Mark Roberts wrote: > Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote: > >> Beware: Spraying WD40 on steel or aluminum surfaces *promotes* rust. >> >> WD40 is a water dispersal developed for the navy ... the name comes >>from "water dispersal formulation #40". As such, it is hygroscopic: >> it's designed to suck up water,
> Urban legends. > > It was developed by the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company (and later > sold to Convair) by a chemist named Norm Larsen. It is not hygroscopic > and is actually quite good at preventing corrosion. > > http://www.wd40.com/AboutUs/our_history.html Good site. I think people mistake the water-displacement characteristics of the product and think of it as the product absorbing the water. It doesn't...it climbs under the water to the substrate interface, and sort of lifts the water off, displacing it and depositing a layer of whatever WD-40 is made. Yes, it works and well. However, all caveats about not assuming it's an "apply once and forget about it" product are totally true. For what it was designed to do, and then some, it's almost unparalleled, but...if you want long term protection, choose something else. If you want extreme pressure protection as a bearing lube, use something else. Get their WD-40 Book (from Amazon.com) and be prepared to be surprised! keith whaley -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
