Stopping rust on raw metal

[Paul Seaman]

Tanner--where have you been, missed you.

Be cool,

[Tanner]

Working, mostly. I've been in the hospital visiting a friend, one of my biker friends that is 20 years old had a stroke...so, yeah. I've also been riding my bikes a lot, almost too much. Not much welding going on, I have yet to get all my welders in order, and it's just been hectic. I still read a lot of the forum here, just don't post too often. Thanks for worrying about me, PJ! Take care, all!

[AV8OR]

General trivia: The "WD" in WD-40 stands for "Water Displacement" It was invented for the USAF to spray down the ballistic missiles in underground silos to help repvent corrosion due to the constant condensation.

……and the dash 40 stands for the 40th try before they got the right recipe that worked.

[burninbriar]

I saw on the discovery chanel that nasa had it developed for the space project. Mayby I misunderstood and they just adopted it. Another interesting fact acording to them is no one but a handfull of people in the company knows how its made. The show I watched was called the history of oil.( it might have been the learning or history channel, not sure)

[fun4now]

i love thouse chanels about the only thing on TV werth watching well i have the discovery and history chanel but not the lerning wish i did

[Chopper]

I use naval jelly, works pretty good most of the time. Can get it at local hardware store usually. And no funny remarks about that either

[pullerguy]

I don't worry about the surface rust. Just clean the area were you are going to weld. the i wash the chassis with soap and water,let it dry then paint it with POR 15. works like magic and it likes some rust to lock onto. Al

[KS2K]

PickleX20

I use a product called Pickle X 20 to protect bare steel. For example, when building a truck over the winter, I will blast the body to bare steel in the late fall and apply Pickle X 20. No rust will form on the steel during the winter. In the spring I can make ready for painting.

When I buy sheet steel, I apply a application of Pickle X 20 to both sides. Its totally safe from rust from moisture or fingers.

here is the web site;
www.picklex20.com

Paul

[Slash]

wd-40 is not ment to be used as a pentrating oil, from my understandings at least.

+1

WD-40 is not a lubricant/penetrant, despite the marketing propaganda and wive's tales. WD has minimal lubricaing properties as applied from the can. What's worse, WD will polymerize over time and it is a PITA to remove, it will really 'Gunk-Up' any precision parts. The worst thing you can do for a firearm/fishing reel/micrometer/etc is to drown it with WD and put it away for long term storage.

[aametalmaster]

I disagree, I hose my lathe down everytime i use it with WD-40. Everything still shines like the day it was put in service. What would you rather buy a gun that was hosed down with WD or one that wasn't wiped off at all. I have guns sitting in my safe that i looked at the other day and they look great. The last time i had seen them was 5 years ago when i sprayed them with WD and put them away. But to each his own...Bob

[fatfrank]

+1

The worst thing you can do for a firearm/fishing reel/micrometer/etc is to drown it with WD and put it away for long term storage.

I agree with the metal master, that isn't the worst thing you can do to them.

[wb5jhy]

I use a product called Zep 45. It displaces water much better and preserves metal longer.

For real long term storage I use Iron Clad also from Zep.

[bigdogjoe62]

I remember reading in a scandal rag WD-40 also helps with arthritis rub it into your joints LOL

[Slash]

I disagree, I hose my lathe down everytime i use it with WD-40. Everything still shines like the day it was put in service. What would you rather buy a gun that was hosed down with WD or one that wasn't wiped off at all. I have guns sitting in my safe that i looked at the other day and they look great. The last time i had seen them was 5 years ago when i sprayed them with WD and put them away. But to each his own...Bob

Fortunately, those aren't the only choices.

WD40 is a marginal protectant, it won't harm the outside of your guns. The problem is inside. While everything may look shiny on the exterior, things might not be so pretty inside. Over time, WD40 will turn to varnish (polymerize), gumming up the action/trigger.

Case-in-point:
I have a friend who inherited a Browning O/U from his father. Not knowing much about guns, he dosed it with WD40 and stashed it away in the back of a closet about six years ago. After a recent rash of burglaries in his neighborhood, he asked if I would allow him to store the shotgun in my safe. When he brought it to me, the action was 'frozen' shut - the lever wouldn't even move. After nearly a week of daily applications of KROIL, I was finally able to break it open. The entire action was jammed up by the dried-out WD40. My ultrasonic cleaner wouldn't touch the stuff, I ended up soaking all of the metal parts in laquer thinner to get the gunk cleaned off.

This isn't the only gun I've seen neutralized by WD40. If you insist one using WD40 on your guns, please limit it to the outside only.

[aametalmaster]

I just use it on the outside to help remove fingerprints, sprayed on an old sock. I use gun oil on the insides...Bob