WD 40 / Original or Specialist ?

Here's the definitive answer from WD40.

"WD-40® Multi-Use Product was invented in 1953 with five basic functions: It Lubricates, Penetrates, Protects, Removes, and Displaces Moisture.

WD-40® Specialist® is a new line of specialty maintenance products designed to meet specific needs of professional users."

That should clear up all doubts.???????

It take that as "market speak" for, "if we call it special we can charge you more for it."

There may be a difference, but I think the user will make the ultimate choice.

Now, I'm betting that you will use both cans completely then buy the cheaper of the two, UNLESS there is a demonstrable advantage to buying the more expensive stuff.

Let us know.

It's a plot to sell more of the same stuff slightly altered so that we think we need 4 different cans of the same basic $tuff.

I'm not specialized enough to need anything but the original stuff.

I tend toward the simple and basic solutions myself. I can see where a more viscous WD40 could have some uses (don't want it running down on another part...), but I haven't run into that situation yet. If I did, I would probably just cover the parts with a rag to protect them from overspray/runoff.

Goody's headache powders did the same thing. If you look at the ingredients for regular and migraine Goody's you'll find the same ingredients in the same concentrations in both products.

I need Shade-Tree Specialist.

You should also be able to look up the MSDS'S on line to see if there are any different ingredients. If the ingredients are the same, then it's just a change in quantities of each.

The key word is, SHOULD.

The ingredients are listed, some generically, the proportions are given as a broad range.

Proprietary formulas and intellectual property rights, you know.

I used to have this trouble trying to find out what was in certain epoxies and other materials we shot into orbit.

its specially designed........to increase profit while doing the same thing

Do the math....

$24.96

But p l e a s e don't ever think that WD 40 is a lubricant. At one injection moulding plant I worked at, the previous plant manager had bought WD40 in 55 gal drums to use on the injection moulding machine tie bars. Seems that he started using it because the moveable platens that held the ejector side cavity would often vibrate when closing, causing the moulded-in inserts to be displaced, and often causing damage to the mould face. He tried WD 40 and voila, smooth movement, but the operators needed to use the stuff more and more frequently. By the time I arrived the WD 40 ritual was performed on each tie bar on EVERY shot. I had one station ripped apart and found that the 6" diameter sintered bronze bearings were no longer circular but oval. The WD40 had effectively removed the oil within the sintered bronze bushing and the fish oil in the WD40 just was not up to the job required to support the 1 ton steel platen that rode on the 8 bushings. Loosen, yes. Lubricate, absolutely not! Oh, and Kroil contains Silicone. So do be careful if the parts it is used on will need to be painted later.

I agree about the lack of lubrication with WD 40, but not all Kroil contains silicone.

Agreed that there are several formulations of Kroil as well as WD-40. There are formulations of Kroil that have lubricants, i.e Sili-Kroil that contains silicone and another one that contains graphite.

I have been using Kroil since 1979 as I found it penetrates better than WD-40. But I don't use the original formulation of either one purely as a lubricant. I find both Kroil and WD40 to be too light on viscosity for the applications I need (mostly automotive and household use).

Really good post. GA from me.

Very true. For freeing up great, but most things require proper lubrication once free.....

Interesting about the sintered bronze bearing oil, never thought about that, DUUHH, now I know!!! Its obvious really....or should have been for me!!

Nowadays, would not a special roller or ball linear track system be better in such a situation?

Many thanks for the really good "heads up!" A truly valuable tip! And I thought I knew everything there was about using WD-40!!! WRONG!!

No it not a lubricant.

for that LPS would be great, and it has different types for your applications.

http://www.lpslabs.com/products?id=5

I have to disagree. WD-40 is a light oil, not a heavy-duty one. It stinks, and that may be why you think it contains fish oil, but it doesn't. I believe it contains mineral oil, which is what is in sewing machine oil. Baby oil is mineral oil with a fragrance. It doesn't work for Tesla coil capacitors.

I have used WD-40 to clean switches and free up variable capacitors and pots in my electronic instuments with great success. Because of the smell, it is best to do it outside and let the vapors dissipate before bringing it back inside. It is much cheaper than the contact cleaner they sell at Radio Shack. I also have used mineral oil to clean switches with good success. Just use a Q-tip® or a small artist's brush or even a toothpick to put the oil down. This can be done indoors with no problem.

Thats exactly what we had on board to wash our "Chopper" down, big gallon cans, loads of them!

(for any Brits reading this and imagining the wrong thing!!!, read "Helicopter" for "Chopper", OK?)

It helped remove any salt water, salt deposits and left a film that slowed further corrosion. Really exactly what it was originally designed to do metal wise on ICBM rockets and the like....

