J M Wetherington Sr

Well, I noticed the other day that I haven’t done one of these kind of posts in almost 5 years and it’s time to remedy that.

These days, almost every professional and home tool kit contains a can of WD-40, which is used for a variety of lubrication purposes in the home, on cars, on boats, really on just about anything metal.

But do you know how it came to be?

Back in 1953, a fledgling company named Rocket Chemical Company of San Diego with only 3 employees was attempting to develop a product that would prevent rust and corrosion on missile parts for the aerospace industry by displacing water on surfaces before it could cause oxidation to begin. Scientist Norm Larsen was experimenting with formulas to achieve that result, but kept failing to find one that would work.

Finally, on his 40th try, he got it right and WD (Water Displacement) – 40 was born.

Now you know.