I was in my local Fleet Farm store today and had their $50 basic parts washer and a couple gallons of mineral spirits in the cart. I couldn't pull the trigger. I know that the pump in the cheap washer will eventually be eaten by the solvent.
I came up with something else. I bought an oil drain pan with reservoir for $7.50, 6' of vinyl tubing, and a spray bottle. If the solvent doesn't eat the plastic, this will be exactly what I need
I looped the tubing around a 1/2" nut for weight and stuffed it into the reservoir through the pour spout. Then I drilled a hole through that cap and squeezed the tubing through it. Next I poked a hole through my sprayer bottle about halfway up the side and ran the tube through that into the bottle. Then I cut all but 2" off of the pickup tube for the sprayer and jammed the end of the tube around it. To finish it off, I filled the sprayer bottle about halfway with misc nuts and bolts for weight and closed it up. A little rubber squeegee that I got a long time ago to apply window film serves to get the last little bits of mineral spirits into the drains.
I have tried it to clean up small parts and it works well so far. Once it is squeegeed and plugged it can get put away on a shelf. I know that I could have used a water based cleaner, but those freeze when my garage isn't heated, and need to be heated to clean well, and then rinsed with water and allowed to dry before fresh grease or oil is applied. Mineral spirits seem to be the way to go for me and my unheated shack of a garage.
I came up with something else. I bought an oil drain pan with reservoir for $7.50, 6' of vinyl tubing, and a spray bottle. If the solvent doesn't eat the plastic, this will be exactly what I need
I looped the tubing around a 1/2" nut for weight and stuffed it into the reservoir through the pour spout. Then I drilled a hole through that cap and squeezed the tubing through it. Next I poked a hole through my sprayer bottle about halfway up the side and ran the tube through that into the bottle. Then I cut all but 2" off of the pickup tube for the sprayer and jammed the end of the tube around it. To finish it off, I filled the sprayer bottle about halfway with misc nuts and bolts for weight and closed it up. A little rubber squeegee that I got a long time ago to apply window film serves to get the last little bits of mineral spirits into the drains.
I have tried it to clean up small parts and it works well so far. Once it is squeegeed and plugged it can get put away on a shelf. I know that I could have used a water based cleaner, but those freeze when my garage isn't heated, and need to be heated to clean well, and then rinsed with water and allowed to dry before fresh grease or oil is applied. Mineral spirits seem to be the way to go for me and my unheated shack of a garage.
