WD-40: What's In it? Not patented; Atlas Missil

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I heard it wasn't patented to keep it's ingredients secret. Stands for Water Displacing (formula) #40, since it took the inventor 40 attempts to come up with it to coat steel fuel/oxidant tanks on early Atlas ICBMs to ward off rust from condensation.

What form of sorcery doth lie in its midst?
(I just got back from the local Renaissance Festival, so I'll be talking that way for a while.... sorry!!!!)
 
Who doesn't love the WD-40 story? If I recollect rightly, Paul Harvey even told the story on his show.
 
I'm thinking there might be a form of shellac in there to get the oil to stick. Speculation. Anybody?

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Who doesn't love the WD-40 story? If I recollect rightly, Paul Harvey even told the story on his show.
Travel Channel just re-enacted the whole Atlas missile story.
 
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Originally Posted By: HerrStig
It's been discussed here ad nauseam. Search will find it. What's the purpose of you question that isn't post?

I'm certainly "nauseum" at the fish oil comment.....
I know its an old product, old story. Good one though, and I still don't know what's in it.
 
Kroil has some very light ketones and alcohols, etc:
xrA9JJQ.jpg
 
At the old Convair aircraft plant in San Diego where WD-40 is located their salesman did an interesting stunt. He plunged a running electric hand drill into a 55 gal drum of WD-40 up to his elbow. Nothing happened.
 
Why would it? Most hand drills are double insulated and oil is used in transformers for both cooling and dielectric potential.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
At the old Convair aircraft plant in San Diego where WD-40 is located their salesman did an interesting stunt. He plunged a running electric hand drill into a 55 gal drum of WD-40 up to his elbow. Nothing happened.
Funny that you brought this up. I just happen to work there now. Now a SPAWAR facility. They still have pictures all over the place that were taken back in the day. Lots of history there.
 
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Originally Posted By: Blkstanger
.Funny that you brought this up. I just happen to work there now. Now a SPAWAR facility. They still have pictures all over the place that were taken back in the day. Lots of history there.

Gotta luv the SPAWAR ! For those of you not "in the know" like the cool kids on this site, SPAWAR stands for Super Performing Anti-Whining Aristocratic Rookies
 
Originally Posted By: ebr1190rx
Why would it? Most hand drills are double insulated and oil is used in transformers for both cooling and dielectric potential.
An oil burner company ad used to show a torch extinguished by shoving it into a pail of heating oil. (Don't try this at home).
 
FWIW, WD-40 will separate into an amber-colored liquid and a waxy substance if left over night(or spun in a centrifuge).

I did a GC-MS and NMR on the ammber liquid several years back. The GC found hydrocarbons from C8 to C20 with a peak concentration of around C12-C14, or kerosene in other words. The NMR showed it also consisted almost exclusively of alkanes.

I never could find a solvent to dissolve the waxy stuff, and bear in mind that this was in a fully equipped chemistry department with most every solvent imaginable
smile.gif
 
WD-40 is used by equestrians to add a polish and luster to horses hooves.

At he end of season I soak the wheel height adjusting hardware on my lawnmower as these flimsy parts rust like the dickens.

A hood latch spring broke on a friend's Ford (common Ford problem).
The hood closed only to the safety position; not fully closed.
She squirted an entire can of WD-40 under the center of the hood to "free something up".
 
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