Who Invented WD40 in 1953?
Its been said… “If you want it to move and it doesn’t, get WD40. If you don’t want it to move, and it does get duct tape.” We all know what duct tape is, but what is the main ingredient of WD-40?
Early one Sunday morning I discovered some vandals spray painted all around the sides of my neighbor’s new beige truck with red paint. After delivering the bad news to Martin, and his crazy level dropped to a tad above normal, it was agreed there was nothing to accomplish until Monday morning. Just then… And only then, Martin’s little girl came out and shouted “Why don’t you get the WD-40 out of your tool box and clean it off?”
It removed the unwanted paint beautifully, and did not harm the original paint job on Martin’s new truck. Impressive! WD-40 who knew? ‘Water Displacement #40’.
The product resulted in a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser that would protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. WD-40’s name comes from the project seeking for a ‘water displacement’ compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40.
The Convair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you. When you read the “shower door” part, try it. It’s the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It’s a miracle! Then try it on your stove top … Viola! It’s now shinier than it’s ever been. You’ll be amazed at many uses, and what WD40 is made from. Read More “Who Invented WD40 in 1953?”