The Dark Origins of WD-40

Can WD40 really do all the things that people claim? Also, who came up with

people claim? Also, who came up with this product? And what is even in those

this product? And what is even in those distinctive blue and yellow cans? And

most importantly, what does WD40 even stand for? Anyway, as it turns out, the

stand for? Anyway, as it turns out, the world's favorite multi-purpose spray has a surprisingly dark origin, one that dates all the way back to the tensest days of the Cold War. On October the 4th, 1957, the Soviet Union launched

Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. In the United States, this

satellite. In the United States, this feat was met with panic and dread. In

addition to dramatically showcasing Soviet technical superiority, the little silver wall orbiting the Earth represented a genuine existential threat. For the same araban rocket that

threat. For the same araban rocket that had carried Sputnik into orbit could just as easily drop a nuclear bomb anywhere in the continental United States with almost no warning. In

response, the US could only field a handful of medium-range ballistic missiles like the Redstone, Thor, and Jupiter, which had to be based in foreign countries such as Britain and Turkey in order to reach targets in the

Soviet Union. Thankfully, however, a

Soviet Union. Thankfully, however, a solution was in development. The SM65

Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile designed by the Conveyor Corporation of San Diego, California. The Atlas was an advanced and innovative design, especially in the construction of its

propellant tanks. In most rockets and

propellant tanks. In most rockets and missiles, the propellant tanks are separate components suspended within a rigid airframe. In the Atlas, however,

rigid airframe. In the Atlas, however, the fuselage and tank walls were one and the same and made of extremely thin stainless steel. The so-called balloon

stainless steel. The so-called balloon tanks were kept rigid by the pressure of the propellants inside them. This made

the Atlas extremely light and efficient for its size, but also meant that it had to be kept pressurized at all times, or else it would collapse like a full balloon. The Atlas first entered service

balloon. The Atlas first entered service in 1959, eventually being deployed across 10 Air Force bases across the United States. As a strategic nuclear

United States. As a strategic nuclear deterrent, these missiles spent the vast majority of their time sitting idle in their underground silos, exposing their stainless steel skin to attack by corrosion. To ensure that the nation's

corrosion. To ensure that the nation's nuclear force would always remain in launch ready condition, Convey began seeking a means of coating the Atlas's skin and preventing the infiltration of moisture. Luckily, just such a product

moisture. Luckily, just such a product had recently been invented by a small local company. In September 1959, a

local company. In September 1959, a group of California-based engineers and chemists, including Ivan Norman, Norm Larson, Gordon Dorson, John Gregory, and Sirill Sai Irving came together to form

the Rocket Chemical Company. Initially

headquartered in Chula Vista near San Diego. Shortly after the company's

Diego. Shortly after the company's founding, a US naval commander and friend of the Lawson family asked Norm Lawson if he could develop a penetrating coating to protect machinery aboard naval ships from salt corrosion. Said

coating, he explained, had to be stable and easy to store and apply. Lawson, who

had a degree in mechanical engineering, but not chemistry, nonetheless accepted the challenge, and to the dismay of his family, set up a makeshift laboratory in his home garage at 1048 Myrtle Way in

San Diego's Hillrest suburb. For months

on end, Lawson experimented with dozens of mixtures of petroleum distillates, rejecting one formula after another is inadequate. Finally, on the 40th

inadequate. Finally, on the 40th attempt, Lawson hit PAR, a concoction that efficiently displaced water from metal parts, lubricating them and protecting them from corrosion. Lawson

turned over his formula to Rocket Chemical Company President Sai Irvin, who dubbed it WD40 for water displacement 40th formula. To test

Lawson's mixture, Irving took a mixture to San Diego's Emberard Aero Docks, a major repair hub for tuna fishing boats.

