs as I have some left from making Ben's Red. Before CLP I used Ed's Red + lanolin for cleaning and rust prevention and will go back to it in the future. Brake cleaner is good for cleaning gunk.

Love Life
03-02-2014, 01:43 PM
Lucas Red and Tacky works all the way down to -14 degrees on a My Mausers, REM700, and other CRF.

I too hate CLP, but only as a solvent because the junk does not do well as a "cleaner". CLP and Lucas Red and Tacky are both fine for desert environments. Seriously. I shoot in dry lake beds with the wind blowing and sand and grit is always in the air. The stuff works. If you absolutely have to throw a cup of Talc on your gun like they do n TV, then your gun will probably have issues.

You want to test your lubes in the cold? Do what I did and stick your lubed guns in the deep freeze overnight, and then try to work the action in the morning.

John 242
03-02-2014, 02:07 PM
Oh, by the way, WD-40 is the devil.
Over time, WD-40 drys into a yellow looking lacquer that is hell to remove.
I'm sure someone will chime in that they've been using WD-40 for 'X' amount numbers of years and have never had a problem, but I have cleaned enough WD-40 out of guns to say unequivocally that you REALLY don't want to use it on your firearm.

Bored1
03-02-2014, 02:13 PM
I have heard of some cleaners causing havoc on polymer parts. Has anyone experienced this?

My AR lowers and a few autoloaders are polymer, and I really don't want to damage anything.

John 242
03-02-2014, 02:24 PM
You want to test your lubes in the cold? Do what I did and stick your lubed guns in the deep freeze overnight, and then try to work the action in the morning.

Good idea, I'll have to remember that one.
Chuck Taylor did a 'test,' many years ago, of various gun oils. Taylor let the gun freeze, picked it up, and immediately fired it.
Rem Oil seemed to do pretty well. It's probably been at least ten years since, and I'm sure formulas have changed.

One of my colleagues swears by Frog Lube, but I can't grasp spending $20 for 4 oz of the stuff.

jmort
03-02-2014, 02:31 PM
As I suggested, Frog Lube and Gunzilla are great products and are non-toxic as is Ballistol. All are worth the price of admission. 8 ounces of Frog Lube is $20 on Amazon. Gunzilla same.

Bullshop Junior
03-02-2014, 02:32 PM
MMO is the bomb

Love Life
03-02-2014, 02:36 PM
Frog lube smells nice, but is really overpriced in my book.

The majority of guns in America will go from the safe, to the range, to the cleaning room, to the safe. Hit them with a fresh coat of lube when you get to the range.

If you hunt your guns hard, and use them hard, it'll surprise you what works and what is just fluff. A gallon of CLP, and a tube of Lucas #2 will cover your firearms lube needs for the rest of your life. If you can ever get your hands on LSA or LAW then you have hit the holy grail and need to hoard over it like Sméagol.

jmort
03-02-2014, 02:54 PM
I will defer to Love Life the White on this one. When I run out of Frog Lube I'll try the Red N Tacky.
Sincerely Saruman

Love Life
03-02-2014, 02:59 PM
Hehehehe....

No deference needed Jmortimer. The gun lube debate is 3X more epic than the "Which is better? 41 Mag or 44 Mag?"

I have stuff I prefer and that is shaded by my experiences and totally unscientific testing.. What I ask of people is to just test your lubes. Guns are built for hard use for the most part. It's easy to test lubes. Get a steel plate, put your lubes on it, and then freeze it. Check out any changes. Then put that same steel plate straight from the freezer into the hot oven. Observe.

Bored1
03-02-2014, 04:31 PM
Love life, where in the world would a guy find a gallon of CLP? I seem to only be able to find spray cans and little drop bottles? The red & tacky I know where to get.

Also gonna look into Eds red for cleaning. Heard of it a few times, and it can't hurt anything. Motor oil I think is also gonna get tossed in the car truck. Won't hurt to have some in there anyways!

MtGun44
03-02-2014, 06:43 PM
I use a high grade synthetic grease (Mobil One red is commonly available, I have a 5 lb
tub of Shell) for rails on CCW guns, and for internal parts in revolvers, other places that
will not get lubed frequently. It is a superb lube, will not thicken with low temp or time.

As to oils, I like synthetic auto engine oil. A quart is about $6-8 and will last a LONG time.
ATF is a really good oil, too.

