Switching lubricants

91% and 99% isopropanol from the drug store evaporate quickly and leave no water behind.

With regard to ethanol, the best that can be produced by distillation is 95% (190 proof) because of the ethanol-water azeotrope marine mentions. A high-tech lab is needed to produce 100% ethanol, which has applications in molecular biology (eg, preciptiation of DNA from extracts), but I suspect toxic impurities are in it. I seem to recall one way to produce it is to distill it in a mixture of benzene to defeat the ethanol-water azeotrope.

I see no reason to use expensive potable or lab-grade ethanol or cheap denatured ethanol when isopropanol is so cheap, easy to find, and doesn't seem to harm plastic. I assume even 70% isopropanol evaporates quickly enough to be harmless as long as the cleaned parts aren't stored until they are dry. With the 90+% forms the drying is quicker than you can work.
 
A high-tech lab is needed to produce 100% ethanol...
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I have some in the lab at work. At least until it's been opened the first time it's 99.something % pure. We have it for use as a cleaner for high-performance, special purpose tape drives if isopropyl is contraindicated by the manufacturer for some reason.
 
Yeah... Isopropyl is probably the solvent that is the safest for the most uses and materials.

I hear of it being used in all sorts of ways and industries.


I have used it in the Electronics and Aviation sectors for years.
 
I've heard the two of them shouldn't be mixed.
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Like JohnKSa, I've never heard that, nor have I had problems mixing them. (The only time I "mix" any of them is when I apply them without "sterilizing" the weapon first -- using alcohol, brake cleaner, etc. -- and I almost never clean one THAT thoroughly unless I'm doing a detail strip... which I don't do often.)

I've also heard that using WD40 is a big problem, but after much digging and reading, think that's another of the internet MYTHs.

(WD40, on their website, has been saying for years that's their product is perfectly safe for weapons, and I think they would've been sued, had a lot of hell-raised, etc., if there was more than hooey associated with that claim.

Everyone knows someone who had a problem using WD40 on a gun [shellac, gumming up, etc.] , but the people who had the problems never seem to post! That may be the case here, too.)
 
The only problem with wd40 is really long term storage... Sitting unused it can gum up and harden.

I just don't find it a good lubricant. It does work pretty well as a cleaner though.
 
marine6680 said:
The only problem with wd40 is really long term storage... Sitting unused it can gum up and harden.
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You may be correct, but have you personally experienced this gumming and hardening in YOUR weapons? If so, how LONG is "long-term" storage?

What I HAVE read from a number of different sources is that IF there is ever a "gumming" problem at the end of a long storage period, all you have to do is reapply the stuff, and it immediately frees things up -- it penetrates well. It's apparently a VERY GOOD long-term rust inhibitor.

Short-term, there should never be a problem.

There may be better stuff for guns, and I'm not a WD-40 advocate, but I suspect that so much of the concern about using WD-40 is misplaced. Almost all of it seems "precautionary" warnings based on misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the facts, or based on second-hand tales -- but never from the actual affected parties telling us about the problem.
 
I don't use it on my firearms so I can't say there.

But I have used it on other things and seen it gum up in only a few months. I am guessing storage conditions matter though. I have had little used tools stored indoors gum up between uses... Less than a year, maybe 10 months.

A little spray of wd did free things up though, but the varnish look was harder to deal with. It won't come off easy.

How much you use seems to have an effect as well.

It is a great rust preventer though, just not a great lubricant. Guns made of stainless may be best not to use it, as SS is more prone to galling. I just stay away from it on my firearms in general.

Though using it for rust prevention isn't a bad move... And they have a newer formula version that is less prone to gumming up from what they say.
 
I don't think wd40 gums up, I think it is whatever it dissolved. Wd40 evaporates and leaves behind what ever was in solution.

I've used wd40 as a cleaner in power generation systems, it evaporates. Not as fast as something more volitile.
 
There's a lot of misinformation about various lubricants and solvents. I think a lot of folks who claim to know are simply winging it.

A couple of the YouTube videos "debunking" the use WD-40 seem sensible, until you realize that what some of them are saying are based on inferences, based on assumptions that may not be correct, etc., etc.

RemOil with Moisture Guard is relatively similar to WD-40 in composition, yet you never hear warnings about the dangers of using RemOil, etc.

(If you're curious about any of this do a Google [or the search engine of your choice] search on MSDS [for Material Safety Data Sheet] and the name of the product, and you'll see their composition, the dangers in using them, etc.

I did it for Break Free CLP, Ballistol, Rem Oil, Rem Oil with Moisture Guard, WD-40... Only Ballistol stands out as being different, having very little (to no) ingredients that are harmful to the user.
 
rickyrick said:
I think it is whatever it dissolved. Wd40 evaporates and leaves behind what ever was in solution.
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I think your analysis is correct, but wouldn't that be true of most any liquid applied to a gun if you don't wipe it out after applying it?

If you use cleaning pads, or spray/apply enough that it all drains out, seems as though whatever was in suspension will get flushed out.
 
I don't think wd40 gums up, I think it is whatever it dissolved. Wd40 evaporates and leaves behind what ever was in solution.
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Ha! I was going to say something to this effect.

I passed by a drain tub the mechanics use to drain the oil from the turbines, and when spraying them down with cleaners. It had a varnished gummed up look in places. Which got me thinking about this.

I think the problem with wd40 is if you use it on something that has a fair amount of lubricant on it (type may matter here) the wd dissolves the lubricant and probably even leaches it out of the micro pores and cracks... The wd probably breaks down the other lubes and changes them molecularly. (type being important as I said, it may not affect all types)

The wd then evaporates leaving the broken down lube to harden into a gummy varnish.

So it would be best to flush the item well if you plan to use wd on something.

The LPS stuff we use at work can do this as well.
 
I use Ballistol extensively in my black powder firearms. Great stuff. I use both Hoppes and Ballistol with the others, rimfire, center fire, shotguns -- they work fine together. Ballistol works nicely on wood where Hoppes can not really go !

.02

David :)
 
why does hickok45 uses only just ballistol on all of his guns for all purposes - cleaner lubricant preservative? how many of you here agree with him on this one?
 
why does hickok45 uses only just ballistol on all of his guns for all purposes - cleaner lubricant preservative?
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It's one of the most human-friendly of gun cleaning/lube products. I suspect that if I were handling, firing, and cleaning weapons as often as he must do it, I'd give Ballistol a try, too.

Check the MSDS for Ballistol (google search)... no known risks getting on your skin, smelling it, no carcinogenic components, etc., etc. That is NOT the case with many gun cleaning/lubing liquids.
 
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Well, since Ballistol has been around for over 100 years, at least you can't be accused of jumping on the latest fad (see Froglube). It IS good stuff, though.
 
Not to be "that guy"

I'd be more concerned about the toxic heavy metals that we pulverize and shred over the oils that we use... As far as health concerns go.

Also another reason to lightly lube your gun; a mist of petroleum isn't good for you...
 
My advice is make sure its ok with her first.;)

i might switch to ballistol after i run out of eezox. I was under the impression it was non toxic.
 
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