Has Anyone Ever Found A Use For WD-40?

[ericr]

I sure never have, it runs out as a lubricant very quickly. As I recall there was a lot of ballyhoo about it when it appeared back in the '60s, I think it was developed by the Government, hence the name, maybe in connection with the space program.


Since all we had before that was 3-in-1 Oil, or maybe LiquidWrench, it seemed like a technological miracle at the time....seems like a waste now.

[emf]

I don't use it as a replacement for liquid wrench, or any other penetrating oil. As a light oil in many applications, I like it.


Frank

[Kurt in NJ]

I recently used 2 gallon jugs of it as weight for gluing upholstry

[monto]

WD40 is more useful as a cleaner than as a penetrant.

[jb-ob]

While you might not wish to invest in their product, your definitely should invest in their stock !

[WHN]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

It really is not a lubricant. The WD stands for “water displacement”. It’s used a lot in the electrical industry. When I was in the Navy it was used to displace water or moisture on switches and electrical connections. It will not conduct electricity.

I use it on the fan belt if it is making noise.

[J Franklin]

WD-40 is good for its intended use dispelling water. I use it around distributers. It also is great for forcing oil to penetrate joints while lubing parts. Its worst trait is swelling old dicast parts.

[31a]

I use for several applications works foe me

[1930 coupe]

It works good removing sticky residue left behind after removing tape or labels.


Works good to keep parts from rusting while in indoor storage.

[28Ca8149]

The best anti rust you can get is Acetone. And ATF. Oil 50-50 I have worked a lot with rust restoring my WW 2. Military v ehicles .loosen most things in 24 hrs cheep to buy in most hardwares

[Rich in Tucson]

Used to use it to displace salt water from fishing reels and tackle when fresh water was not immediately available or after rinsing with fresh water. Now use it as a cleaner to tidy up under the hood.

[eagle]

Also works to remove nasty grease stains on laundry, makes them slightly less nasty.
Works good to clean water corrosion off of electronic printed circuit boards in a pinch.

[Tom Endy]

I bead blast a lot of metal Model A parts. If I leave that part sitting on a work bench in the garage overnight especially during the winter months (Southern California) the next morning it will have signs of beginning to rust. After a few days it will definitely show signs of rust.


If I spray that part with WD-40 right after it was bead blasted it could sit there for a couple months and not show signs of starting to rust.


Tom Endy

[Bud Man]

Removes road tar from painted surfaces like a house-a-fire, but gentle on the paint. Bud

[Gary/IA]

Everyone in our group carries WD-40. Many times we have been caught in heavy rains where someone's car will stop running due to the moisture. Spraying the electrical system with WD-40 will get the car running again.

[MikeK]

A spray can of the stuff with the plastic straw is my go-to for straight through power tapping with wire size gun taps.

I run a constant pressure spray directly into the flutes from behind while running forward. Not it's intended use but works well and cleans up much easier than any other cutting fluid.

[Tom Wesenberg]

All the above, plus I use it as a threading fluid when I run taps in aluminum.

[40 Deluxe]

Originally Posted by ericr

I sure never have, it runs out as a lubricant very quickly. As I recall there was a lot of ballyhoo about it when it appeared back in the '60s, I think it was developed by the Government, hence the name, maybe in connection with the space program.


Since all we had before that was 3-in-1 Oil, or maybe LiquidWrench, it seemed like a technological miracle at the time....seems like a waste now.

Yeah, it's highly over-rated. From what history I've read a chemist was searching for a product to remove water from various surfaces. Thus WD means "Water Displacement", and "40" was his 40th attempt at getting the right formula.
It's not a good penetrating oil nor is it a very good lubricant, but it does a good job of displacing water so it does what it was designed for. As popular as it is, there must have been a marketing genius behind it!
There are much better penetrants and much better lubricants out there. Keep some of each on hand so you don't reach for the WD-40 (unless your distributor got wet!).

