WD-40 to clean electric contacts?

There's better for that, though, because acetone is hygroscopic. It pulls in water from the air. If you can blow off droplets and bake dry afterward, alcohol is just as good, and less expensive.

Why is that a concern? It is hygroscopic until it forms the azeotrope. Even that ratio will still dissolve more water into it and the residue evaporate readily. No need to blow drops off, acetone is very thin and in a few seconds evaporates totally.

CRC 2-26 is near identical to WD40.

Rest of you absurd crap deleted.

That's true only while the acetone forms a thin film; when the acetone evaporates the water remains and beads up into slow-evaporating drops. Alcohol does just as good a film-producing job, and evaporates slower so the water is likely to evaporate simultaneously.

For many materials (like those used in printed circuits) the bake-dry is required anyhow, because the substrate isn't completely water-impermeable. The blow-off of droplets usually is to remove dissolved dirt, not just the water and solvent.

Not correct unless there is too much water. Acetone forms an azeotrope with water which evaporates first, ahead of either purer water or purer acetone. If your acetone absorbs enough water to cause this problem you need to get your lab out of the river.

If you don't mind waiting, why use either?

The dirt should have been rinsed off. If you have crud remaining in the rinse water your washer isn't working.

I never had a problem using WD40 on anything, except pots would need more at some point. Just does not last as a lube.

Greg

I want some LPS3 or rustproofing my car parts. I think it might be good on connectors too.

Greg

Um, why do you think WD-40 is anything but a rust preventative? The rest is simply marketing hype.

Much like you can lubricate anything with H2O if you want to, but there are better products DESIGNED for lubrication, etc.

The fact that WD-40 CAN lubricate, doesn't mean it SHOULD. it wasn't designed for that purpose and so is third or fourth choice at best.

Emergency usage, sure, then clean it off as soon as you can, unles syou don't want the item to rust. Use it on something that I care about working reliably, never.

After all - that is why we have brains, so we can think about what we are doing and apply the best solution.

John :-#(#

I think an oil based and mineral spirits based product used like WD40, as well as Caig Deoxit, will stay on the item to be cleaned longer. Longer cleaning, better. You can always wash off later with non residue cleaner. In fact, one of the best cleaners Cramolin Contaclean, says to wash off after cleaning. There are a number of products for electronics that have a base carrier and a type of oil, might seem unfair to pick on WD40. Plenty of non residue cleaners or electronics. The CRC 2-26 somewhat similar to WD40, says right on can, improves electrical properties, plastic safe. I'm not seeing much difference in ingredients. There are far fewer only lubricants, Caig Faderlube being one.

Greg

I just hate dealing with customers machines after they use WD-40 as a 'lubricant'. In all cases, after a few years, the gear systems are frozen with some sort of glue like substance that take soaking in mineral spirits/paint thinner overnight to soften enough to take apart.

John :-#)#

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..... Phil

Indeed. WD40 never sets 'hard'..

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Anecdote:

I bought one of the very first CD players available for purchase in Australia ( Sony CDP101 ) in May of 1983.

I still have it and it works perfectly.

But after about 15 years, the drawer mechanism became VERY slow and eventually would not allow a CD to be played. The reason was the white grease applied to all the nylon gears had turned into brown glue.

I found that some WD-40 instantly softened the grease and operation returned to normal - but not for that long. After another couple of years the same problem returned.

So I bit the bullet, pulled the mechanism apart and cleaned all the nylon parts thoroughly - in WD-40. Then re-lubed with Valvoline "X-All Grease", a product intended mainly for marine use.

No problem since.

.... Phil

Nice one! On the now rare occasion that I play a CD, I still use my Sony D-22 CD Diskman that I bought 2nd hand in the late 80's. Still works fine. Just don't try to play a data CD - it'll spit out high volume white noise! It's the only home CD player I'll ever own.

WD-40 does not set "hard". However, it redistributes all the hardened grease into a thin layer throughout the sprayed area that, indeed *DOES* set hard once the volatiles dissipate. Unless thoroughly rinsed away.

WD-40 is wonderful stuff if properly used and well understood.

Too damned bad that, although some here appear to have this in hand, such basic knowledge seems to be scarce in one small corner, under one small rock deep in the Antipodes.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

How long have I used it on stuff? I keep wondering, at least over 40 years. I know in the 60s I had some electronic cleaner that really melted some plastics good.

Greg

ATF and acetone are better at loosening rusted nuts that WD-40 will ever be.

As per Machinist's Workshop Magazine March/April (and May/June?) 2007:

No lube 516 lbs WD-40 238 lbs PB-Blaster 214 lbs Liquid Wrench 127 lbs Kano Kroll 106 lbs ATF-Acet "There are three recommended switch lubricants. They are Silicone Versilube (General Electric Co.), Rykon R (Standard Oil), and WD-40 (Rocket Chemical Co.)."

Which I find surprising based on my experience (seized up shafts), however note that this is a SWITCH lubricant, not a potentiometer. In the manual they specifically state that you don't lubricate sealed pots.

So, I will revise my comments accordingly, it would appear that WD-40 is

OK for switch contacts - at least in the mid-70s. Use sparingly!

Anyone here know anyone at Techtronics who can confirm if they still ahve it on the list of recommended lubricants for switches?

Live and learn, eh?

John

I read that article and have seen it quoted many times. A few years ago I mixed up some in a small pinpoint squeeze bottle and found that ATF doesn't really mix with acetone, at least the ATF I used (don't remember if it was Dextron, Mercon, or something else). I did not use the mixture and certai nly did no instrumented tests but it seems that getting them into a suspens ion is problematic. Shaking furiously to mix them seemed to make a pink go o.

I use the Kroil the day before I wrench anything on my older trucks.

I did some experimentation over the last couple of weeks with various oils plus acetone (based on a friend's recommendation of the ATF+acetone mixture). I didn't have any ATF sitting around, so I tried using chainsaw bar oil as a poor substitute.

Chain-bar oil and acetone do not mix at all well. The oil tended to sit on the bottom of the jar, or break up into discrete drops.

On a hunch, I added a capful of odorless mineral spirits.

Shazam! The lumpy suspension dissolved into a nice consistent pink-colored liquid which flowed very nicely. I used up the last of it on Sunday, as a cutting fluid while flattening the bottom of an old plane I had de-rusted.

Apparently, mineral spirits is miscible in both heavy oil and acetone, and makes them more compatible with one another. A similar trick might work with an ATF+acetone mixture.