Do you know what WD-40 stands for?
Do you know what WD-40 stands for? People question the name and come up with some VERY quirky ideas!
It’s a DIY’er’s best friend, but it seems even they don’t know what WD-40 is all about.
No toolbox is complete without the top dog of DIY fluids – an American rust prevention spray that doubles as a lubricant, penetrant and moisture repellent.
It’s used for almost everything from dampening squeaky door hinges to softening stiff paintbrushes, untangling jewelry chains, and even removing chewing gum from hard-to-clean surfaces.
WD-40 was first formulated in San Diego, California, in 1953 and its invention is often credited to Chicago-born industrial chemist Norman Bernard Larsen.
After much trial and error with the mixture, the finished product was finally ready and went on sale in 1958, but rumor has it that the details of the formula were kept secret and the spray was never patented.
It is believed that WD-40 stands for Water Displacement 40th Formula, suggesting that the DIY fluid was the end result of Larsen’s 40th attempt at making the product – a statement that is passed down orally to this day.
People have debated what WD-40 stands for
WD-40 has since become a household name around the world, on shelves in 187 countries and used more than 2,000 times.
But people are confused about what is behind the name.
New York journalist David Muir pondered the same questions and even took to Twitter to ask people what the acronym stood for.
He tweeted, “What does WD-40 stand for?”
The tweet divided the opinion of many and received more than 716 comments and 215 likes. His followers volunteered a plethora of responses to help him solve the puzzle – but while many were perfect, others responded with the most bizarre guesses.
“Whistling doohicky 40,” one replied.
“Weight Watcher Diet 40” tweeted another.
One said, “Nothing just a name.”
While another replied, “Walt Disney.”
And not too far away, one tweeted, “Water deterrent!”
One of them completely changed the subject and even tweeted, “I’m convinced men think they can fix anything with some beer, duct tape and a little WD-40.”
On the Quora discussion forum, several people eventually got the correct answer
A post on US social forum Quora also shared the explanation: “Well, the story I heard was that they were researching a light oil that would displace water rather than the other way around.”
Long story short WD40 stands for water displacement formula #40. The fortieth trial was the result of the formula displacing water.’
‘What is it? A patented mix of light hydrocarbons that sticks to the surface and literally pushes the water away.’
But they offered an alternative meaning to what WD-40 stands for. He wrote, “WD-40 stands for wet or dry 40. You can spray it on wet or dry surfaces to lubricate or disperse water.”