There, he convinced Sam Crefll, owner of the tuna boat Sun Europa, to test out the new product. Crelo and Irvin lifted the engine out of the Sun Europa, lowered it into the salt water, and left it overnight. The next morning, they

it overnight. The next morning, they doused the engine in WD40, and to their utter surprise and delight, it started without issue. So impressed was Crell

without issue. So impressed was Crell with WD40's abilities that he offered to buy a 50% stake in Rocket Chemical Company. He followed through on this

Company. He followed through on this promise and was elected to the position of treasurer. From the Embaradero docks,

of treasurer. From the Embaradero docks, word of the company's incredible new product spread quickly throughout San Diego, eventually reaching the Convey Corporation, who began buying large quantities of WD40 to protect the skin

of their new Atlas missile from corrosion. It wasn't long before

corrosion. It wasn't long before engineers and mechanics at Convey began discovering new unexpected uses for WD40. From removing lipstick from

WD40. From removing lipstick from collars to repelling ants, perhaps inevitably, these employees began taking cans of WD40 home with them to tackle all sorts of domestic tasks. Recognizing

a potentially huge domestic market for their first and thus only product in 1958, the Rocket Chemical Company made WD40 available for private purchase in San Diego. From here, business

San Diego. From here, business accelerated at a rapid pace with the company moving into a 3,500 ft plant on Alvarado Canyon Road and expanding its distribution across the

United States and even overseas to Latin America, Australia, and Japan. A large

part of this success was thanks to a change of packaging. While initially

WD40 was packaged in regular metal tins, in 1958, then company president Norman Lson hit upon the idea of offering the product in aerosol spray cans, allowing it to be more easily applied to a wide

variety of surfaces. By September of that year, the Rocket Chemical Company was turning out nearly 8,000 spray cans every day, while WD40 was carried in over 500 hardware stores throughout San

Diego. But it was two major world events

Diego. But it was two major world events which caused WD40 sales to truly go through the roof. The first was Hurricane Cara, which for 14 days in September 1961 pounded southern Texas

and Louisiana, causing widespread flooding. In response, the Rocket

flooding. In response, the Rocket Chemical Company shipped 36 pounds of WD40 to the Gulf Coast to help restore flood damaged emergency vehicles and other vital equipment. Three years

later, in 1964, the United States began escalating military operations in Vietnam, sending countless tons of corrosion-prone equipment into an extremely hot and humid environment. One

soldier, who brought along a can of WD40 to protect his rifle from corrosion, wrote to the Rocket Chemical Company, claiming that their product had saved his life. In July of that year, the

his life. In July of that year, the company received an official government order for 233,000 aerosol cans and 355gal drums of WD40 for use in Vietnam, their

largest contract so far. By 1966, the company had moved once again to a new 6,000 square foot plant on Napa Street, and sales of WD40 had reached nearly $5

million per year, a nearly 1,500fold increase in less than a decade. But in

one of history's unfortunate twists of fate, the man behind the enormously versatile WD40 formula would not share in his creation's extraordinary success.

When Norman Lawson submitted his winning 40th formula to Sai Irving, he was rewarded with a bonus of $500, equivalent to just over $5,000 today.

However, he received no company stock or other benefits and thus received no part of WD40's extraordinary profits. More

tragically still, in official accounts of the creation of WD40, Lawson's name was mixed up with that of company president Norman Lson, leading to Larsson being credited with the invention of WD40 and Lawson being

effectively erased from history. Ivan

Norman Lawson died in 1967 at the age of 75. His historic contributions all but

75. His historic contributions all but forgotten. Meanwhile, the Rocky Chemical

forgotten. Meanwhile, the Rocky Chemical Company continued to go from strength to strength on the legendary versatility of its first and only product. In 1969, the company officially changed its name to the WD40 Company, Inc. This was for the

simple reason that, in the words of then company President John Barry, "We don't make rockets." Barry, who joined the

make rockets." Barry, who joined the company the same year it changed its name, is a legendary figure in the history of WD40, considered instrumental in the brand's enduring ubiquity and

success. Barry's major contribution was

success. Barry's major contribution was to focus the company's marketing on WD40's extraordinary versatility, turning it from a specialtity product for the armed forces and aerospace

industry into a ubiquitous household product found in nearly every toolbox and kitchen drawer around the world. To

this end, Barry ensured the WD40 was carried not only by hardware and automotive stores, but by grocery stores and corner stores as well, explaining, "It's a numbers game. The more shelves

we're on, the better the chance a buyer will pick us up, whether it's in hardware or sporting goods. He also

encouraged customers to write in with unusual household uses for the products, which were then rolled into the company's advertising campaigns. By the

1970s, this list of non-standard applications had grown into the thousands and included, but was not limited to, deep breath here, loosening stuck zippers, removing crayon, lipstick, and duct tape residue, protecting silverware from tarnishing,

keeping pigeons off balconies, treating ant stings, polishing floors, untangling jewelry chains, cleaning stainless steel, hiding cracks in ceramic and marble floors, lubricating children's playground slides, restoring leather furniture, lubricating artificial limbs,

restoring flooded automotive distributor caps, keeping bathroom mirrors from fogging, stopping squirrels from climbing bird feeder poles, removing scruff, remarks from lenolium floors. I

didn't make it. Attracting fish and treating arthritis pain are so close.

