WD40 - What is in it

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B_noser

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I recently decanted a part gallon of WD40 into another part gallon. Several globs of a semi solid waxy substance were the last to transfer. The very soft substance was milky in appearance and very slippery. I suspect it is a wax of some sort and it did not feel like paraffin. It has been said WD40 is primarily kerosene, which I don't necessarily accept, and that it evaporates, so doesn't provide any long term protection - other than displacing water. If it does contain some type of wax, it would likely leave a thin film on surfaces, and could provide more protection than often believed. In retrospect, it would probably be a good idea to shake it up occasionally.
Does anyone know what is in WD40?
 
Sounds like your sample separated in storage. I was told that WD40 is not to be regarded as a lubricant, but as a solvent to free up frozen parts.
 
I would not use WD 40 as my storage preservative unless absolutely nothing else was available.
 
[FONT=&quot]From Wikipedia:

The long-term active ingredient is a non-volatile viscous oil which remains on the surface to which it is applied, giving lubrication and protection from moisture.[/FONT][SUP][11][/SUP][FONT=&quot] This oil is diluted with a volatile hydrocarbon to make a low viscosity fluid which can be aerosolized to penetrate crevices. The volatile hydrocarbon then evaporates, leaving behind the oil. A propellant (originally a low-molecular-weight hydrocarbon, now carbon dioxide) creates pressure in the can to force the liquid through the can's nozzle before evaporating.[/FONT][SUP][11][/SUP]
 
It smells like wax and leaves waxy deposits if you keep using it. Im pretty sure its good and bad properties are wax
 
Well, if one is looking to use it for protection against water on their foirearms I would suggest otherwise.
Someone from way back who I used to hunt with used only WD40 on his first 870 and that use stripped the blueing off of the gun.
It is now a very nice matte finish but, very little in the way of bluing is left.
40 years and still killing geese and ducks that gun.
Depends on what the Op has in mind for its use.
Rob
 
few years back, I got on an old pub

wd40.jpg


BTW, WD means Water Displacer and its main purpose in marine industrie is to clean corrosion and clear moisture in electrical components. it is NOT A PROTECTIVE COATING.
 
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Dosing said:
You could just google the msds and fo a little research.
Click to expand...

You mean that <12% of propriety ingredients? That might or might not be *cough* fish oil. Also I might or might not have bought and sold pallet loads of the stuff or talked to various sales reps or anything.
 
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