WD40 as rust prevention

Hi All
Does anyone blather WD40 on their bike after a wash to prevent corrosion?
I used to use Scottoil spray, but that works out more expensive.
I am wondering about the effects of WD40 on the rubber seals etc and more importantly my lungs. Lol
Ta
Richard

 

From what I have read, it displaces water and has a touch of lube in it. Me, I use it to clean stuff only. Am a fan of LPS 1, 2 and 3 for lubing, and I never wash without riding for at least 45 min afterward-lots of hidden passages in there. YMMV eep:

 

i made the mistake of thinking it was a rust preventative, but it is not. It displaces surface moisture then evaportates and leaves a dry bare surface that rusts twice as fast as without it, so it seems in my experience. LPS, triflow, silikroil, etc...anything but wd. Don't put it on a gun or a measuring tool that you care about...

 

I found WD40 great for cleaning up rust, on such things as snow chains. Triflo is a great rust peventitive solution and a finer lube for locks and the such. I have seen where a pad lock was lubed liberally wth triflo and attached to a chain on an ocean fishing boat for a couple years, in the salt water below the surface, still being operable.

But for the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would be worried about corrosion after they have washed their bike. What are you washing it with that would cause ou to worry about this. Naturally you are going to want to lube your chain after you wash, but even still, if you keep your chain properly lubed in the first place, a washing is not going to hurt it that much.

I don't know for sure, but I would be concerned about too much WD40 on rubber hoses causing them to deterorate prematurily.

 

WD eats rubber parts. Shame-less plug here, Bel-Ray 6-in-1 won't fug up your rubbers, galloshes, ur gun :rambo: or even condoms. I use something from Boeshield that is kind of interesting and smells real swell as well as some Wurth stuff. Bear-in-mind its all used cans of stuff bought for a dollar at garage sales :smile:

Bel-Ray stuff, I do pay retail for though...

 

WD-40 Lubricates, Protects, Penetrates & Displaces Moisture

 

Depends on what you intend to use the stuff for - you mention the scottoiler so I assume you are thinking of it as an alternative to keep the chain lubed.

For things like lubricating the levers I have no hestitation to use WD40 after all it is a good general lubricant. But otherwise I use stuff designed for the purpose - so for the chain I use Castrol race chain lube its cheap, applies and stays clean, binds to the chain well, so is not slung off at speed, and really protects the chain against rain and snow. To be honest as WD40 is a much lighter oil I doubt it would be as effective.

As for the version of WD40 sold over in Europe it does NOT damage rubber - just checked the link provided by Badbilly and lurking in the FAQs is confirmation it does not create issues with rubber - although excessive breathing of any aerosol spray is not recommended.

When it comes to protecting the VFR over winter I simply spray a light coat of ACF50 on pretty much everything except the seat, screen and tyres. Its a bit more expensive than WD40 - wont hurt plastic or rubber, but will really keep rust a bay on things like exhaust headers etc and will burn off in minutes come spring. Winters in a ski resort are harsh so the bike won't move an inch for the next 5 months with temps down to -30. At the moment its +2 and we already have snow. So the battery is disconnected and hooked to a tender, rather than adding fuel stab I do what the locals all do - simply brim the fuel tank with 98 octane (come spring the octane will be plenty to start first time despite any fuel deterioration).

Hope that helps


Skimad4x4

 

Surprised that no one has mentioned it already...but I read that an ingredient in WD-40 is paint thinner.
So I just use it on metal if I have to. Best stuff I have ever ever used on my bike is ACF-50. Not easily availible but they designed the stuff to work on aircraft! Now people swear by it on their bikes. Smells nicer too lols!

 

Another product worth looking at is Fluid Film.
It has a real following in the snow removal equipment field for lubricant and rust/corrosion protection.
Seems to work.
I get mine at the local John Deere dealer.
Fluid Film

 

I have read that the formula for WD-40 was changed several years back. I beleive it was to make it more environmentally friendly. I can't speak for the current recipe, but the old stuff worked great for rust prevention. I bought 2 gallons about 20 years ago when it was on sale at a tractor supply. I shoot civil war firearms and use it exclusively on them because it's lightweight and thin. I have had zero issues with any corrosion in the 20 years I have been using it. I can't speak for the current recipe.

 

This is the reference to the "paint thinner" component of WD40:


Serious cubers will lube their cubes with Jigaloo, CRC silicone, or even vaseline. They will point and laugh at noobs who use WD-40, which contains petroleum distillates (paint thinner) that can melt and seize a cube. Crazy, I know, but noobs keep doing it.

Lots of rattlecan sprays on the market and a few in cans that don't rattle. Some of these have been around for years. To save getting lynched I will not mention Arm (pit) orall. Boeing developed some stuff years ago that the PNW "wetheads" use and swear by.

I think what y'all will find is that WD40 is a proprietary formula and you stand about as much chance of finding out what's innit as finding out the formula for Coca-Cola.

Yep it probably has some stuff close to "paint thinner" innit. Lots of different types of paint thinner including the stuff in the big box store with the labels "paint thinner" and "mineral spirits" Same shit dudes! only one costs ya more.. The real thing is Stoddard Solvent. "Oil base" paints can be "thinned" with all sorts of solvents including ether and kerosene (the US version). Generally speaking, paint thinner is a fairly mild solvent. Pretty close to naptha used as lighter fluid and some barbeque starter fluids. This opposed to the "hot" solvents like acetone and toluol ect. Paint thinner wilkl not harm the clearcoat on bikes unless the clearcoat is that rattlecan shit from Pep Boys..We are talking factory paintwork not some backyard attempt to do a number on a sow's ear.

I converted a BMW R100RT to an RS years back. The original fairing had not been off the bike ever. Years of accumlated blowby and grime. I removed the original fairing, hosed the down the grungy parts with WD40 and let it percolate for about a week. Some Gunk and Diesel and my handy-dandy pressure washer made the bike squeaky clean. Yep, still got it..
Pic at Rich's Seats under the vintage section. This is not a plug for Rich.. Oh hell no..LOL Yep, those are Krauser 4valve heads.

Those and some other goodies make about 90 horse on a real dyno. Not real reliable but lots of fun.

 

WD40 has its uses, but long-term lubrication or rust prevention are not among them. For that matter, I know a number of gunsmiths who despise the stuff; if used inside an action or trigger group over time, it builds up a residue that craps things up and is a pain to remove.

Haven't used it on the bike(will on the levers after clean the joints) but a good stuff is Eezox; have to order it, but it goes on wet, then the carrier evaporates to leave a dry lube film which is also a pretty good protectant.

 

Boeshield - T9 or some other product was used by these people, smells delicious too. I am a big fan of here goes (shameless plug) Bel-Ray 6-in-1 spray. It won't react with rubber products, so you can use it on your forks to wipe off dah mug and dead insect bastards.

Love air-heads btw :smile: married to a german phd, she is not an air head though...:tongue:

 

WD40 works a treat on spudguns. Even better than buck a can hairspray.