It's only 50% wanting to save $$$ the last 3 dispenser cans crapped out on me and I had to puncture them and apply with a spray bottle.
A metal gallon can of WD-40 is about $20 and after googling 'Homemade WD-40' I see that lots of guys have been making their own formulas.
And lo and behold I have a gallon of 'paint thinner' and an opened but sealed can of Trans fluid on the workshop shelf. Those two substances seem to be the universal ingredients in a 50-50 mix but I thought I'd add a little kerosene as well.
I was at a Holiday gas station that sold Kero at about $4.00 / gal gave them a buck but the big fat nozzle would barely go into the red plastic can I had. What gives here? I do have a genuine 'Gerry Can' painted blue with a very large fill opening...I think I was facing a 'smart nozzle' that wouldn't dispense into the smaller throat. Plus the attendant said the can should really be Yellow.
30 years ago the guy I was buying Kero from for my garage heater (a rental shop) actually painted the Gerry Can blue himself and was worried about a big fine.
Questions:
Do they really need to be yellow now?
Will a gas station pump actually dispense into a Gerry Can with a wide fill opening or am I SOL.
What's your recipe for Homemade WD-40 Acetone/ tranny fluid?
Will a plastic spray bottle work with this mixture...I notice that the Gallon Can of WD-40 also comes with a steel bodied sprayer.
I make my own penetrating oil at home using a mixture of acetone and automatic transmission fluid. This seems to be, by far, the best penetrating oil I have ever used. The oil I make is nothing but acetone and automatic transmission fluid mixed 1:1.
The theory behind it is this:
Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) is an excellent lubricant in and of itself. However, it is too thick to seep into rusted parts and bolts easily. The idea is that when you mix it 1:1 with acetone, it makes the ATF thin enough to seep into these small areas, and then the acetone evaporates leaving nothing but ATF to do its job.
So, with that said, Machinist’s Workshop Magazine did a test to see what is the best penetrating oil that came out in their April 2007 issue. While I’m unable to locate the exact article, here are the numbers they came up with:
Penetrating oil . Average load .. Price per fluid ounce
None …………….. 516 pounds .
WD-40 ………….. 238 pounds .. $0.25
PB Blaster ……… 214 pounds .. $0.35
Liquid Wrench … 127 pounds .. $0.21
Kano Kroil …….. 106 pounds .. $0.75
ATF-Acetone mix.. 53 pounds .. $0.10
Penetrating oil is what oil they used, and average load is what the force required to bread the bolt free was (measured in foot-pounds). Supposedly this test was done by rusting several bolts in a controlled manner, so that they were all stuck but still all exactly the same before the test.
If nothing else, the stuff is every bit as good as PB Blaster for a fraction of the price. I must warn you though…this is for metal objects only – the acetone can dissolve certain types of rubber and plastic.
Lastly, as you see in the picture, I even make it with used ATF. As long as it isn’t too burnt, the used stuff will work almost as well as new for this purpose. I measure with the plastic lid, and then store it in an old seafoam can. Pour the mixture into an old fashioned oiler to make it easy to dispense.
