Why people like WD-40 on camera so much?

kl122002 · Nov 25, 2023

I am pissed and I don't get it . A friend found a Nikon F2 , sounding odd, smells strange, and so we opened and take a look. There are LOTS of WD-40 inside.
"WD-40 is not suitable for camera repairing" is not something new, why people still wished to try on WD-40?

There are still lots of people , from youtube and Reddits, from showing how WD-40 helped them , and then asking why WD-4- is not helping .
I can recall there is a meme of WD-40 for moving parts vs Duct tape for non-moving parts. So would I be seeing people putting duct tapes in the camera later, saying for mounting the lens ?

And I rarely see people would put WD-40 in the watches. Since they believed WD-40 is almost "universally workable on everything" why don't they put it on watches ? Or, should I say , would I see it too in the future?

reddesert · Nov 25, 2023

WD-40 is a common household item (a lightweight oil / solvent) that a lot of people have, and it comes in a spray can so it's easy to apply on hard to reach things, so it is often used by amateur do-it-yourselfers even when it's not the right choice. I just used it to flush out the squeaky hinges on my friend's dishwasher for both its spray and lube properties, which saved me from having to take apart the entire front of the dishwasher. It's not really appropriate for anything more delicate than that, or for any place that has strong requirements on material properties (you wouldn't use it as car engine oil or bearing grease). It doesn't belong anywhere near cameras, but it is one of the default tools of people who don't have the right tools or knowledge, like using pliers to turn nuts.

250swb · Nov 26, 2023

WD-40 isn't a lube and if it looks like lube inside your F2 it probably isn't WD-40. It is as the name says a Water Displacement spray that can also loosen up grease that's already in a mechanism to make the mechanism work again, which is why it is often confused with a lube. If it is a lube that you want use GT-85 spray which has a silicone lube in it. When WD-40 has evaporated it shouldn't leave any reside unless it has flushed out old grease and oil in the process. Because of the way it can penetrate WD-40 can be used in place of a proper penetrating oil for stuck nuts so it's always good to have some around the house.

Andreas Thaler · Nov 26, 2023

If you use it specifically when working on lenses, for example, it is very useful. I like to use it to loosen stuck retaining rings that resist the spanner wrench. Since it creeps, it must be removed afterwards.

BMbikerider · Nov 26, 2023

Could it be they are lazy and cannot be bothered to get the appropriate lubricant? Or can they not find any? or is it simply - they are clueless!

I have recently removed the mechanism from a 130 year old Black Forest Wall clock which has been in the family since it was given to my grandparents as a wedding gift just before the turn of the 19th/20th C. The purpose of this was to clean the mechanism and re-lubricate it. It needed attention because the 12 day running time after winding it had reduced to 7 days or less.
I went to a watch repairer to ask advice and was told do not take it to pieces but to remove the mechanism as a single item. The cleaning was best done with a spray such as that used to clean car brakes which evaporates very quickly and removes congealed grease and leaves no after deposit.
He also sold me a 100cc bottle of oil which is similar to what he uses and doesn't creep or dry out, He showed me how to apply it, how much to use, and where to apply it using a surgical syringe. The job's done and the running time is back up to 11-12 days (It was incredibly dirty inside the cogs and on various spindles) All it just takes is a little bit of effort and thought to make a decent job to not ruin a finely engineered piece of Victorian era technology.

xkaes · Nov 26, 2023

BMbikerider said:
Could it be they are lazy and cannot be bothered to get the appropriate lubricant? Or can they not find any? or is it simply - they are clueless!

I agree with everything said so far. I'll add the BIGGEST reason people use it -- because it's all over the WEB, so it MUST be right. People are undoubtedly using it "in the bedroom" as well!!!!!

Sirius Glass · Nov 26, 2023

reddesert said:
WD-40 is a common household item (a lightweight oil / solvent) that a lot of people have, and it comes in a spray can so it's easy to apply on hard to reach things, so it is often used by amateur do-it-yourselfers even when it's not the right choice. I just used it to flush out the squeaky hinges on my friend's dishwasher for both its spray and lube properties, which saved me from having to take apart the entire front of the dishwasher. It's not really appropriate for anything more delicate than that, or for any place that has strong requirements on material properties (you wouldn't use it as car engine oil or bearing grease). It doesn't belong anywhere near cameras, but it is one of the default tools of people who don't have the right tools or knowledge, like using pliers to turn nuts.

