Changed my mind about using WD-40 on aircraft cables after a 30 year vet showed me the residue buildup on his inspection mirror

He pulled out a borescope and showed me a cable I'd just lubed was actually attracting grime that could bind up the pulley system, so now I only use approved cable compounds even if it takes twice as long. Has anyone else had a senior mechanic change your approach with a simple demo like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie80412d ago

That "black and sticky" description hit close to home. I did the same thing on my old tractor's throttle cable, thought I was being clever with the WD-40 and ended up with a gummy mess that made it harder to pull than before. My neighbor, a retired farmer who's been fixing things since before I was born, just shook his head and handed me a can of proper cable lube without saying a word. I stood there feeling like a fool while he showed me how the dust from the barn was basically turning my "lube" into a grinding paste. It's humbling when a simple demonstration makes you realize you've been doing something wrong for years.

smith.parker13d ago

Had a similar thing happen with a older mechanic on a job site who showed me how my "lubricating" was just making a paste out of dust and grit. He wiped a cable fitting with a rag and it came off black and sticky, not slippery at all. Changed my whole view on just grabbing the nearest spray can for everything.

susan_adams13d ago

You're totally right on that whole "black and sticky" thing, @smith.parker. I did the exact same thing on a project at home once, thinking I was a genius with my WD-40 can and then just ended up with a nasty paste all over the place. Honestly, I'm pretty sure I use more lube than my car does at this point, and not in a good way. It's like I'm just seasoning the dust for a recipe nobody wants to eat. At least your mechanic caught it early, mine just handed me a rag and let me figure it out the hard way by making a bigger mess first. Definitely a lesson in slowing down and actually reading what the spray can is supposed to do instead of just going wild with it.