Replies

1. 
   rich1107 | Sep 23, 2005 03:36am | #1

   No need to wonder...;)

   In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry, in a small lab in San Diego, California.

   It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-40—which

   stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try—is still in use today.

   From:  http://www.wd40.com/AboutUs/our_history.html

    

1. 
   Billgiblin | Sep 23, 2005 03:42am | #3

   Aww, you ruined the fun. But we should still speculate on what the other 39 were.

   Edited 9/22/2005 9:54 pm ET by Billgiblin

1. 
   rich1107 | Sep 23, 2005 03:51am | #4

   Not necessarily, that's just what they say 1 - 39 were about.  Lot's of people say things...don't always say the truth;)

1. 
   Billgiblin | Sep 23, 2005 05:10am | #5

   I think #39 is now used as the secret ingredient in hot dogs.

2. 
   generalkael | Sep 23, 2005 10:54pm | #8

   Makes you wander what Phillips 66 is...Scott
   Slacker Extraordinaire
   Specializing in nothing but knowledge in everything.

1. 
   PlaneWood | Sep 24, 2005 06:48am | #13

   Phillips first gas station was on Highway 66 in Okla.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood

1. 
   tejonista | Sep 24, 2005 07:48am | #14

   There's another story of the origin of Phillips 66 on the Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_66

   I had been under the mistaken impression that '66' represented the octane number of the gasoline at the time. Ditto for Union '76.'

   tejonista

2. 
   philip | Sep 23, 2005 10:20am | #6

   So that's why they called it rocket fuel...back in 1976 in the north sea awl fields.Philip Marcou

3. 
   sapwood | Sep 23, 2005 11:56pm | #9

   That is a complete myth put out by the PR guys at the company. The truth is (and I'm not making this up) there were originally forty woodworkers consigned to shop test their new WonDer lube spray. These testers used the material on saw trunnions, bearings, and even as a finish for their wood (although none would ever admit to that in court). They reported back to the lab boys that the stuff was great. So the company named it in the woodworkers honor: Woodworkers Delighted-40 of them. However, then the PR guys got into the act and pointed out that the company wanted to market the stuff to non-woodworkers also (imagine that). So they put out that bogus story. I was #26

1. 
   MatthewSchenker | Sep 24, 2005 01:05am | #10

   sapwood,
   So without you we would all be using WD-39?When you were doing the testing, did they happen to put you guys up at a Motel 6?

1. 
   sapwood | Sep 24, 2005 04:54am | #11

   Actually I didn't like the stuff, but I went along to get my 15 minutes of fame. We tested in our own shops but during mandatory training I held out for the Super 8. Motel 6 is for iron workers.

1. 
   EdHarrow | Sep 24, 2005 05:39am | #12

   Actually, at least one thing has changed with respect to WD-40.  They originally used propane as the propellant; now they use CO2.  If ya got any old stuff it is GOLD for spud guns.

2. 
   Jer | Sep 25, 2005 06:34am | #15

   Actually I was WD #41, and they wanted to go with me but the post office lost my letter of response. It was all snail mail in those days.

2. 
   John_D | Sep 23, 2005 03:36am | #2

   WD-37 is McDonald's Special Sauce for Big Macs, which is marginally less toxic than WD-40.

3. 
   SawdustSteve | Sep 23, 2005 05:28pm | #7

   And just my luck... my grandfather tried to make a new soda... he stopped at 6-up!
   SawdustSteve

4. 
   Elcoholic | Sep 25, 2005 07:01pm | #16

   Everytime I use it the smell takes me back to the 70's when I was on a race boat crew.  After a thorough inside and out wash down with soap and water we'd towel it off and then spray all the metal with WD40.  We used the gallon size with the hose sprayer.  It did a great job of keeping the salt water from pitting all the pretty gold anodized aluminum. 

   John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   The more things change ...

   We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized.  I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.

   Petronious Arbiter, 210 BC