Wd-40

[Shelagh Moore]

WD40 has a variety of good uses but on my strings is not one of them.

[roysboy]

I have long thought that Stephen Stills is a fine guitarist. He stated once in an interview that he disliked the sound of new guitar strings and rubbed barbeque sauce on them to deaden them a bit. As much as I admire Mr. Stills, it never occured to me to do this. If fans of Mr. Steffey come to grief by contaminating themselves with WD40, I think they only have themselves to blame and the best they can hope for is to be in contention for a Darwin award.

Hmmm...well Mr. Stills is also one of my favourites but he was a 'child of the 60's' and we all know what all those hippies were up to when they weren't pickin and grinnin . Mostly just grinnin' . God only knows what other strange 'remedies' and cures Stephen may have discovered along the way while 'grinnin' .

[Eddie Sheehy]

Gotta love the internet...

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/13-amaz...eshow=slidead1

[Eddie Sheehy]

AND - Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.

"
I had a neighbor who had bought a new pickup. I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray-painted red all around the sides of This beige truck (for some unknown reason). I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news. He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open. Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off. It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck. I am impressed! WD-40

Water Displacement #40. The product began from a search for a rust Preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a "water displacement" compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.

Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.

When you read the "shower door" part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It is a miracle!

1. Then try it on your stovetop.. Voila! It’s now shinier than it is ever been. You will be amazed.
2. Here are some of the uses:
3. Protects silver from tarnishing.
4. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
5. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
6. Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery.
7. Keeps flies off cows.
8. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
9. Removes lipstick stains.
10. Loosens stubborn zippers.
11. Untangles jewelry chains.
12. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks. Cleans the fronts of Stainless steel appliances (have personally seen the employees of Lowes use it on their appliances in the store to keep them new looking)
13. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
14. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
15. Removes tomato stains from clothing
16. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
17. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
18. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
19. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
20. Gives a children's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.
22. Rids kid’s rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31. Removes splattered grease on stove.
32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve Arthritis pain.
37. Florida's favorite use is: "cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers."
38. The favorite use in the state of New York — WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it is a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using Some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and re-wash. Presto! Lipstick is gone!
43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
44. It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
45. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!

P. S. The basic ingredient is FISH OIL. "
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/househ...WRZD1il3Ehp.99

[Jim Murton]

Has nobody ever heard of Fastfret? its made for cleaning strings and prolonging their life.

[Eric F.]

I just play.

[Bill Baldridge]

AND - Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.

P. S. The basic ingredient is FISH OIL. "
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/househ...WRZD1il3Ehp.99

And BP said that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was nothing to worry about.

Here is what the site you reference has to say about WD-40 being fish oil:

As for the claim the "basic ingredient" in WD-40 is "fish oil," it's a common rumor and one that is easily propagated (because cans of WD-40 spray include no ingredients list), but a glance at the composition information included in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for WD-40 aerosol indicates the product is primarily petroleum-based, with the main ingredient being "solvent naptha, petroleum, medium aliphatic" (also known as Stoddard Solvent):

solvent naphtha petroleum, medium aliphatic, > 60%
petroleum base oil as paraffinic distillate, heavy, solvent-dewaxed (severe), 15% to 25%
corrosion inhibitor unregulated, 1% to 10%
wetting agent unregulated, 1% to 10%
fragrance unregulated, 0% to 1%
carbon dioxide, 2% to 3%

[Fred Young]

I Guess "Chicken Bone" to mando neck would be out of the question.

[Bill Baldridge]

I Guess "Chicken Bone" to mando neck would be out of the question.

It might work if you used it before there was only bone.

[DHopkins]

WD-40 on a mandolin? You've got to be kidding. Not a snowball's chance in he----- uh, Miami.