Most of these uses have actually been tested and confirmed by the WD40 company, particularly those related to lubrication, cleaning, and preventing corrosion. Indeed, one of the largest

corrosion. Indeed, one of the largest scale applications of the product is protecting sections of the Statue of Liberty in New York City from the elements. However, the company strongly

elements. However, the company strongly discourages more unusual use of its products such as treating antings, attracting fish, and treating arthritis on account of WD40's toxicity. Which

does beg the question, what is actually in the little blue and yellow can that can? Alas, Ival Lawson's original

can? Alas, Ival Lawson's original formula was never patented, meaning that for 60 years, the exact composition of WD40 has remained a closely guarded trade secret. Only a handful of company

trade secret. Only a handful of company employees are privy to the secret. The

WD40 concentrate is only blended in four factories in California, Louisiana, the United Kingdom, and Australia. And since

2018, Lawson's original handwritten notes have been securely locked up in a San Diego bank vault. The secrecy has inevitably led to rampant speculation as to the miracle spray's composition, with

the most commonly circulated theory being that the main ingredient of WD40 is fish oil. Other more outlandish theories posit that the spray's distinctive smell comes from the vanilla extract vanilla and that the secret

formula contains among other things the goop from lava lamps and even seamen.

The truth, however, is rather more mundane with the official material safety data sheet or MSDS for WD40 listing the basic ingredients as 45 to 50% low vapor pressure aliatic

hydrocarbons, less than 35% petroleum base oil, less than 25% high vapor pressure aliatic hydrocarbons, 2 to 3% carbon dioxide as propellant. In 2009,

Wired magazine sent a sample of WD40 to a lab for chemical analysis and discovered that the secret source is composed mainly of petroleum distillates including decane, nonane, tridocaine,

undocane tetradane dimethyl napylene cycllohexane, mineral oil, no fish oil or otammen in sight. Sorry, these

ingredients make perfect sense given WD40's abilities. Mineral oil is a

WD40's abilities. Mineral oil is a proven lubricant. Nonain displaces water

proven lubricant. Nonain displaces water and decane, tridocaine and unicane protect the mixture from freezing at low temperatures. The latter compounds are

temperatures. The latter compounds are also found in the pheromone secreted by cockroaches, ants, and the red banded stink bug, possibly accounting for WD40's distinctly sweet smell. However,

the exact proportions of ingredients used in WD40 remains known only to its manufacturers, ensuring WD40's ongoing success. And what success it has been.

success. And what success it has been.

In 2021, the WD40 company, which employs nearly 500 employees worldwide and sells products in 176 countries, posted net earnings of $70.2 million, while over

the past decade, it stock has gone up nearly 200%, more than twice the growth of the benchmark standard and poor 500 stock index. And in recognition of the

stock index. And in recognition of the company's major contributions to the aerospace industry, in 2014, WD40 was inducted into the San Diego Air and Space Museum's International Air and Space Hall of Fame. All of this despite

the fact that the company's flagship product has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 60 years with one notable exception. Ironically, due to a 2013

exception. Ironically, due to a 2013 California Air Resource Board ruling requiring all aerosols to contain 25% or less volatile organic compounds, WD40 cannot be sold in the state of its

creation in its original formulation.

For this reason, regular cans of WD40 sold in the remaining 49 US states and around the world are labeled not for sale in California. This does not mean, however, that there have been no changes

at WD40. In 2003, the company introduced

at WD40. In 2003, the company introduced the big blast nozzle to allow their product to be more effectively applied to large areas, while in 2005, it rolled out cans with a permanently attached

flip-up smart straw, finally solving customers number one complaints, losing the little red applicator straw. The

company has also attempted to diversify its product line, launching a variety of products, including specialtity WD40 formulations for use on machine tools and motorcycles, 3in-1 lubricating oil,

lava hand soap, spotshot carpet cleaner, and 20,000 flushes toilet cleaner.

However, the vast majority of the company's profits still come from Iva Lawson's original secret formula with a thousand uses, a testament to the power

of a good product marketed well.