WD40. Spawn of the devil?

[Bazz4CQJ]

Originally Posted by PJL

So what is WD40 actually good at? The only time I use it is to spray on shed fittings and other garden metalwork as a rust inhibitor. It is pretty useless as a lubricant, penetrating oil, or water repellent. GT85 is far better for cleaning or repelling water as it is a very light oil that does not degrade into a sticky mess.

I'll bet that you have no data (measurements) at all to support your evaluation, but I'm sure that you totally believe, that what you say, represents your personal subjective experience.

B

[ITAM805]

I use it to remove heatsink grease, a job it does well, then a clean up with a tissue wetted with a little IPA to remove the oily residue

[Electronpusher0]

Originally Posted by PJL

So what is WD40 actually good at? The only time I use it is to spray on shed fittings and other garden metalwork as a rust inhibitor. It is pretty useless as a lubricant, penetrating oil, or water repellent. GT85 is far better for cleaning or repelling water as it is a very light oil that does not degrade into a sticky mess.

Back to our hobby I use it to clean old solidified grease before wiping down and lubricating properly.

When we were servicing x-ray machines it was also good for removing black scuff marks on the painted surfaces.

Peter

[Scott5591]

I don’t agree that it’s useless as a lubricant, the best? Most definitely not but it’s relatively cheap and easy to find.

Like other people have said I think it gets so much hate because it’s marketed as being useful on “absolutely everything” when it clearly is a huge no no on anything electrical.

When I’ve used it the screws haven’t really been rusty as such, just seized up from being too tight for such a long period of time.

[Richard_FM]

I found it helped when I had to remove a twist in halogen light bulb which had got stuck into it's fitting. The contacts had oxidised together & a careful squirt of WD40 soon freed it.

As other posts mention it's assumed to be a cure-all for tasks that have better dedicated products available.

[Spec-chum]

I read somewhere that it's good for cleaning that black gooey mess off pulleys and flywheels, when you have old belts turned to licorice in vintage equipment. Followed by a good wipe of IPA afterwards of course. It's fondly referred to in my shed as R2-D2's aftershave.

[Cobaltblue]

As everything has been said about this product and predictably attracted too many automotive posts it's time to put this can away until the next time.

Cheers

Mike T