WD40 as a lubricant

[Bill Ford]

I know this has been debated to death but,...watch this and get the best explanation ever from someone who can give the best reason not to use it far a lubricant.

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=835034630756809

[Jon Jaffe]

It dries to gunk. Sewing machine oil stays oil.

[Jon Snyder]

WD-40 is a cleaner/solvent not a lubricant.

[Fred]

WD-40 is a cleaner/solvent not a lubricant.

This is the best reason. WD-40 is NOT a lubricant.

[John Hyland]

I might be paraphrasing a bit but I understand it was invented to stop spitfire engines stalling. WD stands for water displacement and 40 was the version number.

[Christopher Peck]

it's a cleaner/solvent as stated above. Dries out and leaves sticky residue behind. Developed by Convair to clean the outer skin of the atlas missiles, it's now banned in the state of California.

And it clears up those cloudy oxidized polycarbonate headlight lenses a treat!


But I bet y'all knew all that. WD-40 always brings out the oil nerds...

It's like going on a car forum and throwing out Kroil for nut busting.

[Don Downes]

I realize you post was about how nasty WD-40 is. I agree. Here's my 2 bits on lubes.

I did a boatload of research on lubes for most any application.

Without going into a bunch of chemistry crap, Tri-Flow TF0021060 Superior Lubricant is about the best I've found, bar none. It is PTFE (Teflon) coating suspended with mineral oil. It comes in an aerosol, or in a drop bottle. It's dirt cheap, and is awesome on any moving parts. This is THE lube used by world-class bicyclists. It's non-noxious, water resistant, easy to apply, and an all around great lube.

If you're looking for a dry lubricant, you can't go wrong with graphite powder. I use it mostly on screws where a liquid isn't appropriate. I've used the graphite on tuning nuts for my steel. It works especially well if it's the "first thread" going on the the rod. It totally prevented that "sticking" during tuning.

PS: interesting that even though he showed the cylinder empty, he pointed it directly at his buddy.

[Charles Kurck]

I have not yet used this on my steel but it works great for slides and hinges.



https://www.amazon.com/Nano-NDT11D-Dry- ... B00T4BAG1Y

[Brad Bechtel]

…Developed by Convair to clean the outer skin of the atlas missiles, it's now banned in the state of California.

What’s your source for this statement? I see it for sale everywhere in San Francisco.

[Christopher Peck]

…Developed by Convair to clean the outer skin of the atlas missiles, it's now banned in the state of California.

What’s your source for this statement? I see it for sale everywhere in San Francisco.

sorry, in my attempts not to be a lubenerd I left out the part "the original high VOC formulation of WD40 is no longer salable in California. What's being sold in California (does this make it WD41 now?) is a reformulated version with lower VOC's to comply with CA regulations."

Here's a copy/paste from WD40 that'll explain it better than I am:
Dear Valued Customer: Important Information Regarding the Sale of WD-40 Multi-Use Product in California The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has ruled that any product classified as a multi-purpose lubricant must have a VOC (volatile organic compound) level of 25% or less effective with a manufacturing date after December 31, 2013 in order to be sold in California.* To comply with this regulation, the WD-40 Company will begin to manufacture 25% VOC compliant product for sale in California as of January 1, 2014. Since we do not foresee other states moving to this stringent legislation and to minimize any price impact on our customers and consumers, we will continue to sell our current formula in the remaining 49 states. This product will be labeled as “not for sale in California.” Product produced prior to January 1, 2014 may continue to be shipped and sold in California for a three year period ending December 31, 2016. Products Involved The following WD-40 Multi-Use Products will be converted to the lower VOC formula for sale in California: - 3oz. - 8oz. Smart Straw - 11oz. Smart Straw - 12oz. Smart Straw - 16oz. Industrial - 18oz. Big Blast - 20oz Trigger Pro - 1 Gallon - 5 Gallon - 55 gallon drum All other WD-40 Company products including WD-40 Specialist, WD-40 No-Mess Pen and 3IO brand are either already 50 state compliant or do not fall under this regulation. Pricing The WD-40 Company has worked diligently to minimize the cost impact of this formulation change. While there are cost implications to the lower VOC formula, the WD-40 Company has chosen to absorb these costs. At this time there will be no price increase for the lower VOC formula and we will maintain national pricing. Performance The performance of the new WD-40 25% VOC formula has been shown to be equal to the current formula in both laboratory and consumer testing. 1061 Cudahy Place, San Diego, CA 92110-3929 Tel 619/275.1400 Fax 619/275.5823 Timing The first shipment of the lower VOC formula is expected sometime after January 1, 2014. However, since there is a three year sell through period for the current higher VOC product, the WD-40 Company will continue to ship the current formulation to California during this transition. Your Sales representative will be in touch with you regarding specific timing for your account.



