Stopping rust on raw metal

[fun4now]

i have a set of paddel bits for wood drilling i keep on the shelf sandwitched between 2 folded shop towels that i sprayed down with wd-40 or the walmart equivilent and 3 years later not a spot of surface rust to be found, so i would conclude it dose infact repell moisture. this is a shop with lil to no inselation untill recently as it was a 12'X12' tool shed to start with so the moistur level is plenty high, and rust is abundent on anything not protected. so i supose it would come down to the aplication you are useing it for and what you wish to acheave. i would never use it on any of my guns as they make a special oil for guns and to use anything else would just be risky, in a pinch i supose i might use it on a gun for short term but would clean and oil it properly as soon as possible

[burninbriar]

The only problem I have ever had with WD40 is when it is on something exposed (uncovered) it has a tendency to evaporate over time and leave the peice unprotected. In general I am a WD40 fan.

[fun4now]

i would have to say i too am a fan, and use it on my welding table regularly

[burninbriar]

It makes a prettygood small parts cleaner in a pinch too.

[fun4now]

he he he yep do that a lot too, seems like i go through a lot of the stuff

[burninbriar]

I've also used it to loosen some glues, It would be an interesting topic to see how many diferant ways people use WD40 , kind of like a duct tape thing.

[TOMWELDS]

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.

Of course, naturally it works great on firearms, fishing reels, tools, you name it.

Thats correct Mac. And the '40' stands for: it was made after the fortieth try.
You cant go wrong with using WD-40 as a rust preventative. It also makes wiping off the oil easier. It loosens it and then you can finish with paint thinner.

[hurricunning]

WD-40, Welding and Phosgene gas

I don't want to ruin anyone's day here but WD-40 and other spray lube/solvent type products should be used with much caution around the welding arc! Even though some feel WD-40 smells great when sprayed on hot metal and is a great rust preventative/metal cooler/quencher the UV light of the arc and even the heat of welded metal may cause it to disassociate and produce Phosgene gas. This gas is extremely toxic. It was used in chemical warfare during WW1. It can be irritating to the lungs and/or deadly! See some of the following info in the sites below...

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/phosgene/basics/facts.asp
http://www.osha.gov/doc/outreachtrai.../weldhlth.html

CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON SOLVENTS

Various chlorinated hydrocarbons are used in degreasing or other cleaning operations. The vapours of these solvents are a concern in welding and cutting because the heat and ultraviolet radiation from the arc will decompose the vapours and form highly toxic and irritating phosgene gas. (See Phosgene.)

PHOSGENE

Phosgene is formed by decomposition of chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents by ultraviolet radiation. It reacts with moisture in the lungs to produce hydrogen chloride, which in turn destroys lung tissue. For this reason, any use of chlorinated solvents should be well away from welding operations or any operation in which ultraviolet radiation or intense heat is generated.

This was drilled into me years ago by my 1st Welding instructor. I just thought I would return the favour.

Another sneaky welding danger is welding on Cad-plated bolts...another topic for safety that should be mentioned. Maybe we should have a safety thread where some of the things that can bite you in the welding trade could be documented for all the new or unaware people?

[burninbriar]

Very interesting.

[HAWK]

Add galvanized material to your list of welding/cutting dangers. I know it has been covered here in depth before.

[Paul Seaman]

Chris:
Thanks for the heads up. I have read so much about safety and have even gotten up on my high horse a time or two, but that isn't one I'd heard of even thought of the possibility. I posted a thread Protection for professionals nearly two years ago, mostly dealing with arc hazards, and there are so many other hazards that can endanger our lives, not even working dangerously but in ignorance of the possibilities.

Thanks again,

[Stick rod]

There is some excellant advice there that we should all heed.I know I`m guilty of not always doing that.Further discussion may be in order.

[Paul Seaman]

Stickrod:
AGREED!! Safety is the most overlooked part of our learning, unfortunately!

Peace,

[hurricunning]

Safety

...I posted a thread Protection for professionals nearly two years ago, mostly dealing with arc hazards, and there are so many other hazards that can endanger our lives, not even working dangerously but in ignorance of the possibilities.

That is a good serious thread. Here it is again for all interested in Welding safety:

http://www.millermotorsports.com/mbo...+professionals

...Further discussion may be in order.

I agree! Welding can be a dangerous trade or hobby, but it sure doesn't have to be.

[harcosparky]

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.

Of course, naturally it works great on firearms, fishing reels, tools, you name it.

Yeah and the 40 in WD-40 indicates how many times they had to do it to get it right. Yup there were 39 formuals prior to WD-40.

I wonder what happened to all the WD-1 thru WD-39?