John Robertson wrote:
On 2019/01/20 11:09 a.m., Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jan 2019 10:21:01 -0800, joefed54 wrote:
i find the stuff very helpful for freeing up stubborn automotive
fasteners (this comment will itself will bring out a completely
different breed of haters ... rave on haters, i didn't say it was the
BEST).
it is also REALLY good for removing sticky goo.
WD-40 is very good for blasting dirt and fine sand out of the clockwork
timers used to stop the engine and dethermalise competition free flight
model aircraft after they've landed in mud or dust piles, but there are
drawbacks:
- if you've cleaned the timer with WD-40 after one flight,
its a very good idea to repeat the the treatment after every following
one.

That sounds like an argument to find a better product. Obviously the WD
is gumming up the works and now you have to use it to enable the solvents
to loosen up the goo.

- remember to strip the timer and clean it thoroughly before the next
competition or trimming session.

Clean out the WD-40 residue I assume. There are much better aerosol
lubricants developed for the electronics industry that a spray to prevent
rust. Why not use one of those? MG Chemicals for one makes a variety of
lubricant cleaners that leave no residue to seize up the works...

Failure to do both of these is very likely to cause the timer to run slow
or stop next time you fly the model. The likely result in case is a crash
or losing the model upwards in a thermal.

Because the WD-40 is gumming up the works.

Why not use salad oil, or anything else that is a liquid when warm but congeals later?

IOW, WD-40 is useful stuff but you *must* know its side effects and take
steps to mitigate them every time you use it.

WD-40 should only be used when you don't have access to better products,
then wash it out carefully and use the correct product. I have fixed
enough games gummed up through the use of WD-40 that I would prefer to
never see that gunk again.

John :-#)#


Never saw gumming after decades.

Greg