In my attempt not to pile on what must be one of those "dead horse topics", like "is nitro let your strat breath better than poly", the gist of the joke was lost.

That'll learn me to try an' goof around on a Friday night!

[David Higginbotham]

As already mentioned...Sewing machine oil on my steels and Tri-Flow for most everything else. 🙂

[Bill Ford]

On my steels..... Tri-Flow

[Jon Voth]

Obviously WD40 IS a lubricant. Anything that lubricates is-water being ubiquitous. But maybe not appropriate for anywhere on a PSG.

I'm just 4 years in and I haven't lubed anything yet (except rollers) and can't think of anyplace I'd want to SPRAY anything. All slow and short moving parts, I'm thinking of a grease only. As Bill Ford's link was gun related, I would go to Mil-Comm TW25 with an applicator.

Only a small dab of GREASE where you want it, nothing thinner. Am I wrong in thinking this?

[John Hyland]

Obviously WD40 IS a lubricant. Anything that lubricates is-water being ubiquitous. But maybe not appropriate for anywhere on a PSG.

I'm just 4 years in and I haven't lubed anything yet (except rollers) and can't think of anyplace I'd want to SPRAY anything. All slow and short moving parts, I'm thinking of a grease only. As Bill Ford's link was gun related, I would go to Mil-Comm TW25 with an applicator.

Only a small dab of GREASE where you want it, nothing thinner. Am I wrong in thinking this?

Getting it where you want it is the key. Also there are greases and there are greases.

[Ian Rae]

Last year I bought a new trombone from Conn of Elkhart IN. There was a slip of paper in the case reassuring me that even if I lived in CA my purchase was still legal! Unsurprisingly, there is no part of a trombone that could tolerate even WD41.

I'm sure that the gunk it leaves behind is quite intentional if you're using it for its proper purpose of repelling moisture. Any project that can withstand 39 failures deserves to succeed

[Jim Sliff]

Tri Flow - but you have to be sure to get the DRY type - they also make an oil-based version, which, like ALL oils, will eventually break down and gum up the works.

ANY DRY Teflon (PTFE) lubricant is fine. I use Dupont's (who hold the patent), dry Blaster, Finish Line and dry Tri Flow.

WD-40 is great for garage door springs/hinges and rusty gate hinges - but should NEVER be used on a musical instrument. I don't allow it inside the house - there are NO uses for it!

It's a blend of five petroleum based oils and solvent, and leaves grimy deposits on the surface. If you mix carbon or dirt in oil it'd be pretty close.

[Jack Ritter]

I used Singer sewing machine oil for years and it does a great job.

[Dave Magram]

There are a couple of Forumites who keep touting the “Dry” version of Tri-Flow with paraffin. This is the worst advice I have ever received on the SGF.
I have never heard any steel guitar builder or mechanic recommend the “Dry” version of Tri-Flow—probably because it has paraffin wax added for use on bicycle chains!

WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE SO CONFUSED?
There seems to be both marketing semantics confusion regarding “Tri-Flow” Teflon lubricant, and/or confusion about the simple chemical process that allows BOTH versions of Tri-Flow to go on wet with a volatile solvent and through the magic of evaporation leave behind a dry coating of Teflon.

Let's clear up the confusion: BOTH versions of Tri-Flow leave behind a dry coating of Teflon!

To repeat: BOTH versions of Tri-Flow leave behind a dry coating of Teflon!
However, one version of Tri-Flow also leaves behind a thick coating of paraffin wax, and the other does not.
Which one do you think works best on a pedal steel guitar with close-tolerance roller-nuts?

The roller-nuts on my pedal steel have a total side-to-side free play of 0.003” (three-thousandths of an inch)—less than the thickness of an average human hair.
Does it make sense to fill up that tiny gap with firmly adhered paraffin wax?

FACTS:
There are two distinct versions of Tri-Flow:
1. “Tri-Flow Superior Lubricant”. This is the most common version, found in most hardware stores and online. It goes on wet and the liquid solvent evaporates within seconds, leaving behind a thin dry coating of slippery Teflon.



From the Tri-Flow website:
“Tri-Flow Superior Lubricant provides twice the lubricating power of most competitive brands. Its light viscosity allows for deep penetration into hard to reach moving parts.”
http://www.triflowlubricants.com/Superi ... _drip.html

The “light viscosity” referred to is the solvent that quickly evaporates, leaving behind a dry coating of Teflon.

Many Forumites have reported good results with this “Superior” version of Tri-Flow, and several steel guitar builders and mechanics recommend it.

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2. “Tri-Flow Superior Dry Lubricant”. This version is typically found in bike shops and is specially formulated for lubricating bicycle chains by adding a coating of paraffin wax to repel water.
Not a good idea for pedal steel guitars with roller-nuts, wouldn't you agree?

