[ARC5] Penetrating Oils

[Robert Eleazer]

WD-40 was not designed as a lubricant originally but as a corrosion preventative Water Displacing Wipe Down for the Atlas ICBM.  They tried 39 compounds and No. 40 worked, after which I guess they stopped since there is no WD-41 as far as I know.  The company originated in San Diego, CA where the Atlas was built, and we were still using it when I was launching Atlas missions in the 1980's.

WD-40 contains a cleaning agent and I was told by the owner of a hobby shop it worked well for removing paint from plastic models.  He was right; it did work, and even though I was taking paint off a clear plastic canopy it did not craze the plastic.  So you might consider it when you need to gently remove paint, but be aware it does have a form of cleaning fluid in it in any case.  I believe that it is the presence of the cleaning agent that leads to WD-40 being useful for relieving the pain of stiff joints and muscles. 

ACF-50 is great stuff, although not easy to find.  It was designed for an anti-corrosion agent for aircraft, but it does a good job on keeping electrical contacts clean as well.  They say that it will not hurt electronics and they show pictures of circuit boards being dipped in the stuff with no ill effect.

Wayne