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WD-40 as a record 'crackle' eliminator??

Just in case anyone is interested the 'oil' sold as 'WD40' isn't for half the 1000's of uses it has been touted to be for. A clever bit of marketing really. WD40 is actually a cutting oil, designed to keep cutting bits cool and clean as they make their way through billet aluminium/steel or whatever. Is is not a true lubricant and a large proportion evaporates off-so that tells you something about it's actual chemical makeup ;)

So I wouldn' use it in any place you want long term lubrication, and as for an LP..................
 
Just in case anyone is interested the 'oil' sold as 'WD40' isn't for half the 1000's of uses it has been touted to be for. A clever bit of marketing really. WD40 is actually a cutting oil, designed to keep cutting bits cool and clean as they make their way through billet aluminium/steel or whatever. Is is not a true lubricant and a large proportion evaporates off-so that tells you something about it's actual chemical makeup ;)

So I wouldn' use it in any place you want long term lubrication, and as for an LP..................

...or lubricating bike chains - it does a fair job of cleaning them though. I find the assertion that most of what gets put out on the web as being true to be laughably naive. Oh yes, if you want to speed up your PC - just move your mouse in a circular movement. One thing about the web apart from propagating dubious info is to offload HOAXs.
 
Just in case anyone is interested the 'oil' sold as 'WD40' isn't for half the 1000's of uses it has been touted to be for. A clever bit of marketing really. WD40 is actually a cutting oil, designed to keep cutting bits cool and clean as they make their way through billet aluminium/steel or whatever. Is is not a true lubricant and a large proportion evaporates off-so that tells you something about it's actual chemical makeup ;)

So I wouldn' use it in any place you want long term lubrication, and as for an LP..................

so i'm not ruining my drill bits then?
 
...or lubricating bike chains - it does a fair job of cleaning them though. I find the assertion that most of what gets put out on the web as being true to be laughably naive. Oh yes, if you want to speed up your PC - just move your mouse in a circular movement. One thing about the web apart from propagating dubious info is to offload HOAXs.

around the 'turn of the century' (this one not that one) - there was a woman here in los angeles would would charge you USD 400 or so to come and rearrange your desktop icons according to the rules of the Feng-Shui... brilliant. Nice job if you can get it.
 
The results are in... it works!

I gave the WD40 treatment method a go this morning and just like in the video, the crackle went from medium to practically zero with just the odd, light click here and there. Here's my process:

1. clean record on Loricaraft RCM
2. play to assess crackle
3. apply WD40 to cloth and wipe record
4. wipe record dry with a different part of same cloth
5. clean again on RCM
6. play record to reassess crackle

There's no doubt about it, the WT method (WD40 treatment method) practically eliminates crackle as indicated in the video. So in the short-term at the least, it works. Whether there are any long-term negatives, well it's too soon to say.

Fwiw, the record I used had been cleaned countless times on my RCM as I use it to soak my spreader with a preparatory clean as it were before cleaning the actual record(s) I mean to clean, so it's safe to say the RCM had no effect on the near elimination of crackle.
 
there was a woman here in los angeles would would charge you USD 400 or so to come and rearrange your desktop icons according to the rules of the Feng-Shui... brilliant. Nice job if you can get it.

So I gather she hasn't discovered high-end audio yet? :)
 
Just in case anyone is interested the 'oil' sold as 'WD40' isn't for half the 1000's of uses it has been touted to be for. A clever bit of marketing really. WD40 is actually a cutting oil, designed to keep cutting bits cool and clean as they make their way through billet aluminium/steel or whatever. Is is not a true lubricant and a large proportion evaporates off-so that tells you something about it's actual chemical makeup ;)

So I wouldn' use it in any place you want long term lubrication, and as for an LP..................

I wouldn't wish to be pedantic, but in my experiance only of course, as far as I remember Parafin in the first instant or failing that or turps substitute is the recommended cutting fluid for cutting Alum, all of its alloys and if its needed to be cut wet, cast iron, magnesium and it's other alloys should be cut under a light oil.Steel is machined useing "Sud's" which is a mixture of a type of oil and water with other additives some of them to stop the development of bacteria in the solution thus giving a longer useful life. or occasionally for special needs such as drilling and tapping either "tallow" or one of the specially developed drilling/tapping lubricants such as Rocol. Gear cutting and Broaching ( very heavy machining) is done useing a special "Cutting Oil"
At Rolls Royce Aero Devision both in the production and research areas probably hundreds of Gallions of WD40 was used, but only in a de-watering/protecting way between operations, components were either dipped in 5 gallion drums of the stuff or sprayed with it. It was never used as a cutting fluid/agent.
oldie
 
The original WD-40 product is actually a Water Dispersant rather than a lubricant. As previously mentioned the actual WD-40 formulation is an inert volatile solvent mixed with a thicker synthetic oil (as well as a little bit of detergent to help disperse any water). When the volatile solvent evaporates away, the thicker synthetic oil is left behind as a reasonably even coating. The volatile oil will also disperse any water or other corrosive solvents away from the surface being treated to sit on top of the newly formed coating of synthetic oil rather than being trapped underneath (and in this case, right in the path of the stylus :confused:).