[prpmmp]

Its great for whining! When I start to whine my wife sprays it in my face,I stop whining!!Pete

[davehc]

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Chiefs' Friend sprayed it on his ELBOW, for ARTHRITIS, he "TRIED" a COW MAGNET, but it wouldn't "STICK"---LOL
Bill W.

[30 Closed Cab PU]

The company I worked for had about 200 U.S. Service Techs. Techs started spraying WD40 on bearings as part of preventative maintenance. Not an approved procedure, but Techs will do things via word of mouth from other techs. Customer machines started prematurely failing. WD 40 was actually destroying and flushing out the bearings grease/lube. A Service Bulletin went out explain not to do this, and why. A lot of grief caused. That's when I learned to verify before trying things on my own, or via word of mouth.

[ericr]

wow, people have sure relayed the intended and extrapolated uses that I never would have guessed!


I saw some blurb on the Internet about using it to clean the commode....

[MALAK]

Originally Posted by MikeK

A spray can of the stuff with the plastic straw is my go-to for straight through power tapping with wire size gun taps.

I run a constant pressure spray directly into the flutes from behind while running forward. Not it's intended use but works well and cleans up much easier than any other cutting fluid.

Piggybacking on what Mike said.
A lot of machinists, myself included, use it when machining Aluminum. I'm talking lathe and mill work. It helps keep the Aluminum from sticking to the tool, keeps the tool cool, and improves surface finish.

[ModelAMike1930]

WD 40 is great for removing paint from your hands-takes it right off and not as bad as turpentine on your hands.

[Jacksonlll]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

It is a solvent, not a lubricant.

[ryanheacox]

Among other uses...

[30 Closed Cab PU]

LOL, but may not attract women, may be more of a repellant.

[Licensed to kill]

I spray the inside of hoses before installing if they are tight. They will slip right on with minimal effort. As mentioned earlier, it is great for cleaning oil, tar etc. Years ago, a neighbour of my brothers was over and lamenting that his truck (highway tractor) had a clicking noise in the front of the motor. He said that he had taken it in and had spent many thousands of dollars to have the issue discovered and fixed. After a few tried, they had changed most of the peripherals on the from t of the engine but no change. He asked my brother if he would have a look. He went over to thee guys place and had him fire up the truck. There was a very noticeable clicking noise that increased and decreased with RPM. He asked the guy if he had a can of WD-40. The guy gave him a quizzical look and said yes. Brought the can and my brother sprayed it on the belt and the sick went away. The guy said "you gotta be kidding me!!!". My brother explained that he had seen this before. The belt was sticking to the pulley and would make a snapping noise when it let go.

[Licensed to kill]

Originally Posted by ryanheacox

Among other uses...

Many years ago (about b35) I was lamenting that I had no idea what to get for my wife stocking for Christmas (I think we were just dating at the time). She suggested perfume but I said I had no idea what kind to get. She said "just get something you would like" so I put "Hoppes #9" in an old perfume bottle and put that in her stocking.

[eagle]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/w...after-65-years

[denis4x4]

Can also be used as a starter fluid in a pinch. BTW, company also owns 3 in 1 oil and Lava soap.

[Oldbluoval]

LOL, but may not attract women, may be more of a repellant.




WOW! Good to know......I need something for that!

[24ruxstel1339]

About all I use it for is on my reloading press, just to keep it from rusting.
WD-40 works good on carb gaskets to keep them from sticking when disassembling.

I use for a rust penetrant, GM stuff, used to be called "heat valve" lube...PN 88862628
It's the sheet !!

[redmodelt]

Darn I was going to post something along the lines as it smells good. But you may get some unwanted attention if you use it for that! LOL

[24ruxstel1339]

Originally Posted by Oldbluoval

LOL, but may not attract women, may be more of a repellant.




WOW! Good to know......I need something for that!

You need something to REPELL women ??? Tell us more !!

[JRrev]

Here ya go (if you want to take the time!):
https://www.wd40.com/img/WD-40_2000_uses.pdf

[30 Closed Cab PU]

Originally Posted by 24ruxstel1339

You need something to REPELL women ??? Tell us more !!