We had the same Bird on-board for over 2 years and I never once found any corrosion. It was, as many aircraft of the day I imagine, mainly made of specialist types of Aluminium and Magnesium, neither of which liked salt much!! Even small scratches in the paint could be kept corrosion free until the next time it was painted (it was stripped prior to painting to keep weight down!), by washing with WD-40.

I have been using WD-40 since it first arrived in the UK, probably over 50 years ago....I would feel that I was missing out if the toolbox did not have a can. I usually have 2 or more in places where I need it.

I have not yet seen the specialist version.....will I buy one? I doubt it.

The only places that I need lubrication that I would not use it for, are cylinder for door locks. The lock I would use it, but for the cylinder there are specialist wet/dry lubricants that work far better in such situations and are far less likely to attract and hold dust particles.....many cylinders allow, sadly, air to pass through them as there is usually a tiny hold between both side.

Which is why, when its minus 25°C outside, the inside part of the cylinder may be frozen.....!! Its a good idea on outside doors, where such extremes of temperature happen (lower than -10°C), to have one of those newer cylinders with an inside knob, instead of a key, no through hole.....which are good anyway as in the event say of a fire and a lighting failure, means no searching for a key in the dark or the burning bit, if you like to lock up at any time!!

I was very keen on getting (illegally) hold of a gallon for personal usage, but I never ever achieved it as it was too bulky to hide in a car.......I did think of cleaning an old oil can out, but in the end, nothing came of it!! So I simply purchase it when needed....

By the way, some things that you can free up with WD-40, require proper lubrication before usage, sewing and knitting machines are a good example. WD-40 does not appear to react negatively with such oils, e.g. no problems in my experience.....

WD-40 to make stuck stuff loose. Duct tape to make loose stuff stuck. That's all you need to know in this world.

I read somewhere that the magic ingredient in WD-40 is baby oil.

I don't know about that, but it will stop ants in their tracks dead...

So will most other flame-throwers.

Yeah but wd-40 has staying power...

Ever hear of Kroil from Kano? My Grandfather was the head of maintenance at an American Viscose plant in the 1950's, where they used that product. He kept a can of this stuff at his house for his side job repairing parking meters and other odd things for the town. As a side benefit, he used it to clean guns as well. He never touched a can of WD-40.

Before we got rolling in skid building here where I work, I was head of maintenance here to fill up my working hours. I converted the senior member of the staff here to this product as well. He'd been doing maintenance for 15 years here, and another 20 elsewhere. He was a WD-40 devotee before that.

Only catch to it is it is direct order. I've never seen it in a store.

I agree, I've used Kroil for many years, and never found anything better. But you are right. I've never been able to find it in either automotive or hardware stores, But I just checked and McMaster-Carr does list it in their on-line catalog

Home Depot, Walmart, Auto Zone, Sears and e-bay all sell it. There are more, I'm sure.

It was a staple in the "model shop" of the aerospace facility where I worked. All the machinists there had at least 20 years on the cranks.

McMaster has it listed? Good to know, as my understanding has been that Kroil is only sold direct from Kano Laboratories.

At least now it is available in spray cans. When I first bought Kroil in 1979, I had to get a one gallon can and a hand operated pump.

It is well hidden in McMaster's online catalog. You have to search specifically for Kroil.

Cat# 1463K11 for 12 oz can ($10.94)

cat# 1463K13 for 16 oz aerosol can ($21.00)

little off topic...

One thing to keep in mind, when shipping to California, some of these items are hazardous material. And is a pain in the a$$.

I purchased some spray silicon from McMaster I think had it shipped to the shop in Wisconsin,.... When we received it, I was going to send it to the job site to the job site, when I open the package up, it had a letter stated that the product can not be shipping in California because it was hazardous material. (Also a possible carcinogen)

And they would not ship directly to CA.

Home Depot, Walmart, Auto Zone, Sears and e-bay all sell Kroil. There are more, I'm sure.

This is new marketing and more than welcome. For years Kano Labs only sold direct from the website, and before that by contacting the company directly. Smart move for them.

Yup, pretty much what I posted # 12, http://kroil%20walmart/ Guess no one bothered to look

Tsk, tsk.

You must not have read #11.

We must've been reading each other's mind and posting the same time- thats some scary $hit it huh? I got interrupted as I hit the submit button and just got back to the thread

I just did a quick search for kroil and found this. Never heard of kroil but seems interesting. Amazon (usual disclaimers) also sells it different quantities

Kroil is "the oil that creeps".

It's much thicker than WD 40 and hands around a lot longer.

Assuming you mean viscosity, don't you mean "thinner", not thicker? If Kroil were thicker, it would not penetrate as well.

Kroil claims to penetrate a millionth of an inch gap.

Thicker/higher viscosity, as I recall about like 20W motor oil.

Haven't used it in years.

Kroil is much thinner viscosity than 20W motor oil. It is nearer to water than to motor oil.

Actually it is about the viscosity of lighter fluid.