250swb said:
WD-40 isn't a lube and if it looks like lube inside your F2 it probably isn't WD-40. It is as the name says a Water Displacement spray that can also loosen up grease that's already in a mechanism to make the mechanism work again, which is why it is often confused with a lube. If it is a lube that you want use GT-85 spray which has a silicone lube in it. When WD-40 has evaporated it shouldn't leave any reside unless it has flushed out old grease and oil in the process. Because of the way it can penetrate WD-40 can be used in place of a proper penetrating oil for stuck nuts so it's always good to have some around the house.

I absolutely agree. WD-40 is good for some mechanical problems where the water displacement is needed. It works for some rust corrosion problems, but it not the proper lubrication for cameras or lenses in particular. One should use the lubrication specified by the manufacturer as the preferred lubricant. The problem is that many people are not educated or informed about lubricants and do not realize that the one size fits all approach has pitfalls.

BMbikerider · Nov 26, 2023

xkaes said:
I agree with everything said so far. I'll add the BIGGEST reason people use it -- because it's all over the WEB, so it MUST be right. People are undoubtedly using it "in the bedroom" as well!!!!!

Hells Teeth - I Hope not!

Ian Grant · Nov 26, 2023

Some reality WD-40 is a trade name now for a number of products, not just the original Paraffin based penetrating product.

I do use the original WD-40, it's saved a few vintage shutters, but you have to know how how to clean it away, completely. A fellow member has taught me a better way to use it, and it works way better . . . . . . . . . and there's almost no cleaning afterwards.

Ian

DREW WILEY · Nov 26, 2023

WD-40 isn't really suitable for much of anything. It's a low budget spray lubricant, not a pro product. The pressure of spraying might displace water, but water actually gets trapped underneath it too. It was forbidden for that reason in the locksmithing dept where I worked. It induced corrosion more often than preventing it. (I was the lock buyer, among numerous other hats I wore). We used a far better product called LPS-1. But would I personally use any of those oily substances inside a camera? - nope, unless it was an extremely small amount applied to a mechanical connection. The rear release pull on my Pentax 6x7 was getting stubborn, so I used the tiniest amount of LPS in there, pulled the release a few time, and let is all dry out with the rear open all night before putting the camera back in service.

Another giveaway is when people would wipe down the surfaces of their cast iron table saws and so forth with WD-40, and find out it makes the rust worse. LPS solved that issue too.

wiltw · Nov 26, 2023

250swb said:
WD-40 isn't a lube and if it looks like lube inside your F2 it probably isn't WD-40. It is as the name says a Water Displacement spray that can also loosen up grease that's already in a mechanism to make the mechanism work again, which is why it is often confused with a lube. If it is a lube that you want use GT-85 spray which has a silicone lube in it. When WD-40 has evaporated it shouldn't leave any reside unless it has flushed out old grease and oil in the process. Because of the way it can penetrate WD-40 can be used in place of a proper penetrating oil for stuck nuts so it's always good to have some around the house.

What the manufacturer claims for WD-40 Multi-use Product Aerosol : https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/

"A QUESTION OF LUBRICATION

Myth: WD-40 Multi-Use Product is not really a lubricant.

Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal."

The MSDS list of contents includes only 'Aliphatic hydrocarbon', and 'Petroleum Base Oil', and CO2

The WD-40 Specialist Penentrant MSDS also lists the above three, with the additional 'Petroleum Solvent'

Petroleum Base 'Oil' is common to both of the above products. Nevertheless, as an ocean-going sailing vessel owner, I never used WD-40 to 'lubricate' much of anything. Limited WD-40 use to clean, de-grease, and dissipate moisture; there were a number of much better 'lubricants'

DREW WILEY · Nov 26, 2023

Millions of products are aliphatic hydrocarbon petro based. That in itself tells you nothing pertaining to quality. CO2 is just the propellant. There are numerous brands of spray lubricant in this general category. WD-40 is sold everywhere. But it's distinctly on the low side in terms of performance. Check out any true industrial supplier like McMaster or Grainger for a more serious selection. Starrett offers their M-1 machine oil in little hypodermic like packs too, nice for confined spaces. At one time, genuine sperm whale oil was preferred for delicate projects or instrument winterization; jojoba based plant oils replaced that, but proved short term. I haven't kept up with it - just so many kinds. I do need to order some more LPS-1 over the web, since none of the local hardware stores carry it anymore. Knowledgeable staff are even rarer.

