George P
member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2018
- Messages
- 7,772
Because 95% of the stuff with "gun" in the name is the same as a lot of everyday stuff, just in smaller packages that cost 10X more.
Gun oil or grease?
- Thread starter lefteye42
- Start date
- Status
so do you use WD40 to clean, or lubricate? Or both?
nettlle
Contributing Member
You will.
AJC1
Member
You guys would loose your minds watching me clean and lube. Pistol comes completely appart and into a tub of mineral spirits. Soaks 10 minutes, brush off all parts. Scrub barrel with brass brush and done. Blow out big parts with compressed air and clean. A squirt of clp and wipe it all down and done. Rifle not much different. I use the thinnest coat of Mobil 1 synthetic ball bearing grease on the lugs and done. We go nuts on products like a chick doing her hair.
Mark_Mark
Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2021
- Messages
- 17,931
OK.... I know all the experts say differently but WD-40 works wonders in cleaning! but you have to clean off the film with Rubbing alcohol then Oil. I LOVE RemOil spray!
So during the CooFlooo, I could not find Rubbing alcohol for nothing! And, it’s a big part of my daily cleaning, I clean and sterilize everything with rubbing alcohol. Now it’s back in stock. I have a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff
Mark_Mark
Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2021
- Messages
- 17,931
You give your guns a soak in Mineral sprites... That’s CRAZY!
I didn’t clean my Ruger 22/45 MK2 for 5 years once. It just stopped working
George P
member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2018
- Messages
- 7,772
Clean; it's a decent solvent and works great on plastic wad residue in my shotgun bores
It's a light oil that doesn't last long, it's easy, gets into places, but doesn't last long.
Probably not unless you drown it, but still good advise. The military seals primers for a reason.
GeoDudeFlorida
Member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2020
- Messages
- 11,055
Best oil ever invented for moving metal parts: Singer sewing machine oil. It’s just mineral oil and spirits. Keeps things slick without getting gummy or building friction. Ballistol is good for the same reasons but it has a alkyl base whereas sewing machine oil is neutral. WD is a water displacing paraffin, not a lubricant. Avoid aerosols-lubricant should be applied directly, not blown into crevices. Just my two cents.
AJC1
Member
Any history when that started... I have been told first hand story's how wd came in care packages and then a technical bulletin went out for the indicated reason.
Mark_Mark
Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2021
- Messages
- 17,931
that’s what I was told by a army logistics guy
GeoDudeFlorida
Member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2020
- Messages
- 11,055
WD-40 is literally, water displacement formula number forty. There were thirty-nine previous formulas which didn’t work. The purpose is to displace water from metal surfaces to keep them from gathering surface rust. It was never intended for lubrication.
AJC1
Member
I was told wd40 was developed at Edward's air force base for cleaning and dehumidifying connections for airplanes. If moisture was in the connection it would freeze at high altitudes and cause failures....
Mark_Mark
Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2021
- Messages
- 17,931
You mean that probe that’s hot as H*ll and stick out of random place off the plane. I touch it once... burn the living daylights out of me
GeoDudeFlorida
Member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2020
- Messages
- 11,055
They're very proud of their history, and rightfully so. https://www.wd40.com/history/
"In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry. Working in a small lab in San Diego, California, it took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-40® Multi-Use Product -which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try—is still in use today.
Convair, an aerospace contractor, first used WD-40 Multi-Use Product to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion. The product actually worked so well that several employees snuck some cans out of the plant to use at home.
A few years following WD-40 Multi-Use Product's first industrial use, Rocket Chemical Company founder Norm Larsen experimented with putting WD-40 Multi-Use Product into aerosol cans, reasoning that consumers might find a use for the product at home as some of the employees had. The product made its first appearance on store shelves in San Diego in 1958."
