12/18/2023 0 Comments Wd40 corrosion inhibitor![]() ![]() ![]() He gave me these three: Start with a clean surface Given the complexity of the topic, I asked Aiello if lubrication could be condensed to three, bite-size pieces of advice. “While the WD-40 Multi-Use Product is viewed as a ‘one-can wonder’ by many people, we also heard from our end users that they have specialized needs for specific pain points.” Lubrication is a highly specific business, according to Chris Aiello, a senior scientist in research and development at the company’s technical center in Pine Brook, New Jersey. Maybe it’s a little too easy, leading people to use the standard product when they should be using something else. When the can runs out, pick up another one at the grocery store–or seemingly at any store. The can’s graphics make it jump out in a cluttered workshop. Nothing smells offensive when you’re done. Something needs lubrication? Grab the spray can and hose it down. It seems that early on in WD-40’s history people understood one thing about it: It’s easy. Lost in history, people discovered that placing tallow or wax between the parts helped them interact with less damage. In turn, this causes more particles to break free and the damage cycle repeats itself and is magnified until one or both parts fail. These jagged particles tumble around, further increasing the friction between the parts, increasing heat and accelerating surface damage. Parts in motion relative to one another make physical contact causing sharp microscopic pieces of material to be broken off. It also exhibits an uncanny wicking action that helps it seep where it’s needed Trevor Raab Understanding Lubrication It clings to a chain (or other moving parts) and resists getting flung off. The company’s gel lube emits from the can as a liquid but quickly becomes a gel on the part to be lubricated. It’s all related: cleaning, lubrication, and corrosion protection. In all, these various formulations encompass general spray lubricant, industrial grease, bike chain lube, roller chain lubrication, rust removers, and a variety of cleaners. Its catalog lists 22 products each available in a range of sizes and applicator types. That gigantic lubrication market, and the brand’s strong acceptance among users, explains why the company makes more than its most familiar lubricant. It’s a small but commercially important cog in the lubrication industry, a market worth nearly $19 billion annually. The company stores the formula not in its headquarters in San Diego, but in a bank vault nearby.Ī long list of commercial successes followed those humble beginnings, leading the company to where it is today, a publicly-traded entity with stock trading in the vicinity of $171.50 per share. Its formulation is so closely guarded that it was never patented, and the MSDS that describes it is barely helpful for identifying the contents in the can. The company added a light fragrance in 1961, and that's about as close as it ever came to doing anything strange with it. The flagship formulation is a blend of high-quality, light-body lubricating oils propelled out of the can with CO 2. The Greatest Tools in the History of the World.The Best Rust Removers for Every Surface.Below that disarmingly-simple title, the can text reads, “stops squeaks, removes and protects, loosens rusted parts, frees sticky mechanisms, drives out moisture.” ![]() This is the WD-40 which its label identifies simply as “Multi-use Product.” Not oil. Police even used it once to grease down a naked burglar who got stuck as he squirmed his way into a building via an air conditioning duct. The company states something like 2,000 uses for its flagship spray, everything from silencing squeaky hinges to freeing a python wrapped around the undercarriage of a bus. We have nothing more than anecdotal evidence to make this claim, but aside from engine oil, it may be the most widely used lubricant in the United States. You can buy a spray can as small as 3 ounces or a 55-gallon drum of the liquid ($1,687). It’s sold nearly everywhere: hardware stores, farm-supply stores, and in supermarkets. All over this country, it’s stashed in kitchen drawers, car trunks, on garage shelves, in tool boxes, on workbenches, and in maintenance carts on factory floors. The lubricant is as close to ubiquitous as these materials can be. A hinge squeaks or a bolt sticks in its hole, you give it a shot from the familiar spray can. For many people, the name means lubrication. ![]()
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