doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Penetrating oil-Can I use WD40?

I'll go wth the craigster on this one. Plain ol' Liquid Wrench is in every hardware store and has worked for me where nothing else has. Use an electric torch, or even a hair dryer to get the part as warm as possible and hit it with the LW.

As was also mentioned WD40 is not a lube. It was never intended to be one. I first saw the stuff when it was developed as a rust preventative in missle silos in KS in the '60's.

WtS

When I first read the company literature (hype) on Kroil, I was excited and thought perhaps I'd finally found a substitute for Cabots' TASGON which was discontinued in the late 70's or early 80's due to its' creosote content. When I tried Kroil, I was very dissapointed and found that even after a long soak, screw threads were often still dry only a couple threads deep. I paid 12 bucks for a can of StrongArm spray this summer, and wish I could get my money back. I've had decent luck with ZEP, even on heavily corroded parts. Haven't yet tried the 50-50 acetone ATF mix, but intend to. I still have about a pint of TASGON that I only use for emergencies as it has to last the rest of my life. Very stinky stuff, but the best I've ever used.

Id stay away from the liquid wrench.....it loosens stuck bolts by disolving rust....not a good thin on most gun finishes..

I just loosened a very stubborn floor plate screw with Ed's with the acetone.

The NAPA house brand penetrating oil in the spray can is pretty good stuff. I'll go out on a limb and say it is as good or better than Kroil, WD40 or whatever, and, pretty much everybody has a NAPA store somewhere in their time zone, anyway.
The spray version of Rem-oil, and Birchwood Casey Sheath work OK, and I usually have them on my bench. I used up the last of a spray can of Breakfree, and need to replace it, good stuff, seems about like penetrating oil with a bit better lube qualities.
WD40 gums up far faster and worst in the presence of mineral oil then it does by itself. The "lights" or carrier in WD40 are designed to evaporate quickly, and they will happily take the liquid component of any mineral oil with them, leaving a nasty varnish behind. Clean all traces of oil off before you use it as a rust preventer. You will be happier with the results.

Best,
Ted

I'm surprised no one's mentioned PB Blaster, widely available in hardware stores and Home Depot for around $3-5 a can. I can't speak to its safety on blueing or case coloring, but its effectiveness for other things, large and small, has been remarkable. Numerous times over the years I've used it to loosen threaded tie-rod ends on steering racks, a process that previously required heating the tie-rod end with an acetylene torch to break the rust and crust inside the threads. With PB, I'd spray the joints a few hours before removal and off they'd turn with a big Crescent wrench. And those tie-rod ends only had two flats for turning, not hex heads.

Gibbs, the early composition, works very well as does Kroil which I think to be made or canned in Mufreesboro, Tn.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

The WD40 will work fine and will not hurt the bluing.

FWIW WD40 is neither a lubricant nor a penetrant. It is a liquid designed to fill gas tanks of vehicals that where shipped overseas. Its something that wont hurt a fuel system and will displace gasoline fumes and sea air. I once took my M16 for an outing with only WD40 to lubricate the gas rings on the bolt. Fried those suckers.

I really like Break Free CLP (Cleaner/Lubricant/Preservitant) for the purpose you mention. I would douse it liberally, then left it stand for a day or two (adding more to keep it wet as needed). Before using, use compressed air to blow it out.