But that Myth page of WD-40 was fun to read. I haven't heard Stoddard Solvent mentioned by anyone in the past 40 years. Then there was the fad when people were rubbing DMSO solvent on their joints for arthritis. I didn't know a similar trend occurred with WD-40. Might have been OK for the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, but per human physiology? Yikes!

Dan Daniel · Nov 26, 2023

Ha. A thread I never would have expected. Enough, I need to go to an auto forum and learn about using an impact driver to install my snow tire lug nuts now...

DREW WILEY · Nov 26, 2023

... technically, an impact wrench. There is a difference, and there are always new things to learn. I'd certainly freak out if I send a lens out for servicing and learned they had WD40 in the shop. I always remember a particular Beevis and Butthead cartoon segment, wandering all night inside a Home Labyrinth megastore looking for the WD40.

xkaes · Nov 26, 2023

You would think that if it actually lubricated that it would be proudly announced on every can -- yet it isn't -- and yet that's what people buy it for:

kl122002 · Nov 26, 2023

BMbikerider said:
Could it be they are lazy and cannot be bothered to get the appropriate lubricant? Or can they not find any? or is it simply - they are clueless!

I have recently removed the mechanism from a 130 year old Black Forest Wall clock which has been in the family since it was given to my grandparents as a wedding gift just before the turn of the 19th/20th C. The purpose of this was to clean the mechanism and re-lubricate it. It needed attention because the 12 day running time after winding it had reduced to 7 days or less.
I went to a watch repairer to ask advice and was told do not take it to pieces but to remove the mechanism as a single item. The cleaning was best done with a spray such as that used to clean car brakes which evaporates very quickly and removes congealed grease and leaves no after deposit.
He also sold me a 100cc bottle of oil which is similar to what he uses and doesn't creep or dry out, He showed me how to apply it, how much to use, and where to apply it using a surgical syringe. The job's done and the running time is back up to 11-12 days (It was incredibly dirty inside the cogs and on various spindles) All it just takes is a little bit of effort and thought to make a decent job to not ruin a finely engineered piece of Victorian era technology.

Technically if a clock maker want to do the overall , it shouldn't go with spray, but take all parts our and clean everything single holes with lighter fluid, dry , before applying new clock oil to gears and new spring oil oil to the main spring if any.

I believe the brake spray can work, but whether it is suitable is another matter to concern.
And did the watchmaker use this spray on customer's watches as well?

kl122002 · Nov 26, 2023

DREW WILEY said:
WD-40 isn't really suitable for much of anything. It's a low budget spray lubricant, not a pro product. The pressure of spraying might displace water, but water actually gets trapped underneath it too. It was forbidden for that reason in the locksmithing dept where I worked. It induced corrosion more often than preventing it. (I was the lock buyer, among numerous other hats I wore). We used a far better product called LPS-1. But would I personally use any of those oily substances inside a camera? - nope, unless it was an extremely small amount applied to a mechanical connection. The rear release pull on my Pentax 6x7 was getting stubborn, so I used the tiniest amount of LPS in there, pulled the release a few time, and let is all dry out with the rear open all night before putting the camera back in service.

Another giveaway is when people would wipe down the surfaces of their cast iron table saws and so forth with WD-40, and find out it makes the rust worse. LPS solved that issue too.

A locksmith has told the same and I have a LPS at more workplace. But for the locks (the garage lock) I only did once with the fishing reel oil. And just 1 tiny drop 10 years ago and then I never asked to lube it again.

eli griggs · Nov 26, 2023

kl122002 said:
I am pissed and I don't get it . A friend found a Nikon F2 , sounding odd, smells strange, and so we opened and take a look. There are LOTS of WD-40 inside.
"WD-40 is not suitable for camera repairing" is not something new, why people still wished to try on WD-40?

