[Milsurplus] WD-40

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

I've had great luck using WD-40 for cleaning/flushing gear trains on R-390s
and such for a temporary test or to otherwise get things working. It's
great for blasting out old grease and crud. Also cleaning up controls and
the like, but always as a temporary/quick check remedy and nothing long
term.

At the last place I worked (a gov't agency) there was a squeaky door. In a
supply cabinet nearby was a can of WD-40. Every couple weeks the door would
start to squeak and a fellow would come spray it with the WD-40. I asked
him why they didn't just use some oil and be done with it. He looked at me
with a someone blank stare and replied 'we've got WD-40'. My mind
immediately flashed back to the scene in the movie Spinal Tap with the
famous line "These go to 11".

The one place it shines (literally) is cleaning up black wrinkle. Lasts
longer than lemon oil that I used previously, and the smell goes away
pretty fast. And of course, drying out your ignition wires and distributor
after hitting the big puddle. Used to keep a can in my old Land Rover for
that and snow that got sucked in and melted.

It does work well as a portable flamethrower.

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4

On Mon, Nov 26, 2012 at 5:51 PM, KD7JYK DM09 <kd7jyk at earthlink.net> wrote:

> "Do most of you that use WD-40 to clean switch contacts, clean off the
> contacts with Isopropyl Alcohol before and after using the WD-40?"
>
> WD-40 is a poor lubricant at best, so I don't use it for that and never use
> it as a contact cleaner, because it's no more a contact cleaner than motor
> oil.  I use various water and ethereal hydrocarbon based solvents, a fancy
> name for carb cleaner, acetone, laquer thinner...  I guess WD_40 is really
> good for what it was designed, displacing water in ignition systems, which
> I
> have used it for, but it attracts gunk there too.
>
> In reality, all I've used it for is making fire balls with a cigarette
> lighter, and haven't done that since the 80's.
>