[Boatanchors] Heathkit SB-200 Question - Seeking advice

[Robert Nickels]

When choosing chemicals and lubes it's usually helpful to understand 
what's in them, and to do a little research to determine how this 
compares with what you want to accomplish. There are many urban myths 
floating around the 'net.

One source of such information is the Material Safety Data Sheet, which 
is required even for proprietary formulations. So while it doesn't say 
what other "secret sauce" might be included, it does list the following 
main ingredients of WD-40:

* 50%: Stoddard solvent (i.e., mineral spirits – primarily hexane, 
somewhat similar to kerosene)
* 25%: Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant; carbon 
dioxide is now used instead to reduce WD-40's considerable flammability)
* 15+%: Mineral oil (light lubricating oil)
* 10-%: Inert ingredients

No fish oil ;-) - but Stoddard solvent (aka "white spirit") is an 
excellent low-toxicity solvent, which explains WD-40s well-known 
cleaning and degreasing ability. WD-40 definitely contains oil, and one 
reason it's got a reputation for leaving a dust-attracting residue is 
the simple fact that most oils aren't applied by aerosol spray, thus we 
tend to end up with WD-40 in places we really don't want it. It's good 
for a lot of things, but not for everything.

The old Boatanchors list used to have the benefit of a chemical 
engineer, Dr. Barry Ornitz, who often shared more detailed explanations 
on chemical matters, but the key message I took away him was "there is 
no chemical substitute for common sense and elbow grease".

73, Bob W9RAN