WD was never patented to avoid having to disclose the recipe and the exact recipe remains a trade secret, but it's not hard to figure out what at least some of the ingredients are by their properties. As a machinist I used it to displace water on milling machine tables. Oil floats on water and any condensation or water used for cleaning chips off tables would cling to the metal under the oil and cause rust to form in the t-ways. WD-40 is about the only thing oil AND water will float on. It obviously has a good amount of paraffin in it, which has higher displacement than water and a greater affinity for metals than water or oil. It also obviously does contain at least a few types of solvent. Paraffin is a decent rust inhibitor, but it isn't a lubricant, and WILL form a "skin" on metal surfaces over time which collects grime so be careful using WD as a general-purpose solvent and lubricant. When I setup machines for new jobs, I would use it to get the water out of chip raceways and t-ways then clean it off with MEK or acetone when everything was dry. Leaving the WD on tables would guarantee the next setup would have problems due to waxy buildup.
George P
member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2018
- Messages
- 7,772
I had a friend who swore by using WD-40 on his guns as a lubricant; but then he had to absolutely manhandle his Winchester 42 410 pumps because the bolt was sticking and it was hard to eject. But it wasn't the fault of decades of using wd-40 - at least in his mind.
GeoDudeFlorida
Member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2020
- Messages
- 11,055
That just hurts to think about.
All you're doing is blowing liquified grunge into places you cant' reach.
But, to each their own and I know people who've cleaned their guns like that for decades and never had issues so, carry on.
Bazoo
Member
I like singer machine oil myself. I haven't been able to find any recently though. I also like hoppes gun oil which is just about the same viscosity.
I would like to see an MSDS comparison between light lubricating l oils and dedicated "Gun Oil". I'd be willing to bet there ain't much if any difference.
I was a machine operator/machinist for several years and the new precision measuring tools I bought recommended a special measuring tool lube (also sold by Starrett). An old timer I worked with mentioned mineral oil and I used that on my measuring tools for several years of daily use. I never had to adjust any tools and most were checked by the shop inspector...
I was a machine operator/machinist for several years and the new precision measuring tools I bought recommended a special measuring tool lube (also sold by Starrett). An old timer I worked with mentioned mineral oil and I used that on my measuring tools for several years of daily use. I never had to adjust any tools and most were checked by the shop inspector...
One method I use for cleaning is a mixture of mineral spirits, Marvel's Mystery Oil, and Kroil. I often field strip a gun and put the parts in a pan to soak. Agitate a bit and wipe dry. The mineral sprits and MMO clean, the Kroil penetrates and leaves a light film...
Its been so long since I used grease on a firearm, I'm not sure if I have any or not. I pretty much use oil as lube, and many different types at that. Synthetic motor oil, Hoppes extreme, Rem Oil, Lucas, 3 in 1, I've used most of these as a lubricant at some point, and to be honest they all worked. I'm a believer in make sure its lubed. Don't over lube, but lube often.
-Jeff
-Jeff
PWC
Member
Old saying still true....if it slides use oil, if it rotates, use grease
GeoDudeFlorida
Member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2020
- Messages
- 11,055
One of the gunsmiths I used to work with used plain old kerosene to soak really grunged-up, locked-up, sticky, bloody, or otherwise really filthy handguns that came into the shop for repairs. He'd take off anything wood and drop the whole handgun into a bucket of kero, leave overnight and by morning it was ready for disassembly. Kroil is basically kerosene, petroleum spirits and paraffin. It's good stuff but I don't like using anything with paraffin on moving parts. Kerosene makes a pretty good solvent by itself and has some decent lubricating properties - but diesel is a no-go. It's all sudz-up these days for ecowokeness and has some nasty chemicals I just don't want to bother with.
I use Hoppe's for the barrel and cylinders and sewing machine oil to lubricate after cleaning, and if anything else needs cleaning I use Ballistol, especially on wood and flat surface like frames and barrels where a slightly alkaline cleanser helps take off salts and acids from sweat. Other than that, I use Sweets for corrosive primed and ammonia + water + castile soap for black powder residue but still Hoppe's, Ballistol and Singer oil before the gun goes back into the safe. That's me, though. Mineral spirits, Kroil and Marvel's are good, too. YMMV.
- Status
