WD-40 for bugs and tar?

VictoryRed said:
Spray it on "blued steel", it will rust it, spray it on a paint chip, then wipe it off of course, spray it on calipers, coil springs, or a steel engine block, and it will rust. Careful on the engine and inside of wheels since it has a flashpont of 131 deg.



http://www.wd40.com/Brands/pdfs/msds-wd40_bulk.us.pdf

:wavey :up :shocked
Click to expand...



What's the big deal about the MSDS for it? It appears to mainly be mineral spirits and a petro based oil. Don't see how any of that would cause any harm to metal. The only thing I can see happening is the mineral spirits is stripping off any coating on the metal and after the oil has worn off the surface corrosion can start. But WD-40 might have a better quality mineral spirits in it that flashes off the surface quick.



Also, flash point is not the temperature that ignition occurs. Many flammable chemicals have flash points lower than that. Gasoline has a flash point of -40 degrees C.



I know people who use WD-40 on bare steel blocks after they wash them to displace the water as they dry so they don't rust.
 
Been spraying WD-40 down my 4 wheeler cylinder every fall when I put it up for the winter. No problems in nearly 20 years.
 
Another product I've found to be effective against bugs is hydrogen peroxide.  Spray it on the offending insect, wait about 20 seconds and wipe off.
 
Actually the WD stands for "water displacement". It took 40 different formulations before the correct ingredients & amounts were found that met the expectations of the developer/chemist, hence the name WD-40.


 


I was under the impression that it prevents rust, not causes it. One of the "secret ingredients" was/is supposedly fish oil. Which fish and how much is subject to conjecture (IE, a good guess).


 


I do know some use it to remove oil and grease stains from fabrics, but the odor is not so desirable. I would suggest using Spot Shot, made by WD-40 Corporation, for fabric stains, without the odor, and available OTC at Wally World (Wal-Mart).
 
Lonnie- IME WD40 *does* indeed prevent rust, though not as well as some other such products.  FWIW, my test surface was a bare carbon steel machinist's ruler that was *very* prone to corrosion.
 
Accumulator:


Would you care to elaborate on products/sprays that are better that WD-40 for preventing rust??


Inquiring minds want to know.


 


That leads to another question about using rust-prevention sprays on cars to prevent rust from forming over the winter?


I know that one industrial chemical company, Kano Labs in Nashville, TN, makes a waxy-type spray , Ex-Rust, to prevent rust form forming on bare metal. One company I worked for used this when shipping machined replacement parts on converting machinery overseas. They also make an excellent penetrant oil, Kroil, that puts Liquid Wrench to shame. It works when nothing else will and has prevented having to drill out/machine out  rusted-in bolts/screws on disassembly of old machines that were being rebuilt. Most the time the shop personnel would either strip the head off or break the bolt shaft, then have to drill or machine it out,  until they started using this. Worked great on close-fit shafts in frames or sleeves. Press-fit shafts were another matter: That was heat, hammers, and arbour presses. But I digress......
 
Kano labs makes outstanding stuff. I've been using Kroil for years. It ought to prevent rust if items are dipped in it.
 
Lonnie- I use various products from Wurth (like Rost-Off) and something called ACF-50 that's popular in the aviation field.


 


But IMO those products, which are all sorta thin, are best for areas where you need them to creep into very tight spaces (e.g., rivets that go through a steel panel) and for more conventional "rust prevention" work on vehicles I'd use something that's really made for that.


 


For the normal-sense "rustproofing" of vehicles I like ValuGard's stuff, Eastwood's Heavy Duty Anti-Rust (black version) and their , and KBS Coatings' Cavity Coater. Eastwood's Internal Frame Coating is probably good stuff too but I've never tried it. Similarly, I've never tried WaxOyl, but lots of people swear by it.


 


BIG, IMPORTANT, TIP- you gotta apply stuff correctly or you'll end up with uncoated/unprotected "pockets".  Wintertime salt will find its way into those areas and they'll rust.  Avoiding this problem is easier said than done, gotta work very carefully with this specific concern in mind.  Doing a good job at home, without a lift, can be a huge challenge.  And it can make for a huge mess too.  So even though I have a decent undercoating gun, and a scad of good products on hand (thanks again, Ron!), the next time I need a thorough job done I just might farm it out to a local bodyshop that uses ValuGard stuff.  For spot-treatment, like inside doors etc., well, that oughta be doable if you really think it through and overkill every aspect of it (especially that thinking part).


 


SPECIFIC CAVEAT- It's easy to mess up when using aerosol anti-rust products of thick viscosity.  They don't "fog" on, in that "creep into all the tight spots" way like a product applied with an undercoating gun (and plenty of air pressure) will do.  This gets back to that "don't create uncoated pockets!" issue.  You need the product to creep into all those areas that the salty water *will* creep into.
 
George, Automotive International (Valugard) was the North American distributor for WaxOyl for years, until they started cheapening the product line, did not honor their agreements, warranties, etc.


AI sued them in the early 90's, after dropping the line and won a $3 million judgement. 


They never paid a dime, moved out of the US for a number of years.


Recently they have attempted to come back in the market, As soon as AI finds such, they inform the courts and "bang" gone again.
 
Ron Ketcham- Hey, that's interesting!  And it kinda makes me think that all those (primarily British Car Guys) who still rave about WaxOyl are, uhm...just coasting on its reputation.
 
Original formula and name was Finnegan's, and then there is Bying(sp), where it all started. The anti corrosion product was not the issue of cheapening product, it was the paint sealant and undercoat. Plus the failure for them to honor their part of the warranty claims. 
 
If they have inventory in the US, then AI will contact the courts and have it seized. The ValuGard is the product, just up graded with higher melt point micro waxes so it will last for a much longer length of time in the cavatity's.
 
Accumulator, keep in mind who Automotive International/Valugard's real customers are. When one is supplying the vehicle manufacturers, working with the engineer's on a regular basis, standing pat or "sales talk" doesn't get the job done. 


They have to always be testing, finding better components, developing better products, which will pass the engineer's muster, not the same as selling product on the internet and forums.
 
Yes, indeed, especially considering whom their primary customers are!  Not just a matter of keeping retail-everyman happy.
 
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