WD-40 And It's Uses

[Rambit]

I found this on another forum and was amazed by how many uses WD-40 has. A couple of days ago there was a thread about love bugs. That's just one of it's uses:

WD-40

Water Displacement #40. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a "water displacement" compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.

The workers were so pleased with the product, they began smuggling (also known as "shrinkage" or "stealing") it out to use at home. The executives decided there might be a consumer market for it and put it in aerosol cans. The rest, as they say, is history.

It is a carefully guarded recipe known only to four people. Only one of them is the "brew master." There are about 2.5 million gallons of the stuff manufactured each year. It gets its distinctive smell from a fragrance that is added to the brew.

Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.

When you read the "shower door" part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle!

Then try it on your stovetop...Voila! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed.


Here are some of the uses:

• Protects silver from tarnishing.
• Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
• Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without mak! ing it slippery.
• Keeps flies off cows.
• Restores and cleans chalkboards.
• Removes lipstick stains.
• Loosens stubborn zippers.
• Untangles jewelry chains.
• Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
• Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
• Keeps ceraic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
• Removes tomato stains from clothing.
• Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
• Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
• Keeps scissors working smoothly.
• Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
• Gives a children's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
• Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.
• Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
• Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
• Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
• Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
• Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
• Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
• Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
• Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryer and keeps them running smoothly.
• Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
• Removes splattered grease on stove.
• Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
• Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
• Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
• Removes all traces of duct tape.
• Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
• Florida's favorite use is: "cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers."
• The favorite use in the state of New York--WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
• WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
• Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting awy immediately and stops the itch.
• WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
• Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and re-wash. Presto! Lipstick is gone!
• If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
• It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor!
• Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
• Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!

P.S. The basic ingredient is FISH OIL

Rambit

[greedyk]

Thank for that info Rambit!
I am going to try this on my car to get those love bugs off.
Here is a interesting website, similar to your story.
Gary

http://www.wd40.com/AboutUs/our_history.html

[srt8danno]

Originally Posted by greedyk

Thank for that info Rambit!
I am going to try this on my car to get those love bugs off.
Here is a interesting website, similar to your story.
Gary

http://www.wd40.com/AboutUs/our_history.html

I would be careful with this. I did this on a car when I first moved to Florida and it messed up the paint. The car was a 79 Silver T-Bird….so the paint may not have been too good to start with. Who knows?? So I would do it someplace you can’t see to be on the safe side.

[marlinspike]

Originally Posted by srt8danno

I would be careful with this. I did this on a car when I first moved to Florida and it messed up the paint. The car was a 79 Silver T-Bird….so the paint may not have been too good to start with. Who knows?? So I would do it someplace you can’t see to be on the safe side.

I've found (and been told) that it's ok as long as the body is cool (i.e. cold to the touch) and you immediately use a degreaser that's safe for automotive paint right after, followed with a waxing.

[crhemi]

WD-40 is my friend!

[bruno]

Good info., Rambit. Although there is a caveat at the top, check out the list of 2000 Uses from the WD-40 Fan Club:

http://fanclub.wd40.com/Members/pdfs...00UsesList.pdf

[Rambit]

Originally Posted by bruno

Good info., Rambit. Although there is a caveat at the top, check out the list of 2000 Uses from the WD-40 Fan Club:

http://fanclub.wd40.com/Members/pdfs...00UsesList.pdf

That's outstanding information bruno. All this time I thought it had only one or two uses. I happened on that information from another forum and thought it was interesting.

The funny thing is I got my daughter to pick up some from Costco not too long ago to use for tape residue removal from posters at the store. You know how Costco is, you have to buy 3 large cans that are bundled together and it ends up being a lifetime supply. Maybe I'll be able to use it faster now. I am going to try the mirror anti-fogging tip for sure.

Rambit

[srt8danno]

Originally Posted by marlinspike

I've found (and been told) that it's ok as long as the body is cool (i.e. cold to the touch) and you immediately use a degreaser that's safe for automotive paint right after, followed with a waxing.

I didn’t know all of that…so maybe that’s why it didn’t do well for me. I don’t know if I would use if over the Clear Bra stuff either….have to check on that one.
Thanks Richard!

[marlinspike]

Originally Posted by srt8danno

I didn’t know all of that…so maybe that’s why it didn’t do well for me. I don’t know if I would use if over the Clear Bra stuff either….have to check on that one.
Thanks Richard!

To give more detail what the bodyshop told me is tht when the paint is warm, the clearcoat (or paint if it's a non-clear paint) gets softer, so if you polish a car that's warm, it's problematic because you unnecessarily take off a lot of clear, but it's not so much to be a huge deal one time, and is a trick used by some to make polishing a car in serious need of it not take as long. With WD-40 they said that once the clear becomes soft the WD-40 gets kinda imbedded in it making it looks like the paint is fisheyed. They said to use the degreaser to get the oil off of there so that when the paint does get warm it doesn't cause trouble...I followed their recommendations and it worked fine, so I'm assuming they're right.