The year? 1950. A Mr. Robertson, Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal was at his wits end with his old VW Beetle, which was notorious for stalling in wet weather. How to displace water from the motorcar’s distributor cap? He went on to develop a product which not only kept rust at bay, eased squeaky door hinges and made it easy to release rusted or seized nuts and bolts but was an effective water repellant! Not knowing what to call it he told his neighbour the product had 20 answers to 20 questions.

The secret behind Q20 is that it is heavier than water. Since oil floats on water, simply oiling the area will not resolve the problem. But because Q20 has a specific gravity of 1.154, it can displace water, which only has a specific gravity of 1. Once Q20 is sprayed on water, it sinks to the bottom, where it acts as a water displacer and lubricant on the problem area. Problem solved. Well-done Mr. Robertson!