Most lubes sold for guns are ripoffs. Metal against metal is metal against metal, guns are no
different than other machinery. Synthetics do not change viscosity with temp and do not
oxidize into gummy guck (oil) or hard stuff (grease) over time. A friend is a microscope
repairman and once he switched to synthetic grease, the scopes coming back after years in
schools or businesses still operate well after as much as a decade with zero maintenance.
When he was using "high grade" old tech soap-based grease, after 5 yrs some of the
scopes were internally frozen due to the grease hardening with age. He regularly had to
soak them in solvent to even disassemble. He bought a case of 5 lb tubs of Shell synthetic,
aircraft grade, and I bought a couple from him. I am set for life. His microscoped and my
guns run smoother for a lot longer.

Synthetic grease on semi-auto rails and internals will not migrate out due to body heat and seems to
be the perfect solution for me.

Cleaning solvents are a whole different story. Gun cleaning is pretty different than other stuff,
and special cleaners are necessary. Lots of good ones, Hoppe's #9 is a good one, as are
Butch's Bore Shine, and G96. I use Barnes C10 for getting copper out of bores. Hoppe's Elite water
based will take out some stuff that the petro based stuff leaves, but does not seem to do
the job by itself.

Bill

RoyEllis
03-02-2014, 07:02 PM
Love life, where in the world would a guy find a gallon of CLP?....

I'm not LL, but you can get gallon jugs of CLP7 lots of places...evilbay, amazon, CTD(yuck),Brownells just to name a few.
BTW, Sarco has qt cans of LSA for $9.958-)

EMC45
03-02-2014, 08:10 PM
I have some Mil Grade solvent that I swear is Kroil, but came in small green plastic containers. My FIL gave it to me and I was gonna just throw it away due to no room for all the multitude of small green bottles. I transferred it to an old empty acetone can I had laying around and now I have a very good supply of it. It works and cuts crud just like Kroil. I too use the Tetra Grease for moving parts on revolvers. Rebound block, hammer and trigger pivot points etc.

Love Life
03-02-2014, 08:40 PM
I hate two things about CLP:

A) The smell
B) The fact that it's advertised as a cleaner. No, it just smears carbon around and makes cleaning take longer.

I used my own Nitro Solvent to CLEAN and then used CLP to lube. My XO never had a dirty pinky after shoving into the chamber on my rifle.

lefty o
03-02-2014, 09:06 PM
dont really wanna enter into this discussion, because people are going to use what they want to regardless of reality. i will say one thing though, ATF is a miserable lubricant. if it were any good at all as a lubricant, an automatic transmission wouldnt work very well- think about it. it does have some merit as a cleaning solvent though, but thats about it.

lksmith
03-02-2014, 09:40 PM
I run some stuff that I had the lab at work mix up virtually zero friction even after it's wiped off.
Works so well that the 1911 I put it on throws 460 Rowland brass 20+ft while the other one throws it about 3ft with the same load.
Closest I have found is synthetic ISO32 compressor oil like Royal Purple Synfilm 32.
Any 10w or SAE10 oil works pretty good too

on my AR bolt I have used Calcium Sulfonate grease since it leaves a lubricating film and is waterproof

btroj
03-02-2014, 10:47 PM
dont really wanna enter into this discussion, because people are going to use what they want to regardless of reality. i will say one thing though, ATF is a miserable lubricant. if it were any good at all as a lubricant, an automatic transmission wouldnt work very well- think about it. it does have some merit as a cleaning solvent though, but thats about it.


Interesting. Mobil comments on how good a lubricant their ATF is. Mentioned it quite a bit as a matter of fact. Maybe they know something.

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/NAUSENPVLMOMobil_Multi-vehicle_ATF.aspx

fouronesix
03-02-2014, 10:49 PM
I've tried quite a few over the years but by no means all of them under all conditions.

I know for cold/wet/COLD certain common lubes really don't do well. Like in trigger mechanisms and bolt bodies. When I get a gun ready for that condition most of the conventional lube is removed via acetone. Then simple graphite in an evaporating carrier is applied.

