Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:31:16 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Speaking of dashes...is "Armor All" destructive to vinyl?
In-Reply-To: <43ECB511.7030208@mchsi.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Years and years ago my father used to work on mechanical adding machines
and type writers. He was a salesman of said machinery and wound take a
mchine in on trade for a newer one. Most people traded because what they
had was not working properly, and rather than fool with it, they just
traded up. My father discovered that by pressure washing the machines in
mineral spirits the dirt, dust and gum could be disolved and washed out,
and almost magically the machines would function properly. It's amazing
what a little cleaning can do for machinery. Anyway, he also discovered
that the very best fine lubricant for the fine gearing etc., in the
machines was also the mineral spirits. The machines malfunctioned less,
and the occasional mineral spirits bath was suficient to keep them
running. Although the machines were enormously complicated, they just
didn't wear out that much, but dirt certainly clogged the works easily.
His service work grew faster than his sales work did, because his method
was so successful. He had a ot of happy customers that came to him first
to upgrade to new machinery. He eventually gout out of the business and
moved on to other things. But I always found it interesting that clean,
with a hint of lube, would go a really long way - much further than dirt
in gobs of grease.
Regards,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Al and Sue Brase wrote:
> One could say that WD-40 is a solvent. If kerosene withodor enhancer is
> a solvent, cause that's ALL it is. Accoring to someone in the chem lab
> of the world's largest green tractor plant where my wife worked for many
> years. Aparently they felt they needed to use the company's resources to
> analyse it. 100 years back, perhaps $1.59 for 12 oz of kerosene might
> have seemed pretty steep. Still, A-1 kero is only about $2.50 at the
> heating oil pump and pump sprayers pretty cheap.
> You are correct, John, that after the WD-40, one needs to follow up with
> some LUBE. Chain lube is one thing I like. Regular ould grease is pretty
> good, too.
> Al Brase
>
> John Rodgers wrote:
>
>> Interesting thing about WD-40. Somewhere I read that WD stood for Water
>> Displacement and the 40 stood for batch #40, which is the batch number
>> for the batch that the developers or chemists finally got to work like
>> they wanted. I know it is by far a better wate dispersant than a
>> lubricant, and if use for a lubricant it will disapate in very shor
>> order, leaving your pats unprotected so far as wear is concerned. Hit it
>> with WD 40 to loosen and clean, then hit it again with Marvels Mystery
>> Oil (not the top overhaul/lube stuff) if you need a real lubrication of
>> light weight penetrating oil. It is the best. Good for the gearing and
>> parts of a spinning reel, etc.
>>
>> John Rodgers
>> 88 GL Driver
>>
>> Doug F wrote:
>>
>>> This is an interesting topic. There are many views out there and its
>>> difficult to really know
>>> what is going on without being a chemist.
>>>
>>> The idea that the military has given up on WD-40 is also interesting
>>> to me.
>>> I feel that WD-40 is mostly a slovent. it is so thin that it almost
>>> evaporates after application.
>>> I no longer use it as an oil for items I want lubed for any length of
>>> time.
>>> I have switched to LPS lube which I believe is use in the aviation
>>> industry
>>> in place of WD-40.
>>>
>>> I gave up on Armor all years ago after I felt it was not doing long
>>> term
>>> good on my rubber and vinyl
>>> items on my sport bikes. it seems to brown rubber and vinyl in the hot
>>> California sun for me.
>>> I use Lexol's vinyl protectant and I use the turtle wax stuff it seems
>>> better.
>>> I have heard that that the molecules or silicone are not naturally
>>> good for
>>> paint, rubber, or vinyl
>>> Most "protectants" seem to have silicone in them however.
>>>
>>> You can use mineral spirits or simple paint thinner or perhaps diesel
>>> even
>>> if you want to try to restore
>>> natural oils to petrol made plastics with some simple good results.
>>>
>>> Detergents seem to strip the natural oils of plastics.
>>> Silicones seem to create a barrier that is supposed to protect from
>>> UV and
>>> drying out.
>>> The are greasy and you often found the inside of your windshield
>>> covered in
>>> muck from the
>>> armor all that was applied to your dash after it sits in the sun for
>>> any
>>> length. That pretty much
>>> turned me off the stuff.
>>>
>>> The Lexol stuff for plastic and vinyl does seem to offer a much less
>>> greasy
>>> finish and still seems
>>> to go the wet look that the other products offer.
>>> I found the lexol stuff through the porsche care care products.
>>> I would NEVER use a silicone based product on leather. I think that
>>> is a
>>> very bad move.
>>>
>>> Most of the new car finishes will not absorb much if they are
>>> catalyzed and
>>> clear coated.
>>> whatever you put on is just kind of on the outside not really bonded
>>> to the
>>> finish, despite what the claims are.
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Robert Fisher" <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
>>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>> Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2006 9:27 AM
>>> Subject: Re: Speaking of dashes...is "Armor All" destructive to vinyl?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> I was told once that Armor All would accelerate the process of the
>>>> oils in
>>>> upholstery wicking/evaporating if you applied it and then stopped
>>>> using
>>>>
>>>>
>>> it.
>>>
>>>
>>>> Supposedly if you kept using it you would be ok. I have no way to
>>>> know if
>>>> any of this is true, but I've heard several anecdotes like yours so
>>>> who
>>>> knows? I agree that a thick layer of grime is probably the best dash
>>>> protection. : )
>>>> I read in Consumer Reports or someplace like that many years ago
>>>> that STP
>>>> made the most effective upholstery treatment at that time.
>>>>
>>>> On another note, I was also told by a DCman while I was in the Navy
>>>> that
>>>> they were no longer allowed to use WD-40 in their preventive
>>>> maintenance,
>>>>
>>>>
>>> in
>>>
>>>
>>>> that the Navy had done extensive tests and determined that the WD-40
>>>> was
>>>>
>>>>
>>> the
>>>
>>>
>>>> cause for a number of repeated instances of premature failure of
>>>> various
>>>> kinds of machinery. Again, I don't have any way of knowing if it's
>>>> true
>>>>
>>>>
>>> that
>>>
>>>
>>>> it is harmful in that way but ever since then I've always thought of
>>>> that
>>>> whenever I see a can.
>>>>
>>>> Cya,
>>>> Robert
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: <JordanVw@AOL.COM>
>>>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2006 9:02 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: Speaking of dashes...is "Armor All" destructive to vinyl?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> In a message dated 2/9/06 11:40:57 AM Eastern Standard Time,
>>>>> dshowers@CPDS.NET writes:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Also, has anyone removed the padding bar from the sheet metal of the
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>> dash
>>>
>>>
>>>>>> and replaced it with something else? My "friend" did me a "favor"
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> put
>>>>>> armor all on it and it is now crap.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> yes, there is just dead space under there, so if you carefully
>>>>> drilled 2
>>>>> holes with a big hole cutting bit on a drill, then you could maybe
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> slide
>>>
>>>
>>>>> some PVC
>>>>> pipe inserts down in there to house cups.
>>>>>
>>>>> ps, what did the Armor All do to the dash??
>>>>>
>>>>> i had my dash in my Audi crack after years of armor all use. my
>>>>> mom,
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> who
>>>
>>>
>>>>> never cleaned her dash, never had a problem, and her Audi sat
>>>>> ungaraged
>>>>> for
>>>>> years in the elements.
>>>>>
>>>>> is armor all destructive to vinyl??
>>>>>
>>>>> ps, i have nice brown or black dashpads if anyone needs them..no
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> cracks..
>>>
>>>
>>>>> chris
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
| 
