3-in-One Oil
 | |
| Type | Lubricating oil |
|---|---|
| Inventor | George W. Cole |
| Inception | 1894 |
| Manufacturer | WD-40 Company |
| Website | 3inone.com |
3-in-One Oil is a general-purpose lubricating oil sold for household and do-it-yourself use. It was originally formulated in 1894 for use on bicycles, and remains a popular lubricant for their chains. Its name, given by inventor George W. Cole of New Jersey in 1894,[1] reflects the product's triple ability to "clean, lubricate and protect".
The product changed ownership many times throughout the 20th century and was bought by its current owners, the WD-40 Company, in 1995. The current marketing slogan is "The Tool Kit In A Can," with the logo of the text "3 in" inside a large numeral "1".
A few other products are now produced under the 3-in-1 brand, including a white lithium grease, silicone spray, and oil with added PTFE.
In 2000, the can was redesigned to look like the early 20th century oil can design, with a hemisphere base and tapered straight spout.[2]
An advertisement in The Church Standard magazine (April 13, 1901, p 867) offers 3 in 1 Oil as a perfect polish for pianos. It claimed that the oil was "long lasting" and did not come off on the clothes.[3] An advertisement in Good Housekeeping (March 1930) suggests using 3 in 1 Oil as a furniture polish, by wringing out a water-soaked cloth and putting 3 in 1 Oil on it, wiping the dirt off the surface with the oiled cloth, then polishing the surface clean with a dry soft cloth.
References
- ^ Munsey, Cecil (2006). "The Oldest "3-IN-ONE-OIL" Container" (PDF). Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
- ^ HDPE oil bottle squeezes another prize, Packaging Digest, 11 November 2000 (from dfenginc.com, retrieved 19 July 2010)
- ^ 3 in One Polishes Pianos Perfectly, The Church Standard, 13 April 1901 (from books.google.com, retrieved 15 April 2014)