A couple of years ago, Conch-L had a discussion going about using WD-40 to
add shine to shells (it is my personal favorite).  We all wondered what was
in WD-40 (silicon?), and weren't able to find out.  Here's some weird facts
about WD-40 I gather from the internet. I guess nobody knows what it is made
of.  A hint is probably the smell of petroleum.

Sylvia S. Edwards
Huntsville, AL
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WD-40®

Norman Larsen, president and head chemist at the Rocket Chemical Company,
developed a water displacement formula on his fortieth try, naming it WD-40.

The aerospace industry needed a product to eliminate moisture from
electrical circuitry and to prevent corrosion on airplanes and Atlas Missile
nose-cones. The newly developed WD-40 worked so well, engineers working at
the Rocket Chemical Company began sneaking it out of the plant for home use
on squeaky doors and stuck locks.

WD-40 became available to the public in 1958, and in 1961, a sweet fragrance
was added to overcome the smell of the petroleum distillates. In 1969, the
Rocket Chemical Company was renamed the WD-40 Company, after its only
product. The WD-40 Company makes the "secret sauce," then sends it to
packagers who add the solvent and propellant.

In 1964, John Glenn circled the earth in Friendship VII, which was covered
with WD-40 from top to bottom.

The WD-40 Company went public on the NASDAQ exchange in 1973. The initial
300,000 shares, available at $16.50, closed that same day at $26.50.

WD-40 makes over a million gallons of the "secret sauce" every year.

WD-40 can be found in four out of five American homes.

"WD-40" is a registered trademark of the WD-40 Company