A quick look on the WD-40 website reveals a whole range of products from degreasers, chain lubes and spray on greases so my question is which product is he using in his demonstration...? and do you really want that sort of chemical lining your LP groove walls or collecting up around the stylus.

To be honest I don’t believe in any stylus or LP treatment, and I seldom use a wet clean machine either (only in the most extreme cases of recently purchased second hand vinyl). My experience is that a good fine-line stylus that sits deeper into the groove will get away from all the surface noise. A quick wipe before each play with a good fine-bristle carbon-fibre brush is generally all I need to do. Also, most of the surface noise heard in the demonstration video sounded like physical groove damage and nothing can repair that sort of degradation.

Just my thoughts anyway ….:D

LPSpinner.
 
Just as a matter of interest, I remember when WD40 was first introduced but was not yet available commercially, it was demonstrated on a BBC television program "Tomorrows World" by Raymond Baxter ( yes I'm that Old :) ) The demonstration started of with a Very Strict Warning "that this must not be tried at home" , the demonstration by one of the original people responsible for producing this latest miracle stuff started by him liberally spraying a running mains powered ( pre RCD type units ) electric drill with this solution, then waiting a few moments and then applying more of it, then plunging the bare hand held drill into a glass tank of water whilst the drill continued to rotate at speed, the person carrying out the demonstration continued to hand hold the drill under water for a few moments and it finished with the drill being removed whilst continuing to spin and the person still holding it, all of this was carried out without any visible form of insulation worn by the person carrying out the demonstration, finally, again a warning that "this should not be tried at home ( no drill or operator was harmed during the demonstration :D )

oldie
 
I wouldn't wish to be pedantic, but in my experiance only of course, as far as I remember Parafin in the first instant or failing that or turps substitute is the recommended cutting fluid for cutting Alum, all of its alloys and if its needed to be cut wet, cast iron, magnesium and it's other alloys should be cut under a light oil.Steel is machined useing "Sud's" which is a mixture of a type of oil and water with other additives some of them to stop the development of bacteria in the solution thus giving a longer useful life. or occasionally for special needs such as drilling and tapping either "tallow" or one of the specially developed drilling/tapping lubricants such as Rocol. Gear cutting and Broaching ( very heavy machining) is done useing a special "Cutting Oil"
At Rolls Royce Aero Devision both in the production and research areas probably hundreds of Gallions of WD40 was used, but only in a de-watering/protecting way between operations, components were either dipped in 5 gallion drums of the stuff or sprayed with it. It was never used as a cutting fluid/agent.
oldie

Oldie, many thanks for useful info, I'm certainly not qualified to argue, I was merely recalling my understanding of a conversation I was had with a gentleman who owned an oil import/export business. The gist was it isn't a good lubricant, and it contains a lot of other things that a layman probably wouldn't think an oil would contain.
:)
 
Oh....isn't about time some bright spark suggested a combination of WD 40 and that other alternate....that 'pour-on glue-guck' , to clean the grooves-together in one application??!!:p:p:p
 
100% solution of IPA liberally applied with a pressure washer and scrubbed in with a brillo pad ought to work. Why stop with WD40?

Honestly, why some folks are too lazy to actually use t'internet do do their research. WD40 is a terrible idea to put anywhere near your LPs or stylii. The residue will collect crud and even if the volatile oils don't start to break down the glue bond of your stylus to cantilever, it will start to attack the rubber suspension. Motorcyclists have long known that WD is a bad thing to get anywhere near an O-ring chain as it destroys the seals eventually. The residue left will also collect crud and actually increase stylus and LP wear. In fact, why wait for that to happen....why not just butter the LP surfaces and add some grinding paste to the mix?

Oh, in 9999.9% of tests, un-salted butter spread to at least 1mm thick over all LP surfaces was effective in eliminating crackle. No cows were harmed in the making of this treatment.

In 1000% of tests, Co-Co pops soaked in milk actually increased perceived crackle....and snap.....and pop.....
 
Oldie, many thanks for useful info, I'm certainly not qualified to argue, I was merely recalling my understanding of a conversation I was had with a gentleman who owned an oil import/export business. The gist was it isn't a good lubricant, and it contains a lot of other things that a layman probably wouldn't think an oil would contain.
:)
Quite right, it's good for freeing off stuck parts & as a moisture dispersant but crap as a lubricant. I made a mistake & used it for my handguns, which proceeded to play up something rotten.
 


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