Never heard of kroil either. We always used mouse milk.

Knoll oil is great,... Expensive but it is IMO the best.

We used in in the ship yard in the 90's.

What's Knoll oil? Does it flow down hill?

Dam spell check

Lets try that again....

KROIL

http://www.kanolabs.com

Check it out. Better penetrant than WD40

Spell check will not catch a misspelled word unless it is a word, which "knoll" is. A knoll is a small hill or high point in the terrain, hence my question "Does it roll downhill?", but I guess nobody got my humor! ;-P :-)

I have used it before with superior results. :-)

(In this context, it should be "damn")

Yes, it's not humor if you have to explain it.... Btw, I caught your humor... But damed if I'm going to explain it for you. :P

I may not be superior, but I'm average..... ;-)

I have recently learned that you can make a very effective penetrating oil yourself with a 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid (ATF) and acetone. There is some information about this on the web. However, I haven't tried this for myself yet.

This would probably a not be a good mix to use around plastics and other synthitic materials.

Your comment is really correct:-

This would probably a not be a good mix to use around plastics and other synthetic materials.

Many of the freeing up oils, Magic/Marvel (Known as MMO I believe) for example, are death to some plastics.

That is one of the main reasons I stay with WD-40, because I haven't found a plastic yet (I am not saying there isn't one) that it damages.....I can spray it all over Brother knitting machines (mostly) with no worries at all...I keep it off the electronics, but I have still found it not to damage those either....

So if you don't know for certain either way, go for WD-40.....

The Penetrating oil from Marvel Mystery Oil is one of the very best I have ever used!

Two problems with Marvel Mystery Oil for me personally are:-

1) Difficult to find in Germany, if not impossible. I have never ever seen it....

2) attacks some if not all plastics....there are warnings on YouTube from totally convinced users of it....

That would give me too much work removing all plastic parts on sewing and knitting machines....parts difficult to find as replacements if I accidentally broke one, plus most are sometimes brittle with age....

Also, on some machine types (Brother for example),even just removing the knobs also damages them a little, making them loose...

With WD-40 I simply leave them on....no problem....

But each to his own likes and dislikes!!

I remember the hoopla about this. However, the original article had an error; it was Power Steering Fluid not ATF that was used.

MSDS/SDS link for WD40 products wd40 sds.

The actual percentages are proprietary. But it has lots of mineral oil per wikipedia.

WD-40 specialist is 10 different products per the MSDS link above.

I recall this song from some PBS program years ago wd40 polka

I am not being critical, but in the spirit of better understanding, is English your primary language?

"I am not being critical"

Yes, you are!

Can't argue with that.

???????

I solved my problem with the effectiveness of WD-40. I don't use it any more. Switched to two other products that leave WD-40 way behind on the effective list. Much better is PB Blaster Penetrating Catalyst, by B'laster/R.C.C.I in Cleveland, OH. Beats out WD-40 and Liquid Wrench all the time. If that doesn't do it I reach for CRC's FREEZE-OFF Super Penetrant. It kicks butt with the rusted seized parts I find on cars and boat engines. Last week I was taking a power steering fitting off that was rusted. Thought the flare nut wrench was going to strip the points on the hex I tried so hard. Put some FREEZE-OFF ON IT, followed the directions. Let it sit for a minute. Tapped the fitting with a small hammer and put a little more on. Let it sit for 5 minutes and took the fittings apart with little effort.

I don't use WD-40 any more. Can seams will probably rust from lack of use over the next 5 years. Try it, you'll like it!

Good Luck, Old Salt

I have heard about PB Blaster but not used it. As I mentioned in another post, I have been using Kroil since 1979 and having bought quantities of it I haven't needed to try other products. But good to know, since I believe PB Blaster is available commercially and Kroil is available only by direct purchase from the makers, Kano Laboratories.

I was not aware of CRC's Super Penetrant. Thanks for the reference.

I agree PB is the STUFF!!

Perhaps of interest to the trivia fans amongst the CR4 contributors------> How did WD-40 get its name?

In 1953 a company in San Diego named the "Rocket Chemical Company" was attempting to develop a formula for a protectant for metal parts on rockets to prevent rust and corrosion by displacing water. Hence the WD stands for "Water Displacing". This was the 40th formula attempt therefore the "40". WD-40 therefore WD-40 stands for "Water Displacing formula attempt no. 40".

Some uses for it are: removing python snakes from under vehicles; removing crayon stains; makes squirrels slip off of bird feeder poles; cure mange; prevent grass clippings from clogging lawn mowers; keep dogs, maggots and flies out of garbage cans (spray some in before using); shine the leaves on plastic plants; clean your hairbrush; free stuck LEGO parts; spray on trees to prevent beavers from chewing on them; stop wasps from nesting; spray it on bathroom mirror to prevent fogging; remove gum from bed sheets; free a tongue stuck to frozen metal in the winter; and the best one is use full cans as book ends.

http://wd40.com/files/wd40-2000.pdf

When necessary, it also can be used as a lubricant. Limited only by the imagination!

