WD-40 and Reg Cleaning??

[ianw2]

What was it my old shop teacher used to say...

If it doesn't move and it's supposed to: WD-40.

If it moves and it's NOT supposed to: Duct Tape!

 

[DandyDon]

Hey, DandyDOn, with 70,000 members and a handful who refuse to let facts get in the way of a good post, of course we're going to have a lengthy dust-up or two nightly.

Thank G-d this ain't Dodge City in the 1860's where we'd be arguing with guns instead of words!

BTW - I love that cap! I have one very similar that my Dad brought back from St. Andrews for me many years ago!

Cheers, Dandy! I always enjoy reading your posts.

Hehe, thanks. St.Andrews Scotland? Got the green tam in Dublin, the Red tam it the Blareny castle, wear them in December - kinda festive.

edit: Funniest thing, just talked with a Scottish buddy on Yahoo. Said she was going shopping, wanted to buy me something. Asked her about tams like this? "Oh sure, I can get one at St. Andrews."

 

[oxyhacker]

Exactly. There are things that you can eat, or apply topically, but that are hell to breathe. Castor oil for example is taken orally all the time but there have been documented cases of lipoid pneumonia from inhaling too much of the stuff - in one case the inhaling of it happened as a side effect of swallowing it, the person wasn't even deliberately inhaling it.

"Food safe" is another label to approach with caution. Usually it means the product is only approved for incidental contact - that is to say, if a smidgeon gets in your food it won't hurt you. But that doesn't mean its safe to deliberately eat, far less breathe. If you look at the fine print on Aquaseal's food safe silicone spray, for example, it says that the term "food safe" refers only to the silicone itself - not entire product!

I understand Don, but note the old timer used WD-40 EXTERNALLY. If the info is accurate this guy used it INTERNALLY.

 

[captain]

Ok, after being taken to the wood shed let see if we can inject some common sense (not very common)into this diacussion.

I stated I used WD 40 externally to prevent corrosion. All my regulators are metal, I don't have any plastic. Plastic doesn't corrode, no need for corrosion protection. I use it after the regs are rinsed and dried before they are stored away On a first stage if the protective cap is on none will enter the regulator. If there is a swivel such as at the
1st or 2nd stage hose connection and the swivel doesn't leak air when in use than none will enter it. Just don't spray it on or into the mouthpiece. In regards to rubber parts. Neoprene hoses, nitrile, and silicone O rings are used to transport and seal many pretroleum products, gasoline, lubricating oil, hydrolic oil, etc and don,t disolve into nothing.
Nitrile Is Recommended for:
General purpose sealing.
Petroleum oils and fluids.
Cold Water.
Silicone greases and oils
Di-ester base lubricants (MIL-L-7808).
Ethylene glycol base fluids (Hydrolubes)
Neoprene.
http://www.science-education.org/classroom_activities/chlorine_compound/neoprene.html

I wouldn't spray it on any latex comdoms though.

MSDS sheets are the catch all CYA tool. Government requires the manufacture of the product to provide them, government doesn't say what goes into them. If Acme Rocket Fuel Co. wants to say it is safe to drink it's product they can. Similar to warning labels. "DO NOT IRON CHOTHES WHILE WEARING THEM", back to that uncommon common sense.
Pure air is about the only substance I can think of that you can't get too much of, rub it all over, inhale it swallow it, no problem. Even pure water, if too much is ingested can dilute and alter the body electrolite balance.
I wouldn't want to see a MSDS on a Big Mac.
Here is an MSDS for no stick cooking spray.
http://www2.itap.purdue.edu/MSDS/docs/2811.pdf
I say this from 30+ years of experience. Last time I checked I was still breathing and had a pulse so I guess common sense has served me well.

 

[noobascooba]

I checked on wikipedia and apparently it's a 'common myth' that the WD stands for war department. So I'm not stupid, just common

 

[DandyDon]

I checked on wikipedia and apparently it's a 'common myth' that the WD stands for war department. So I'm not stupid, just common

You're in good company then...!

 

[robbcayman]

What was it my old shop teacher used to say...

If it doesn't move and it's supposed to: WD-40.

If it moves and it's NOT supposed to: Duct Tape!

I like that!!

 

[agilis]

Guns and Ammo did a test a few years back, comparing various lubricating sprays as final application bore cleaners. WD40 was the worst by far, more destructive than no lubricant at all. It seems that minute droplets of water are held by the stuff, creating more rust than would have developed if it had not been used. The best rust preventing light oil in the Guns and Ammo test was Break Free. The text of this comparison is available on various gun collector sites.

The use of any petroleum product on breathing equipment is a very bad idea. Careful, systematic, and thorough fw soaking and cleaning is all that should be needed.

 

[The Chairman]

I am not sure what materials are used in second stages. Perhaps one of our manufacturers could clue us in. Most O-Rings used in our industry should be fine:
http://www.oringsusa.com/html/materials.html
http://www.efunda.com/designstandards/oring/oring_chemical.cfm?SC=none&SM=Buna-N (Nitrile)#chem
But many diaphragms are made of epdm which is NOT tolerant of any solvent except alcohol.

Years ago, I had a reg rebuild which I took into Blue Spring. During the dive, I started breathing water combined with the air. On the surface the hard rubber cover looked distorted. Something like what a chemical would do. My initial suspect was WD40, and I remember seeing a can of it at the dive shop that rebuilt my reg. I have never let anyone else touch my regs since.

 

[CBulla]

WD-40 --- good for cleaning guns and keeping metal from rusting, IF applied regularly.

http://www.wd40.com/AboutUs/our_history.html

It is also a great flame thrower with a pressurized can and bic or zippo lighter!!