My ex-wife complained when I would smell of gas, oil, etc. Just figured that is why she divorced me. Otherwise I am a real catch , almost perfect.

[31Cabriolet68-C]

If you've ever seen somebody given one of those horrible "Don't Park Here" stick- on-warning labels that's been plastered on their car's window, tell 'em to stop trying to scrape it off, that won't work, and they'll damage the glass. Instead, tell 'em to just soak the label with WD40, and wait for it to completely saturate the paper. When it reaches the adhesive layer, the WD 40 will quickly solubilize (degrade/soften...) the adhesive. But it must first have soaked completely through the paper layer... Then you can just wipe off the whole mess with a paper towel or a rag... It really does work perfectly.
It will probably be just as effective on all those other political/school/etc paper bumper stickers, but using WD-40 on any type of painted, chromed, waxed, clear-coated, metals or any of the modern polymeric surfaces opens up the need to do preliminary solubility testing on an out-of-the-way spot.

[Bud]

I use WD-40 on lug nuts when I tighten them. It is enough of a lubricant that the surfaces are not completely dry when tightened, and helps assure most of the torque exerted goes into clamp load and does not gall the threads or the wheel. Later it just evaporates away. I will also use it as a penetrating oil, but obviously there are better products for that application.

[amodel25]

Don't spray it within 100 feet of a paint-ready car.....ask me how I know.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

If your car won't start after a foggy night because your high voltage spark is leaking out "somewhere"???---Just spray WD-40 on the PLUGS/WIRES/DIST CAP/COIL TOWER & It'll START!
Bill W.

[40 Deluxe]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

If your car won't start after a foggy night because your high voltage spark is leaking out "somewhere"???---Just spray WD-40 on the PLUGS/WIRES/DIST CAP/COIL TOWER & It'll START!
Bill W.

Yep! That's what it's made for- Water Displacement.

[40 Deluxe]

Originally Posted by JRrev

Here ya go (if you want to take the time!):
https://www.wd40.com/img/WD-40_2000_uses.pdf

seen on list: "increases life of high-speed dental hand pieces"! So, you leave the dentist's office with a mouthful of WD-40. Nice!

[Chris Haynes]

[31Cabriolet68-C]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Now THAT'S marketing!

[holdover]

Used it in the USMC to clean my M14. Now use it for machining. Years ago when there wasn't much of anything else in a spray can used it to fix noises in car suspension. To me it is a oil and kerosene mix. For the last couple of decades I use Kroil, which looks like acetone and ATF

[Pete]

Originally Posted by ericr

I sure never have, it runs out as a lubricant very quickly. As I recall there was a lot of ballyhoo about it when it appeared back in the '60s, I think it was developed by the Government, hence the name, maybe in connection with the space program.


Since all we had before that was 3-in-1 Oil, or maybe LiquidWrench, it seemed like a technological miracle at the time....seems like a waste now.

Same kind of stupid thought train as; have you ever tried making a martini with whisky or a manhattan with gin?

IT IS A WATER DISPLACEMENT CHEMICAL!! THAT IS IT.

Booze works good for a lot of other things but that is not it's intended use.

[Lanny]

WD 40 DOES Make a rust penetrant in a spray can (picture below), and
if you do a search, WD 40 also makes a spray can of Industrial Lubricant.

Click on picture to Enlarge

[rosenkranswa]

I use it quite a bit for water displacement, quieting fan belts, and just kind of general purpose stuff. Its definitely not a lubricant or penetrating oil, but isn't intended to be. My understanding is that it was developed during WWII by the Navy as a water displacement spray. Apparently a large component is a mix of fish oils which is why it smells the way it does.

[Ian in Mississauga]

Has anyone else used it to clean up a dog that's been sprayed by a skunk?

[BillEbob]

Works well to take off hard water spots on your shower door!

[joe plumber]

I spray it on my knees and elbows.Also use a little in my cereal every morning

[Barry B./ Ma.]

Great for cleaning off greasy hands.

