Purpose of WD-40 when stonewashing?

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Apr 18, 2014
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As the title says. Yes there have been many posts on stone-washing but I cant seem to find this answered specifically.

I understand the use of water in a rock polisher which helps to lift/move grit and helps the abrasion process. Water is the "universal solvent" after all. But I've seen people using anything from dish soap to olive oil when stonewashing.

So, are they using WD-40 as a solvent or a temporary lubricant? Yes, it's more of a solvent IMO but it temporarily seems to have a lubricating affect. Either way wouldn't soap, or inversely 3-n-1 oil work better?

I wouldn't even be as curious and stuck on WD-40 if it weren't for a few tutorials which got great results using it.
 
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Probably a number of factors. The obvious light lubrication and grit suspension. It doesn't lubricate too much, so the media can work. It won't foam up and make a mess. Also, the prevention of corrosion/rust, the ease of cleanup, availability, price, and even the scent is a consideration.
 
Thank you Dave, I actually tried this with dish soap vs lubricant and saw the difference. Kinda like water in the rock tumber, the dish soap helped lift and suspend any grit but it also helped along the scratching process and produced deeper scratches. It was on a mirror polished piece of titanium, and after looked pretty crappy. Using lubricant worked better with the tie and got the stonewash that is more of the marbling look and was attractive. I guess steel being harder would likely work just fine with Wd-40 as kind of a middle ground.
 
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