From the Tri-Flow website:
“Tri-Flow Superior Dry Lubricant was specifically designed to lubricate like an oil and stay clean like a wax. Its exclusive formula includes paraffin wax and high grade petroleum oil which penetrates as it quickly sets up and dries, leaving a thin, visible, coating that repels water as it lubricates.”
http://www.triflowlubricants.com/Dry_Lubricant/dry.html

The “…thin, visible, coating that repels water as it lubricates.” is paraffin wax—which may be “thin” relative to a bicycle chain, but is not so “thin” relative to the very close tolerances on a pedal steel guitar!

The paraffin wax was added to the “Dry” version of Tri-Flow commonly sold in bike shops to prevent rain and mud from removing the Teflon coating on your bike chain.

But wait—there’s more, and it gets worse….

From the official Tri-Flow store Amazon listing for “Tri-Flow Superior Dry Lubricant”:
“Exclusive formula includes paraffin wax, high-grade petroleum to penetrate quickly and adhesion promoters which reduce shedding.”

Those “adhesion promoters which reduce shedding” probably work great on bike chains—however, this means that if you lube your PSG roller-nuts with “Tri-Flow Superior Dry Lubricant” , you are going to have a devil of a time removing the paraffin wax.
I had to thoroughly clean my roller-nuts THREE separate times with solvents and finally emery cloth to get the stubbornly adhered paraffin wax out of them and off the axle.



Since most people do not deliberately play their steel guitar in the rain or drag it through the mud, I don’t understand why anyone would knowingly put paraffin wax with adhesion promoters into the precision parts of a steel guitar--especially the roller-nuts—do you?
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BAD ADVICE: Paraffin wax for pedal steels
Based on the bad advice from the SGF, and not knowing that it contained paraffin wax, I had a disastrous experience years ago with the “Dry” version of Tri-Flow—a very small amount gummed up the roller nuts and caused my pedal steel to be out of tune at a recording session—which had never happened before (or since, after I finally cleaned it of the paraffin wax and adhesion promoters from the “Dry” version of Tri-Flow)!

I use the “Dry” version of Tri-Flow on my bicycle chain, but never, ever again will I use it on my steel guitar.

WARNING
Any “Dry” version of Teflon (including the Finish Line brand sold in bike shops) will have the same disastrous effect. The label doesn’t indicate it, but Finish Line bike chain lube does contain paraffin--check their website.

Since steel guitars are not normally played in the rain or in muddy puddles like your bike chain might go through, using the version with wax in it doesn't make sense to me. I do not understand why anyone would want to get paraffin wax into their steel guitar’s precision mechanism—do you?

GOOD ADVICE: “Superior Tri-Flow” for pedal steels
On the other hand, using standard “Superior Tri-Flow” (without the added wax) on a steel guitar makes a lot of sense.

I am not telling anyone what to do--feel free to use whatever you want--I am simply trying to clear up, with factual information, the semantic and/or scientific confusion surrounding so-called “Dry” Teflon lubricants.

- Dave

[Tommy Shown]

WD 40 is a huge NO NO.
It attracts dirt and gum up the changer for sure.

[J R Rose]

I have been using Hoppe's Oil for several years. It is a highly refined oil in a little bottle with a needle dropper and is pricey. But I find it does a good job without problems and worth the price. J.R. Rose

[Larry Bressington]

'Zoom Spout' is you best bet, great machine oil and that flex spout is sweet.

W.D 40 is a penetrate not a lubricant.

[Donny Hinson]

Lube the moving parts of the guitar every year or two with whatever you prefer, and then go on playing. Some of you guys seem to be worrying waaaay too much about this stuff. I use high-grade oil, but y'all can use whatever trips your trigger. If you're worrying about a little dust buildup on the changer, or the thing not working flawlessly if you stick it under a bed or in a closet for 10-20 years, then your player priorities are likely somewhat misdirected. I played the same guitar, which was my only guitar, for about 29 years...but I'm pretty sure that's a rarity. (And it was never rebuilt or restored.)

When in doubt, roger out.

[Buck Reid]

In my experience building and repairing guitars, Zoom Spout and Tri Flow work great! WD-40 is a no-no. Perhaps the most important thing is regular periodic maintenance.

[Russell Adkins]

my best experience with WD 40 is killing wasp and hornets it will kill them dead is a flash . I like marvel oil as a good lub

[Jon Voth]

my best experience with WD 40 is killing wasp and hornets it will kill them dead is a flash . I like marvel oil as a good lub

I will try that-I've been using starting fluid (ether) on those European hornets that eat my fruit trees. Also kills them within seconds.

Reminds me of a time when I was a teen, I used starter fluid to attack a bunch of cave crickets that had infested our basement. I didn't stop to think about the pilot light in the water heater.