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Old 3rd August 2020, 02:33 PM   #25
kronckew
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Room 101, Glos. UK
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WD40 and wood are not a good mix. It dries and leaves a gunky residue when over-applied. There are better oils available from gunsmiths.

I've heard an old 'fix' for a loose grip on a tang with a slightly oversized central grip hole was to paint the tang with a salt and vinegar paste to encourage rust, which increases the size of the tang as rust takes up more space than the steel it used to be.

That is why you can't use water with a high salt content to make reinforced concrete. It rusts the rebar, expands them and the concrete cracks from the outwards force which is quite strong. This lets in more water & the deterioration accelerates.

If it's used on an old somewhat fragile and dry shrunken wood grip, the expansion could crack the wood. medical grade mineral oil/Ballistol would be better, to rehydrate the dry shrunken wood and lube the internal rust that is preventing the disassembly. It's also non-poisonous and food safe unlike WD40. It will discolour light wood tho and you can't varnish over it. It never dries or hardens. Ballistol has a nice aroma, if you like Ouzo liquor (Greek) you might like it's anise aroma. I do.
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