Wd40 As A Wood Preserver

[JohnK]

I’m not promoting this as a good idea for boats!

I was messing in my shed and did a comparison of Danish oil (which I like using) and WD40 (which is dead easy to spray on)

 

Very little difference on a scrap piece of wood.

 

And I’m quite happy with the way this is coming up.

Two coats so far.

 

I don’t do much prep so it could be a lot better.

60 grit on a belt sander is as far as I go and no sanding between coats. I like to think that’s because I like rustic. But it’s more likely I’m just lazy .

 

Has anyone else tried it?

 

 

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[FairTmiddlin]

As it's fish oil. I think the smell might get to you inside, designed only to leave a very thin coat though

[JohnK]

As it's fish oil. I think the smell might get to you inside, designed only to leave a very thin coat though

Thanks, I didn’t know that.
I want it to soak in don’t I? I just give it a light spray when I pass. So it will get plenty of coats.
Luckily my wood working skills are so c**p I’m unlikely to make anything that’s allowed in the house so the smell shouldn’t be a problem


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[SteveO]

Wonder what happened to WDs 1 to 39?

[WherryNice]

I did once use some WD40 to give the plywood panelling on my "tip run" trailer some protection the last time I gave it a bit of a revamp(I was at work and it was all that came readily to hand), it seemed pretty good initially but soon dried out again....

[WherryNice]

I believe WD1-39 were the mixtures that didn't work....

[Vaughan]

WD40 was designed to protect electrical circuits, as it repels water, so you can spray it on your ignition coil and plug leads if your Ford Cortina won't start in wet weather. It has short term qualities as a lubricant but these don't last long. It is also thought of as an easing oil but there are much better products for that!

I have never heard of it as a wood preserver and fear that if you impregnated your wood with it, it would then repel paint or varnish.

What ever happened to Cuprinol? Or Creosote?

[Paul]

3 hours ago, WherryNice said:

I believe WD1-39 were the mixtures that didn't work....

Correct, WD is for Water Dispersant and it was the 40th formula tried

 

[FairTmiddlin]

7 hours ago, SteveO said:

Wonder what happened to WDs 1 to 39?

They didn't make the grade

It was a need for a water reppellant for the Convair on the atlas rockets

The formulas 1 to 39 were no good but number 40 (which is light oil suspended in various hydrocarbons the hydrocarbons evaporate to leave the oil ) worked

So it was called Water Displacement No 40

Shortened To WD40

[JamesLV]

I’m a big fan of GT85, smells much nicer!

[grendel]

I seem to be developing a 'taste' for the smell of turpentine - with the varnishing of the stern of model #2. duck oil is another good one for water dispersal (and good for cleaning hands too) (assuming you can still buy it)

I am sure that danish oil contains a small amount of varnish as it gives a varnish like finish. if I was just using oil, I would probably go with linseed oil.

[stumpy]

My dear old Dad used to give the garden fence a yearly coat of old sump-oil thinned with paraffin - seemed to work but hully stunk! 

[grendel]

a few years back I re-used some old5x9 timbers that my wifes grandad had stored, he had given them a good coat of sump oil/ creosote mix about 30 years previously, the timbers were still perfect, and yes the oil mix still came off over everything - there are also several wooden sheds coated in the same preservative at my mother in laws house.

[ChrisB]

I like Deks Olje D1. Very good on hard woods, it is not cheap though but I only have 2 small swim platforms to do.

[marshman]

The trouble, if thats what you call it, with DO D1 is that its best applied to smooth surfaces and should for the first application, be applied wet on wet - I think I got up to 25 coats on our new mast before no more would go in. Now on unsawn that would probably be a prohibitive cost!

 

[Betty1]

I have heard that WD40 can be used to attract fish if sprayed on fishing lures.

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[Betty1]

If we are going on just the smell I recommend Castrol R40.

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[FairTmiddlin]

2 hours ago, Betty1 said:

If we are going on just the smell I recommend Castrol R40.

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But it smells better when burnt. Great smell of the 50's and 60's. Takes me back whenever I smell it

[Guest]

45 minutes ago, FairTmiddlin said:

But it smells better when burnt. Great smell of the 50's and 60's. Takes me back whenever I smell it

Burnt and then refined with the delicate blending of exhaust gasses in a hot manifold, then released into the atmosphere through a pulse tuned free flow exhaust system.

[ChrisB]

I know someone who swears by spraying new wood with Patio Magic until it is really soaked. He then starts prep for painting and finishing.

Disclaimer: Not tried it myself!

[Bound2Please]

4 hours ago, Betty1 said:

I have heard that WD40 can be used to attract fish if sprayed on fishing lures. 

Total rubbish

[MauriceMynah]

I too have heard that WD40 could be sprayed on bait to good effect. I am doubtful but accept that it might kill the smell of nicotine when the angler is a smoker.

[TheQ]

Trouble with creosote is that you can't get it anymore, unless you are licenced. Anything good at it's job, they've banned, like sodium chlorate.

 I still have some creosote left in the barrel, but I'm having to add old sump oil too make it go further..

 

[Timbo]

My Uncle was a bit of an inventer. He worked for the Rocket Chemical Company in the 1950's. He started work with Norman Larsen on WD1, but that didn't work. WD2 wasn't a goer either. Night after night they worked in the lab. WD10 through WD20 didn't work either. Eventually, they got to WD39 but my Uncle got bored and moved on to work in soft drinks. He devised a soft drink that tasted and looked like lemonade and called it One Up, but it never took off. He sadly died the week after creating Six Up, never knowing how close he got! He once crossed a Maris Piper potato with a sponge. Tasted flaming awful but you wouldn't believe the amount of gravy it could soak up!

Dear Victor!

On a serious note, I use WD40 on the table saw sledges to get them sliding smoothly.

[Bound2Please]

10 minutes ago, Timbo said:

sliding smoothly.

Each to their own Timbo