WD40 alternative – any good?

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Jon, I served in the Air Force from 64 till 86 and during that time I remember using from barrels clearly marked WD 40, my understanding was that the formula was first used in the 50’s on the Thor rockets which were located outside in all weathers and the WD40 was for protecting it from the effects of weather, I think I remember it was originally called Rocket WD 40 but the “Rocket” was dropped. There was of course the full range of PX’s in the Services used for protection, one that springs to mind was PX 3, if I remember rightly, and that was used on wire rope slings and made them really mucky to handle and was a red colour. Probably find that all the old formulations used were found to be carcinogenic, so many products that I came into contact with during my service turned out that way. Dave W

[Engine BuilderParticipant @enginebuilder]

There is a very intersting history of WD40 here.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

The Royal Navy used WD40 to spray inside helicopter gas turbines as they spooled down after the wash with drinking water, but sometime in the 80's it was changed to a cheaper alternative.

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

Posted by Samsaranda on 21/07/2022 20:09:45:

Jon, I served in the Air Force from 64 till 86 and during that time I remember using from barrels clearly marked WD 40, my understanding was that the formula was first used in the 50’s on the Thor rockets which were located outside in all weathers and the WD40 was for protecting it from the effects of weather, I think I remember it was originally called Rocket WD 40 but the “Rocket” was dropped. There was of course the full range of PX’s in the Services used for protection, one that springs to mind was PX 3, if I remember rightly, and that was used on wire rope slings and made them really mucky to handle and was a red colour. Probably find that all the old formulations used were found to be carcinogenic, so many products that I came into contact with during my service turned out that way. Dave W

Fair enough, it was gone by the late 90s.

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

Posted by old mart on 21/07/2022 20:18:32:

The Royal Navy used WD40 to spray inside helicopter gas turbines as they spooled down after the wash with drinking water, but sometime in the 80's it was changed to a cheaper alternative.

Not really cheaper, specific compwash fluids started to be used.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

When I was on Brittanias the engine tradesmen used to wash the compressors on the Proteus engines by using kerosene when the engine was dry run, one day there was an almighty flame out of the jet pipe as presumably static lit the kerosene vapour, aircraft was on jacks in the hangar at the time, not the best situation. Dave W

[Sam StonesParticipant @samstones42903]

Here's a couple of penn'orth …

For the unwary (and I was one), this ME thread goes back to late September 2010 when I was resurrecting my skeleton clock. Look to see what Roy and Norman had to say …

**LINK**

Here is another comment, this time from C S Sparks …

**LINK**

Look for his paragraph commencing …

Most clock repairers have seen the consequences of well-intended sprays of WD-40 on clock movements.

My own clock almost completely finished, sat under the cover of a polyethylene bag for about thirty years. For further protection, I had chosen to spray it with a popular ‘Specialist Long-Term Corrosion Inhibitor’.

What I didn’t know and now discover from the Internet advert;

Quote …

It provides non-drying protection that stays where you spray it.

It has a long-lasting formula to protect metal parts by blocking rust and corrosion for up to 1 year outdoors or 2 years indoors. A must have for corrosion protection.

… end of quote.

Often reaching for the can to liberally spray anything that might 'benefit', had I known about the time limit some forty plus years ago, I might have used something else that wouldn't leave a hard-to-remove coating on the brass frames of my skeleton clock, and didn't protect the steel parts.

Traps for new players I suppose.

Cheers,

Sam

[CHAS LIPSCOMBEParticipant @chaslipscombe64795]

Reading King Olaf's post, it seems that WD 40 would be excellent for sex too

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

You can't always blame the user for mis-using WD-40. Just look at what this Water-Dispersant's own labels claim!

It reminds me of the old Fred Wedlock song about the "Best Universal Grit Grime and Effluent Remover, Known". (Err, this being a family forum……)

An old method for preserving steel wire rope is to soak it in a solution of lanolin in meths or white spirit, then allow it to drain and dry. Lanolin, or wool-fat, is not a lubricant but is a tenacious water-proofer, and has the further advantage of being normally harmless to the skin.

(Well, it must be. Have you ever seen a rusty sheep on't fell, down, ben or mynydd?)

[Martin WParticipant @martinw]

Dave W

That sounds very similar to a 'Wet Start' which is quite impressive to see from the ground but probably somewhat disturbing for any passengers that witness it from their seats in the aircraft. I saw a particular a spectacular one when a Viking or Vanguard had difficulty starting one engine. When it eventually caught there was a sheet of flame, which for a couple of seconds or so, that extended from the engine to beyond the tail.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I remember seeing it sprayed into the engines of the RAF Harrier’s that were used in the Falklands war, I think the engines for the navy Harriers were more tolerant of the sea environment than the RAF version so a liberal application of WD40 helped prevent corrosion problems.

Mike

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Martin,

Wet starts are not that uncommon and are spectacular at night, and as you say flames extend to the tail of the aircraft and beyond, very disconcerting the first time you see one. Dave W

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

For corrosion protection, I'd use Shell Ensis.

For lubrication, I's use way oil or hydraulic oil.

For cleaning I'd use kerosene or Jizer.

WTF would I use WD40 for anything.

[BC ProfParticipant @bcprof]

Because it smells nicer than paraffin ,

[Master of noneParticipant @masterofnone]

I agree that Shell Ensis is very good for corrosion protection but it seems to be difficult to buy in small quantities. Waxoil is more readily available form retailers such as Halfords.

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