There are still lots of people , from youtube and Reddits, from showing how WD-40 helped them , and then asking why WD-4- is not helping .
I can recall there is a meme of WD-40 for moving parts vs Duct tape for non-moving parts. So would I be seeing people putting duct tapes in the camera later, saying for mounting the lens ?

And I rarely see people would put WD-40 in the watches. Since they believed WD-40 is almost "universally workable on everything" why don't they put it on watches ? Or, should I say , would I see it too in the future?

Ignorance best describes the application to any camera part, with the one, and only one application, to 'free' a frozen tripod or monopod from the camera's base; two drops should do it.

IMO

BMbikerider · Nov 28, 2023

kl122002 said:
Technically if a clock maker want to do the overall , it shouldn't go with spray, but take all parts our and clean everything single holes with lighter fluid, dry , before applying new clock oil to gears and new spring oil oil to the main spring if any.

I believe the brake spray can work, but whether it is suitable is another matter to concern.
And did the watchmaker use this spray on customer's watches as well?

I think I trusted the guidance given by a time served expert who has been in business for over 1/4 century rather than a person who has suggested that cleaning would have been better by using highly inflammable lighter fluid than a cleaner which is not inflammable to the same extent with known cleaning properties. It is not a watch I cleaned, but a sprung wound clock with full size brass gears.

The use of lighter fluid to clean the mechanism is on the same level as using WD40 to lubricate the bearings!

Judging from the smell of the cleaner he was using in his workshop it is probably a similar cleaning agent. I also used appropriate watch makers oil which does not suffer from 'creep'. It has worked and no residual smell such as you would get from lighter fuel

jvo · Nov 28, 2023

wd-40 has only one significant problem... it has excellent penetration and "cleaning" properties, BUT over time it does dry to a gummy residue, therein lies the problem on watches and camera's, etc.

DREW WILEY · Nov 28, 2023

If you want the right lubricant for the right job, go to product sources in that particular field. WD-40 might be fine for a ten dollar counterfeit Rolex; so might a sledgehammer. For some of my fine enlarger gearing, I actually went to an aerospace supplier. So what if a little tube of an ideal lubricant cost $15 at the time? - it's lasted over 30 years.

miha · Nov 28, 2023

Maybe some like the smell of it. I sure do.

Sirius Glass · Nov 28, 2023

jvo said:
wd-40 has only one significant problem... it has excellent penetration and "cleaning" properties, BUT over time it does dry to a gummy residue, therein lies the problem on watches and camera's, etc.

Yes, WD-40 clumps the dirt it moves and forms a gummy residue. An example with different equipment is that WD-40 will temporarily free a garage door mechanism from jamming on the screw shaft. However, over time, the debris and residue from the WD-40 will build up and the screw thread has to be completely cleaned for the garage door to function again. This WD-40 property of moving dirt on the garage door opener is an example of WD-40 moving dirt on camera parts. WD-40, as noted in a number of previous posts, is not a lubricant and should not be used for cameras or watches. WD-40 is not a fix-it-all for all problems.

reddesert · Nov 28, 2023

WD-40 is a mix of light oil and solvents - probably light hydrocarbons. It basically says that on the data sheet. You can get an idea of what's in there by spraying some into a cup. It isn't magically good, or magically bad. If left on a mechanism in an environment that has some dirt/dust, an oil-dirt mixture will form that is gummy or gritty and will cause problems. In this respect it's not much different from other oils. If we put too much oil on something, dirt will stick to it.

The good and bad of WD-40 is that it comes in a spray can. This makes it easy to get into hard to reach places, and easy to apply way too much of it. If we sprayed it into a cup and used a pin to apply a pinprick of WD-40 to oil a mechanism, it would probably behave like a pinprick of other light oil and not get overly dirty. But nobody uses WD-40 that way.

BrianShaw · Nov 28, 2023

jvo said:
wd-40 has only one significant problem... it has excellent penetration and "cleaning" properties, BUT over time it does dry to a gummy residue, therein lies the problem on watches and camera's, etc.

… and most other things except gardening tools.

Why people like WD-40 on camera so much?

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