Good Luck, Old Salt

I use it to destroy hornet nests. It coats them as they exit and they fall and die right away. It dose not hurt the house paint and it is not poisonous to the puppies.

According to a website I looked at WD-40 can even be used to lubricate industrial food mixers without changing flavor or making people ill.

Never tried that myself of course!!

There are some fun WD-40 websites about as well.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ux8zGGsPeg

They would need a USDA-3A approval letter then, as well as FDA blessings... In writing of course. If they don't have that, then they don't have s#it.

Then it would appear that WD-40 has (with some others as well), a positive advantage in that you can find it just about anywhere in the world it would seem, and if you do have to ship, (almost) nobody worries....

Also, being the "oldest" of its type (I would guess) its probably got less modern "nasty stuff" () than some of the others around....just guessing on that point, but the Wiki web site that mentions the ingredients does not seem to have anything really bad mentioned, even though it's formulation is still kept secret!!

I once read that Kerosene was part of the mixture somewhere....

Can any of the competition say the same?

Here are some fun links, one of which says that it is basically fish oil, which I am really unsure about, but the rest of the website is interesting!:-

http://www.facebook.com/notes/wwwcustomikescom/main-ingredient-in-wd-40/10150745438880425

http://www.foodreference.com/html/facts-wd40-fish-oil.html

http://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/st_whatsinside

The last website made to my mind the best job of analysing WD-40. See what you think!!

Kerosene, wow. That was something all farms had for a penetrant.

It will take some time for me to get around to read it....

Having built OEM dairy Processing equipment, listening to the sales represent hawk their wares, saying this can be used in food grade equipment, over the product zone. My standard reply always was, "Great, shouldn't be a problem for you to get me the documentation of 3A and FDA approvals "

95% of the time, the documents are never surfaces.

Because the USDA-3A New Equipment Inspector will be asking for it.

You missed one OLD SALT it works great on removing tree sap off of vehicles painted surfaces, works better than alcohol. And does not hurt the paint as far as the many times I have used it for that purpose. And having been a locksmith for the better part of 48 years we started with Liquid Wrench with graphite. Then we progressed to WD-40 for about 10 years. Until we ran across a product called Tri-flon, it worked great and was purported to be what the military was using on their machine guns. It came in squeeze bottles that would not stand on end apparently meant to go in pocket or pouches. Then it disappeared from the market to my dismay as it beat out all of the lubricants that I had used up to that time. I would go back to customers homes and businesses and find they were still lubed as good as the first time I lubricated them. Then one day low and behold a sales rep came in and what was he hawking, but a product that looked just like tri-flon, but came in bottles with a flat bottom and aerosol. It smelled just like the original and looked just like the original just a different name Tri-flow. For locks and most moving parts on my guns it is the only thing I will use anymore. As well as any one that borrows my bottle they want to know where I got it. It works on anything that turns, slides, or rolls. It is my go to lube in almost all instances except for frozen bolts I like PB Blaster The only two lubricants you will find in my shop. Duke

I know that stuff! I remember it dissapearing...

I used it on the bushings in powersupply fans. Fixed em once and for all.

I have found a great use for WD-40: Spray some in the intake on small engines such as lawnmowers, generators, weedeaters, chainsaws etc. Makes them start much easier.

Also a bit of it sprayed on a vinyl floor will cause the feet of the next unsuspecting person walking by to go up in the air, depositing the remainder of their body on the floor.

Worked at a small amusement place where they had a very slick and polished concrete "Slick Track" a bit of WD on that concrete caused one of the biggest pile-ups you can imagine!!! They all slid into each other and couldn't go any further for spinning!!

I neglected to say it was a go-kart track!!!

Ok, I didn't read all the posts but WD-40 has its place like any other product has its place.

I use WD-40 to loosen stuck parts then use the proper lubricant (whatever it may be?) when I replace the parts.

For lubrication I use a silicone based spray for corrosion protection.

And yes, WD-40 is a GREAT Water Displacement product, hence its name.

The name is from it being the 40th recipe that the inventor created!

I think it was in a missile fab shop?

Here is the WD-40 wikipedia page

Obviously WD-40 has reached the end of the line. When there are other products that do the same and more, it's time for WD-40 to compete more aggressively. Thompson water seal was another product that outlived it's usefulness. They now have new formulations that enable them to compete in an ever competitive world. I remember when Crest toothpaste with fluoride was the top seller. They now have other formulations, but I have been using the original formulation ever since it was introduced and see no reason to change. The typical consumer will try anything new if it is advertised to be better. People are not in a position to know the difference. They can only rely on what they are told. It's all about advertising.