Got yelled at for using WD-40 on a Haas VF-2 last Tuesday. Still not over it.

I was just trying to clean off some coolant residue from the way covers and this lead guy comes running over saying I'm ruining the machine. Said the lithium grease I should have used costs $18 a tube and I'm wasting shop money. But my old shop used WD-40 for everything and none of those machines ever broke. Do you guys actually follow the manual for lubricants or just use whatever works?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaronrobinson1mo ago

Why is it always the "lead guy" who acts like the machine is made of glass? We use WD-40 on our VF-3s for quick cleanups all the time and they've been running fine for years.

wilson.jana1mo ago

Yeah @aaronrobinson is spot on. My buddy who used to work at a big job shop in Ohio told me one time he grabbed the wrong grease gun for a Mazak lathe and the lead guy flipped out just like this. Turned out he used the cheap stuff they kept around for door hinges instead of the expensive way lube. The machine survived the whole shift and nothing blew up. People get weird about maintenance. I say if it works and you're not spraying brake cleaner on the electronics or dumping sand in the oil ports, who cares.

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