[Dave Cohen]

WD-40 is mainly aliphatic hydrocarboons. Motor fuel is mainly aliphatic hydrocarbons. Couple of problems there. One obvious problem is flamability. The other is that aliphtic hydrocarbons ae good solvents for lipids ( = "fats"). Cell membranes have a lot of lipid content. So does skin, although it is toughened by things like keratin. MSDS sheet for WD-40 doesn't mention anything carcinogenic, but the existing problems with it are enough that I would want to wash it off my hands quickly, and I certainly wouldnt want to ingest it. I'd advise leaving it off your strings,

http://www.Cohenmando.com

[Petrus]

And BP said that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was nothing to worry about.

Yeah, it's almost as if oil comes out of the earth, or something.

[Bill Baldridge]

Yeah, it's almost as if oil comes out of the earth, or something.

Yeah, so does sulfuric acid, but I don't want it on my mandolin or my hands. What is your point, and what does it have to do with WD-40?

[AlanN]

Well, I frequently lick my RH thumb and forefinger for pick grip, been doing it forever. Wd-40 on strings/mandolin fingerboard? Never.

[JEStanek]

Heck, some famous players have even baked their mandolins... I'm not gonna.

Jamie

[Tobin]

Has nobody ever heard of Fastfret? its made for cleaning strings and prolonging their life.

I should have mentioned that in my previous post about my need to keep strings oiled. FastFret is what I use, not only when playing, but to clean my strings after playing and keep them protected against corrosion. FastFret is just mineral oil, which is a perfectly safe and 'clean' light oil. You can eat the stuff, which is why they use it to oil cutting boards and kitchen knives (it's commonly used as a laxative, though, so don't eat too much of it at a time!).

[Jim Garber]

You apparently don't have the issue of sweaty hands that make strings rough. Wish I could say the same. Some of us have genetic predisposition to sweaty hands. If strings aren't kept oiled, they will not last more than an hour before they are virtually unplayable. And moist fingertips just won't slide well on dry strings. They sort of stutter and skip on the strings. Like trying to slide on a wood floor with sweaty feet. Oil helps tremendously for those of us so afflicted.

I am sorry for your affliction and for anyone else who has that problem. I can understand oiling the strings but why not use a vegetable oil or something similar? I assume you have checked out other solutions. I don't know if this article tells you anything you don't know but one thing I see here is a recommendation to not use petroleum jelly. So, if so then I would think WD-40 would not be so good in that case.

That article seems to deal with keeping the hands dry so that might be a better solution than greasing the strings. Anyway, good luck with that.

[Timbofood]

Heck, some famous players have even baked their mandolins... I'm not gonna.

Jamie

But don't you have to humidify with milk first, especially if it's red?

[Mandoviol]

Mr. Stills is one of the reasons I started playing guitar in the first place, Glad I didn't read the BBQ sauce thing when I was a more impressionable youngster. I learned long ago not to eat French Fries in between sets between set because I couldn't hold my pick. I expect FF grease would work as string lube and taste better on your fingers

Bela Fleck says that he uses nose grease to slick up his fretboard. No joke.

[Elliot Luber]

Has nobody ever heard of Fastfret? its made for cleaning strings and prolonging their life.

What fun is that?

[shortymack]

Bela Fleck says that he uses nose grease to slick up his fretboard. No joke.

You mean he picks his nose before the show?...them silly banjo'ers!

[Eddie Sheehy]

Gorilla snot? Isn't that a lubricant?

[Charles E.]

Gorilla Snot is a product used to improve pick grip.

[Marty Jacobson]

Nobody here has mentioned wax. Good old fashioned beeswax, used sparingly, would presumably protect strings from corrosion, make them a bit more slippery, and smell nice to boot. Also, no petroleum distillates to dissolve your binding.

But then again, if it worked really well, I bet D'Addario would apply it at the factory. So maybe not such a good idea.

[Mike Snyder]

I've got a spray-pump bottle of RemOil in my case cover for string lube. Seldom needed, but I carry it. WD40 is an exellent lube in the right application but there are many applications that aren't right, firearms being one. Fairly sure that some folks have been using it on their guns for ages and cannot imagine that it's a problem. Go disassemble that gun right now. If you actually fire it once in a while, you'll find glue-like gunk. WD40+heat+gunpowder residue=Gunk. Gunsmiths love WD40 and many of the less scrupulous ones won't tell you about the downside.