For more heavy duty lube and protection in normal temps, I use either CLP or MPro7. MPro7 seems to be very similar to CLP. Both of those seem to be longer lasting and are what I use for longer storage. I was surprised to see Lucas Red mentioned :) It is one of my go-to everyday, general purpose light duty lubes that seems to do well for putting a thin surface lubricating film on metal. Another product that seems similar to Lucas Red is a product call Hot Sauce. It is/was marketed primarily for lubing high performance fishing reels so may be familiar to anglers.

I did discover one thing about bore cleaning. After getting ALL carbon, copper and/or lead fouling out using Butch's and/or Hoppe's 9 followed by normal oiling... I found that if I went back to that bore a couple of weeks later and used a tight patch with CLP, the CLP would remove the last traces of the fouling. Then if that bore was again checked a couple of weeks later with a tight patch and CLP it would show no more fouling. I think it indicates CLP (and MPro7 for that matter) do have some use as a final cleaner.

Love Life
03-02-2014, 11:00 PM
I love Lucas Red and Tacky.

dragon813gt
03-02-2014, 11:07 PM
I guess I'm simple. For ones I use all the time w/ no wood it's CLP. If they have wood then it's Ballistol. But I hate the smell of it. Seriously, I can't stand it. I use Hoppes #9 for any real cleaning duties. And any one that's going to be put up for awhile gets a coat of RemOil. I'm moving more and more towards Ballistol but the smell is repugnant. Way worse than CLP.

Bored1
03-02-2014, 11:15 PM
I'm not LL, but you can get gallon jugs of CLP7 lots of places...evilbay, amazon, CTD(yuck),Brownells just to name a few.
BTW, Sarco has qt cans of LSA for $9.958-)

Still couldn't find any CLP anywhere under 200$ a gallon. Then searched "clp7" and BANGO affordable 1 gallon containers!!! So thanks for including that I was incredibly lost-

Currently I use Hoppe's #9 for cleaning and RemOil when I remember to oil stuff. Once I am able to digest all of the new information a trip to Menards will be made to pick up more stuff. They are currently the cheapest in my area for Lucas Red n Tacky and have a few other items mentioned as well!

jmort
03-02-2014, 11:28 PM
For some reason Ballistol does not bother me in the least, find it pleasant. Got a gallon and it goes fast. Use it on everything.

M-Tecs
03-02-2014, 11:39 PM
Lucas Red and Tacky .

This the stuff? https://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?iid=46&catid=2&loc=show

Bored1
03-03-2014, 12:04 AM
Yep that's what I was talking about when I asked, guess a link or pic would've stopped any confusion.

Love Life
03-03-2014, 12:16 AM
This the stuff? https://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?iid=46&catid=2&loc=show

That's the stuff. Goes on easy, stays where you put it, and just works for me. I lube the bolt raceways, back of the lugs, bolt shroud and cocking bumpajig.

fouronesix
03-03-2014, 12:37 AM
Yep that's what I was talking about when I asked, guess a link or pic would've stopped any confusion.

Excellent point!

The Lucas Red I use is the oil not the grease. What little grease I use is
Amsoil Synthetic.

Pics of the Lucas Red Gun Oil and the other most used products mentioned in my previous post. Didn't think I needed a pic of Hoppe's 9 :)

EMC45
03-03-2014, 11:42 AM
The water based MPro7 solvent is a good product as well. Sudses up when you scrub and wipes all the carbon right out.

Bored1
03-03-2014, 12:56 PM
I would like to try that Lucas oil, however can't find it local and want to stick with stuff I can find locally if I can. Still trying to digest everything everyone has tossed out. Have a feeling I am going to end up trying a bunch of stuff to figure out which I like best.

did grab a quart of synthetic motor oil last night though while grocery shopping for the week.

dragon813gt
03-03-2014, 01:05 PM
For some reason Ballistol does not bother me in the least, find it pleasant. Got a gallon and it goes fast. Use it on everything.

Wish it didn't bother me so much. But I still use a lot of it. And you're correct about how fast it goes. It's use is of the endless variety.

alamogunr
03-03-2014, 01:10 PM
+1 on the synthetic motor oil. After changing the oil on our vehicle, I drain the dregs of each(6) bottle into a small, probably 3 oz container and from that as needed to a needle tip oiler. I use so little that the 3 oz bottle will probably last years.

I'm sure it's not needed but I'll add my caution about WD-40. It is not even the best penetrant and has gummed up more than it has lubricated.

