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I had a tight ferrule and decided to wipe the female with a tad of WD40. Two drops on the Q tip and swabbed it out. Black stuff came out, the ferrule slides much better and the oxidation experienced is less. Been using the rod a lot for the past 2 weeks and it seems better and better at "popping" the ferrules.

Any downside?  (Don Anderson)

WD 40 attracts water and dirt (WD stand for water displacing), so I would clean the ferrule out real well to prevent problems in the future.  (Chris Obuchowski)

It might also leave a film and you really don't want WD40 in your shop as it contains a silicone like substance.  If you get it on your rod you might not get any finish to stick to it.  (Larry Tusoni)

Let’s dispel the myth. 

A year or two ago someone on this list published the fact that he had contacted the manufacturer of WD40 who said: “it doesn’t contain any silicone products.  It’s got fish oil in it”. That’s probably why guys spray it on their bass lures.

Water displacing does NOT mean water attracting.  In fact if means the opposite.  The WD40 gets into pores and crevices and pushes the water out.  And it works.  Many years ago, I was driving in a hellaceous rainstorm and drove through a one foot deep puddle which sprayed under my hood, got all over my ignition system and the car stalled.  I had just enough momentum to coast off the road into a gas station parking lot.  I told the guy in the station what happened and he handed me a can of WD40 and said, “spray that on your wires and distributor cap and you’re good to go!”  I thought to myself BullShit! But I bought the can anyway.  Five minutes later I was on my way !!!

But I still wouldn’t want to get ANYTHING OILY on my rods before I finished them.  (Al Baldauski)

I talked to one of the development team, he told me WD40 was kerosene with vanilla for a scent. Feels like kerosene smells like vanilla. (Timothy Troester)

The company I work for packages a similar product... the main ingredient in WD-40 is kerosene. When I fished in Bass Tourney's, guys were always buying "craw scent" products for their lures. They actually do work... it's just that they paid $6 for a $1.49 can of WD-40.  (Mike St. Clair)

Ahem. Let's dispel the myth of the myth:
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/wd-40.asp

Scroll to the bottom where they definitively rule out fish oil as an ingredient and back it up with the MSDS.

Snopes is the ultimate myth buster!

I echo Al's sentiments of not getting it on the rod.  (Scott Bearden)

That is good info.  The MSDS leave up to 20% of the blend ambiguous, though.  Undefined corrosion inhibitors and wetting agents could be just about anything, including fish oil or silicone oil.  But the “horses mouth” said NO silicone.

Anyway silicone oils CAN be very problematic but are actually used in some paint formulations for the purpose of smoothing the finish.  I’ve had experience in creating unique coating formulations which included silicone oil, BUT it was less than 10 parts per million.  Exceeding about 30 parts per million CAUSED fisheyes.  So it’s not a black-and-white issue.  It’s definitely a good idea to avoid unintended sources, though.  (Al Baldauski)

As your information was from the horses mouth it should be correct but it is the opposite of what I had been told by another industry contact.  A year or so ago I was having problems with fish eyes forming in the varnish on rods I was finishing so I contacted International - makers of the varnish -  and asked their advice.  They said:

"If you are getting fish eyes you have a silicon contamination no other contaminant will do this"  after discussing possible sources he said." Do you use WD 40 in any of your production because that is a common cause?"

I ceased using WD40 although the problem was actually more basic than that.  Some idiot needing to extend his dip tube had sealed the sleeved connection with a flexible sealant rather than epoxy.  (Gary Marshall)

I'll make an offer to end the silicone-in-WD40 question once and for all.  Just sent an email to my lab manager (I'm traveling until next week) and asked that they run GC/mass spec on a sample of WD40. Will be back home Monday night where I can access personal email and can get it out to everybody.  (Carey Mitchell)

Now that should be definitive!!  (Al Baldauski)

I had a tight ferrule and decided to wipe the female with a tad of WD40.

Hi Don - Good to see you on the list again. I have used this method also, when fitting older ferrules that seem to be oxidized and won't work smoothly, regardless of fit. It does work, and seems to be a permanent solution. I share the concerns of others about getting the stuff on the rod itself. I think it would get under the guide or ferrule wraps, and that can't result in anything good. I join and pull apart the ferrules several times, then carefully wipe off the grayish slurry. I might think twice about it if the ferrule did not have a water stop.  (Tom Smithwick)