What Does WD 40 Stand For?

WD-40 stands for Water Displacement-40th attempt.  The history and uses of this product are interesting.

It all started in 1953, when a small company of three people, called the Rocket Chemical Company, worked on developing a line of solvents and degreasers that would prevent rust and corrosion for the aerospace industry. They worked in their small laboratory in San Diego, California and tried 40 times until they came up with a water displacing formula that was really good.

WD-40 was used first by Convair to protect the outside of the Atlas Missile from rusting and corroding. It was such a great product that some employees would take a can home to use. After several years, Norman Larsen, the founder of Rocket Chemical Company, started experimenting by putting WD-40 into an aerosol can, thinking there might be some home uses for the product.

It started being sold to the public in 1958. By 1960, the company had almost doubled in size with seven people. Together, they sold around 45 cases a day to hardware and sporting goods stores, delivering them by car. By the next year, they started selling by the truckload. Their first order was used to recondition equipment that had been damaged by water from the rain and flooding from Hurricane Carla.   

The WD-40 Company

Rocket Chemical Company was renamed the WD-40 Company, Inc after its only product, in 1969. WD-40 is now a household name, and has many uses including uses in the home, on the farm, in aviation, and manufacturing. By 1993, WD-40 could be found in four out of five households in America.

The WD-40 Big Blast was introduced in 2003. It had a nozzle for spraying a large area quickly and easily. In 2005, the smart straw was created, which offers a small straw for better control of the product which was permanently attached to the can. This attached straw solved the biggest complaint about the product, as people would often lose the straw.

Another improvement came in 2006 with the introduction of the WD-40 No-Mess Pen. It controlled the application of the product and was portable, which made it handier to take with you.

The WD-40 Fan Club grew to 100,000 members, which is a great tribute to this versatile product. In 2009 the WD-40 Trigger Pro was released, which was a non-aerosol product that would work better for industrial uses.   

WD-40 Uses

Normal uses of WD-40 include:

• fixing squeaks
• removing adhesive and tar
• rust protection

Strange uses include greasing a python snake that has coiled itself on the underside of a bus and assisting the police in arresting a naked burglar who was stuck in an air conditioning duct.

WD-40 is great for sporting equipment. It can clean and lubricate your bike, clean and protect your gun, protect your boat from rust, clean you golf clubs, and prevent rust on skates.

WD-40 can be used on rubber, wood, metal, and plastic. It will not harm painted surfaces.

There are a few materials that should not come into contact with petroleum-based WD-40. These include clear polystyrene plastic and polycarbonate.  

According to WD40.com, WD-40 has five basic functions:

1. Clean - It can clean off bugs from the car and gets gum out of the carpet.  It is an effective cleaner of tools and equipment.
2. Displace Moisture - It can eliminate shorts in electrical systems caused by moisture.
3. Penetrate - It can loosen metal parts that are stuck, frozen, or have rusted together.
4. Lubricate - It will take care of squeaky hinges and other noisy, moving things.
5. Protect - It protects metal surfaces by shielding against moisture and other corrosive materials.

WD-40 is known for its versatility and effectiveness, with origins in the aerospace industry that didn't succeed until the 40th try.