The Grant Cunningham is a great article. I've had it bookmarked for several years. A busy gunsmith sees more in a month than I'll see in years.

azrednek
03-03-2014, 01:19 PM
I have used a variety of greases and oils and don't really have a favorite. I think STP does a fine job on the rails of my 1911 but so does oil or grease.

Just repeating what I was told in the late 60's about STP. At the time STP was used by many mechanics for lubing the cam for distributer points. The parts manufactures sent out bulletins advising against using STP. Their claim was STP by itself does not lubricate properly. STP or its competitor Motor Honey has to be combined with oil or grease. The bulletin claimed STP is mostly paraffin, the same ingredient as used in paraffin based motor oil. Naturally the part's manufactures recommended using their brand of lube but most of the bulletins said a 50/50 mix of STP with oil or grease could be used.

bigdog454
03-03-2014, 06:37 PM
Caution about using a thick oil, (motor oil) in cold weather. I learned from experience, missed a good buck. firing pin slowed down and would not fire primer.
BD

freebullet
03-03-2014, 08:06 PM
Mobil 1 5w-30 oil.
Grease tw-25 comes with new sigs when you buy them.
Any is better then none. If ya run the gun dry it won't work aswell or last as long.
Cleaning grit out does wonders also.
Grease slide rails, oil everything else.
I like breakfree powder blast for solvent, if that don't work(rare) I use butchs bore solvent followed by powder blast.
I use bore snakes a lot. Sometimes put a few stands of choreboy around the snake if its bad. Rarely I will break out the standard bore brushes and mops, gotta be real real bad to need that though.

freebullet
03-03-2014, 08:15 PM
Oops double post.

Guess I will add that getting good shooting clean burning loads are my favorite gun stay lubed & cleaners. When everything is proper I can go well beyond 1k rounds and still have a shiney bore and lubed gun.

MtGun44
03-04-2014, 01:39 AM
ATF is an excellent lubricant, lubes all the gears inside the tranny. It has special
friction modifier additives that make it possible for the clutch materials to
work well.

Motorcycles have the same issue, but really you can run ordinary motor oil
in a bike and the tranny and clutch are both pretty happy. Dedicated 4 stroke
bike oil has friction modifiers, too, to help the clutch life.

And on the "thick oil (motoroil)" warning - I did say that I was talking only about
SYNTHETIC motor oil which will not appreciably change viscosity over the
range of temps it will see.

Bill

azrednek
03-04-2014, 02:51 AM
WD-40 is a penetrant and moisture displacer, NOT a lubricant!!!

In the 70's when I was dealing with automotive chemicals WD-40 in aerosol cans was apx 90% kerosene with a Freon based evaporant. WD-40 and numerous other propellants were required by the feds to remove the Freon. I assume as I don't know for sure. WD-40 likely went to an alcohol based evaporant. WD-40 no longer displaces moisture as well or anywhere near as fast as it used to. Back in the 60's WD-40 was great for drying up condensation out of damp distributer caps. Today's formula would likely cause an oily mess.

As a lubricant WD-40 is as good as kerosene but it is great for blued steel. On a hunting trip a WD-40 soaked rag to wipe away finger prints and moisture. Follow it up by rubbing it off prevents those prints turning into rust and it leaves behind a light barrier against moisture and oxidation without the steel feeling oily and sticky.

IMHO WD-40 is way over rated, like the old gray mare "she ain't what she used to be". WD-40's advertising line "Contains Petroleum Distillates". Guess it is better than saying "Contains Kerosene".

Bored1
03-04-2014, 10:03 PM
THANKS FOR ALL THE INFORMATION GUYS!!!!

Gotta love a place where a guy can ask a question and get a literal TON of information on the subject!!!

45fan
03-11-2014, 01:59 AM
ATF if it turns, Lubriplate SFL-0 if it slides. Both are dirt cheap.

Based on this

http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html

And remember,

WD-40 is a penetrant and moisture displacer, NOT a lubricant!!!


if anybody is interested in the lubriplate products mentioned in the article here is a link to order small quantities.
http://lubrikit.com/

Cmm_3940
03-11-2014, 03:26 AM
Midway sells a 14 oz can for $12.49
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/379954/lubriplate-sfl-0-gun-grease-14-oz-can