[Don S]

I have used Wd 40 to kill wasps. Works really well and does not leave a stain.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

If I were to try mixing my own, I'd use a little light oil, a little liquid wax & quite a bit of kerosene.
Bill Brewer

[Marvin/TN]

They do make a WD 40 product especially made as a pentrating oil. I have never used it but do know they make one.

[J Franklin]

Originally Posted by Don S

I have used Wd 40 to kill wasps. Works really well and does not leave a stain.

This really works well. I worked on telephone lines and It was a scramble 30 feet up a ladder or pole and opening a box or boot covering the wires and confronting a wasp nest. WD-40 to the rescue!

[J Franklin]

Here is how the can looked when it was first introduced, circa 1953.

[atch]

The two best uses I know of are:


1. the water in the distributor thing mentioned many times above, and


2. for use to keep bare metal surfaces from rusting; specifically, drill press tables, table saw tables, etc. For those of you in low humidity areas (southwest USA for instance) you'll never need this. But for those of us in the rust belt it works well.

[redmodelt]

Lube or not, if you use it on your points be sure to wipe if off the contacts.

[LeRoiGross]

I worked on the Atlas missile project at Cape Canaveral for 40 years. WD40 was developed for us. We used it on our stainless steel tanks to keep the salt fog from getting under the overlapping welded missile tank seams. We would wipe down the tanks every week. When it dries out it gets sticky and looks messy. But it worked.
Leroy

[LeRoiGross]

I worked on the Atlas missile program at Cape Canaveral for 40 years. WD40 was invented for us. We used it to keep the ocean salt mist from getting in the overlapped welded joints of our stainless steel missile tanks. We wiped the tanks down every week.
When it dries it gets sticky and looks bad. But it works.
Leroy

[Redbird]

Great stuff for hornets/wasp nest. Old farmers trick. It works!

[whirnot]

I am surprised no one else posted this: I have used it to clean Model A horns.


Just put a bunch of rags all around the horn, hit the horn button and spray liberally all over the Armature, brushes etc. Blow out the excess, oil the horn and put the cover back on. Works great.

[DHZIEMAN]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by monto

WD40 is more useful as a cleaner than as a penetrant.

Ditto on "as a cleaner"! (including trailer plug connection cleaning)

I also do techie stuff for a charity on old electronics , and it is great for quieting the scratchy sounds of a volume controls on vintage stereo and sound equipement.

But that is it for me

[ericr]

Originally Posted by whirnot

I am surprised no one else posted this: I have used it to clean Model A horns.


Just put a bunch of rags all around the horn, hit the horn button and spray liberally all over the Armature, brushes etc. Blow out the excess, oil the horn and put the cover back on. Works great.

thanks for the tip, I will certainly try this...when the cars were new, Model ""A owners must have blown their horns a lot to keep them working well, I have always had problems with my horns needing attention.

[Aretino]

I used it for many years to clean landing gear on aircraft. Spray it on a rag and wipe away the residue. Leaves a light corrosion resistant film. It performs the same way on my model a.

[blucar]

Many years ago when WD-40 first appeared on the market it was touted as being an excellent lubricant for firearms, however, it was quickly shown to be not a good lubricant, it would dry on the moving parts causing the weapon to jam..

Maybe it would be a good idea to again tout it as a gun lube, thereby causing a lot of the weapons terrorist use to jam.. Cheap gum control.
WD-40 is an excellent winter starting fluid for 2 stroke engines, chainsaws, etc., and it works great to remove decals from painted, chromed surfaces.

[Synchro909]

"Norm Larsen, founder of Rocket Chemical Company, is considered the original founder of WD-40," according to wd40.com. Larsen aimed to develop a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry. He succeeded at the goal, Water Displacement, on the 40th attempt, hence the name. That all happened in 1953.
It was never intended to be a lubricant so don't be surprised it dosen't lubricate well. It was never intended to be a penetrating fluid so don't be surprised if it dosen't do that well either!
In other words, to all of those who use it incorrectly, use the correct product for ther job at hand.