Probably not the best thing, but certainly up to the task. The old lubricant is good as dead, and who knows what other junk is in the gears. The point of the bath was to clean it all up (and I must say it did - the WD40 was coming out a horrible brown color, mixed with fuzz). When I think things are working well, I will have the "fun" of lubricating it properly. A service manual should have that info. But for right now, constant shots of WD40 will work fine (I have also been spinning the motor by hand quite a bit - not fun considering the motor is buried). OK, thanks. I will perhaps subscribe and get some advice. William Donzelli aw288(a)osfn.org

Now, in order to MAKE THINGS CLEAR TO THOSE THAT LIKE ASSUMING THINGS, I bathed the mechanism in WD40 to get the old lubricant and garbage _out_. That is what WD40 is _made_ for, so it looks like I used the product in a very _proper_ manner. I am sure this machine had not been run in fifteen years, and maybe never lubed at all thru its entire lifetime. Running for a few minutes (yes, just a few) on what little lubrication WD40 provides (or the short term rejuvenation of the old lubricant) is a whole bunch safer than running with nothing, or the old garbage still present (in fact, when I first obtained the machine, I spun the motor by hand to find the whole mechanism had seized). When I am confident that things are operating properly, I will lube the thing up with a good synthetic oil. For now, liberal shots of WD40 when I work on the machine are just fine. It appears to be within the carriage. When the thing does lock up, the digits get very sticky, as well as the clearing mechanism. With some fiddling with the clearing mechanism, the seize goes away. William Donzelli aw288(a)osfn.org

You are wrong. Sorry. Check the MSDS, and you will find that WD40 is mostly Stoddard Solvent. Stoddard Solvent is handy stuff, its primary use is being a degreasing solvent that is "somewhat" safe to use (unlike others that are quite aromatic). There is also some propellant in WD40, as well as a little bit of lubricant. The lubricant does not last long, so it is at best a very short term solution. Stoddard Solvent is a petroleum distillate. Its a complex mixture of various solvents, many of which can be found in what you know as "degreasers". The mixture is set so that the stuff is not as dangerous to use as pure kerosene, naptha, etc.. Those are better solvents, but come with headaches that I do not need. So go check your facts before you flame me again. I know what I am talking about, and I am just following the advice of the experts in the field. I know that WD40 is not much of a lubricant, and I do realise that proper lubrication is required after a cleansing. I have rebuild many aircraft dynamotors, many reaching 60 years of age, and not one has had a bearing failure because of an improper lube job on my part. I must be doing something correct. As I said in another post, my first action was to turn the motor by hand. I am still doing that to a great extent. William Donzelli aw288(a)osfn.org

No, not "could be", it IS. The solvent in it is the degreaser, and the oil is the repeller. I use WD40 because it takes quite a bit to give me a headache, and it will not explode at the slightest spark. My safety comes first. Perhaps if you _remember_ back a little while, I mentioned that I dip stuff in a stronger solvent (acetone, generally) to get rid of this buildup. It is very fast acting, so I do not expose myself to it very long. It does the job, and leaves bare metal for the new grease or oil. Amazing... You do really take me for some sort of moron, don't you? Even though I have pointed out in the past that I am aware of how WD40 is to be used, and how things are to be relubed, you just had to assume the worst and go for the throat. Thanks a lot, thanks a whole lot. Maybe now I can see why you complain about not being able to get a job or why the museums don't seem to want you around. With your "never wrong" attitude, the reason shines like a beacon in the night. I must thank the other poster that pointed me towards the Calculator list - I plan on trying that out. I certainly hope that the people there will not give me this sort of "help" with my project. If I knew I was going to run into this crap, I would not have asked in the first place. Next topic, please... William Donzelli aw288(a)osfn.org

On Sun, 2 Jul 2000, William Donzelli wrote: However, as Tony pointed out, WD40 is still not the right thing to use. WD40 is good for removing dampness from a push-reel mower's blades, but that's just to displace water and prevent rust. I wouldn't use it to clean anything, as it will just gum things up where you don't want things gummed up. If you're careful, more useful chemicals are safe to use... that is, if you don't do something stupid with them. When I was in college, I recall acetone being one of the least harmful chemicals used in general chemistry labs; you can purchase it in a hardware store... actually, it's also bottled and sold as fingernail polish remover. [written to A.R. Duell] That's an false, and most unfair, hit below the belt. I've exchanged e-mail with Tony for nearly a decade, and never found him to have a "never wrong" attitude. He's been very helpful to me, and others, and has unselfishly spent a great deal of time helping others solve problems as well as taking the time to inform others of his many hacks and restorations, giving us detailed exampes of how to do things the right way. I recon that few, if any, others on this list have accomplished as much as he has with restoration and software/hardware hacking, and figuring other things out as well. But first, an apology to Tony from you is in order. -- R. D. Davis rdd(a)perqlogic.com http://www.perqlogic.com/rdd 410-744-4900

I used to work in the clothing industry, and what we settled on for the sewing machines was Mobile 1 synthetic 5 or 10 wt oil. I think we had to buy quarts or so, but it worked well.