Expert: William J Perkins - 1/1/2009

Question
I went cleaning my clocks with wd40, I have being told it is the worst thing I can do. What is the best solution to get rid of the WD40

Answer
You got that right.  Wd40 is a fine product, but it is about the worst thing you can use on a clock.  Removing it is a problem.  You will have to decontaminate the clocks by cleaning them.  I gather this is a problem with more than one clock.  Unfortunately I do not know of any cleaning solution that is not killed by Wd40.  With each clock you will have to start with fresh solution clock, throwing the contaminated solution out before proceeding to another clock.  There are many commercial clock cleaning solution available through all clock material houses.  Or you can mix up your own.  
                       Oleic acid      2oz liquid
                       Acetone         4oz liquid
                       Strong Ammonia  8oz liquid
                       Water           1 gal
Once you have removed the Wd40 you will have to give the clocks a traditional cleaning.  In this step you can use the same solution for many clocks, you don't have to throw out after each decontamination.  Once cleaned you will need to lubricate the clocks using a proper clock oil.
This is not going to come cheap nor will it be easy.  To the contrary it will be both expensive and work intensive.  
Sorry about that.  I am sure this is not what you wanted to hear but if you want to do it right, this is what you should do.  Regards WJP