Mike of the North
Well-known member
What solvent do you use in your parts washers?
Part washer solvent
- Thread starter Mike of the North
- Start date
KCHOTBOAT
Well-known member
I buy the stuff at Advance Auto can't remember the name comes in a 5 gallon drum. One of the few things I buy from them.
RPH
Well-known member
Kerosene, cheap and works well.
OctaneMotorsports
Well-known member
Varsol works for me
MXtras
Well-known member
Mineral spirits.
Scott
Scott
I use Graymill's Agintene that I purchase from Graingers. It’s a solvent base cleaner with a higher flash point than kerosene. It is tough on the hands, mine at least, therefore I always use rubber gloves.
edl
Well-known member
could you also include what breathing protection you use for the kind of solvent you use? - thanks! ED 
edl
Well-known member
oh...and FWIW...i use some sort of strong "degreaser" - it doesn't do much...other than provide liquid to aid in the scrubbing - would like to use something stronger, but am wary of the fumes...
RAYJAY
Well-known member
e-tek
Well-known member
What is the cheapest (i.e. least money)? I find the stuff I buy where I got my washer is EXPENSIVE - bout 45.00/5gals.
The stuff I use is a high flash solvent, it had very low odor until it got some expired gas mixed with it.
$45 for 5 gallons is about right, add it up what you would pay for a can of brake cleaner you are still way ahead. I was using lacquer thinner but that is $11.00 a gallon now.
-Dan
$45 for 5 gallons is about right, add it up what you would pay for a can of brake cleaner you are still way ahead. I was using lacquer thinner but that is $11.00 a gallon now.
-Dan
I don't have a parts washer per say, but I like to use Simple Green to clean my bike parts since it is biodegradable and won't do a number on your hands and lungs! It cuts through dirt and grease pretty well. Runs less than 4 or 5 bucks a gallon I think.
timgr
Well-known member
You could try a big paint store, wherever a pro painter would shop... mineral spirits, paint thinner, Stoddard's solvent, naptha, all basically the same thing. We used to fill the dealership parts washer with paint thinner bought in bulk at the local Standard Brands paint store.
RAYJAY
Well-known member
I may be old school but using water on the inside parts of a motor ....not me
Actually soap and water is the recommended "final" wash by the major manufactures especially for engine cylinder walls. Soap and water will float and carry away the contamination on a machined surface better than any petroleum based solvent
jimvannoy
Well-known member
I always give bare blocks a soap and water washing followed by a good blow dry with an air gun right before I do the final assembly on them.
ar2stp48
Well-known member
Mineral spirits. I go to the local gasoline bulk supplier and buy mineral spirits at $4 a gal. Same place I get off raod diesel for the tractor. check the yellow pages for a bulk supplier in your area
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Next time you go to buy a gallon of lacquer thinner ask what the price is for a 5 gallon can. 5 gallons is only about $20 compared to $11 for a single gallon. The last time I bought some, the jobber told me about this and he doesn't even know why the drastic price difference other than the price of metal for the cans is ridiculously stupid. So for the last few years I always buy in 5 gallon cans. For the price, you can afford to waste some. LOL!!!
e-tek
Well-known member
I always thought Laquer Thinner was way too flammable to have all open like that...as well, aren't there a lot of fumes using this in a waher. I know when I crack my Thinner to use on a rag it's stanky and hard on the hands.
But I WILL buy it in a 5 gal for now on - I can always save some $$!
Are mineral spirits, etc as flammable?
But I WILL buy it in a 5 gal for now on - I can always save some $$!
Are mineral spirits, etc as flammable?
MXtras
Well-known member
Standard Mineral spirits is flammable but not explosive unless it's in a fine mist. It's far safer than Laquer Thinner. It does not evaporate anywhere near as fast as Acetone or Laquer Thinner and cuts oil and grease very well - even when it's dirty. I think Mineral spirits works better than Kerosene. It's relatively cheap and doesn't tear up your hands as badly as Agitene or Var-Sol but you still should wear gloves and glasses. I like it because it's economical, it works and it doesn't evaporate quickly.
Non-flammable mineral spirits is available and it works just as well but is a little more expensive. It's milky white and is odorless.
Scott
Non-flammable mineral spirits is available and it works just as well but is a little more expensive. It's milky white and is odorless.
Scott
e-tek
Well-known member
Thx MX - I'll be getting some Mineral Spirits for mine next week.
ntsqd
Well-known member
For those of you using Mineral Spirits and similar solvents, a quart or so of ATF in several gallons of solvent will keep it from totally drying out your skin.
I use a water base, combined with some liquid dishwasher soap. The soap is something new I'm trying, no conclusive results yet.
BTW, that 'purple stuff' works great on a luminum, but Do Not let it dry on bare aluminum as it will etch the metal.
I use a water base, combined with some liquid dishwasher soap. The soap is something new I'm trying, no conclusive results yet.
BTW, that 'purple stuff' works great on a luminum, but Do Not let it dry on bare aluminum as it will etch the metal.
comp
Well-known member
i agree on the ATF,,,,i mix M.S. with K1 and add a quart of ATF
VDubJoe
Well-known member
Yep the atf sure makes it easier on the skin.
Joe H
Joe H
comp
Well-known member
yes it does KY always makes it easier on the skin too! LOL! Thanks for the ATF tip... I never heard that one before.
fasteddie24
Well-known member
Mineral spiits.
fasteddie24
Well-known member
Sorry, spirits.
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
I also got Graymills solvent from Grainger (best price I could find) but I used the Super Agitene 141, which is a higher 141 F degree flash point version of the fluid (thats the 141 part of the name), with Lanolin in it. Quite a bit cheaper than the non-lanolin versions too. Works great, easy on the hands. Lanolin makes it foam slightly when the agitation "rake" is on in the bottom of my Graymills 500 parts washer. Only downside to the lanolin is that you cannot paint a part after cleaning it, without first washing in soap and water to remove the lanolin.
Kinda pricey, at slightly over $50 for a five gallon pail (mid 2007 prices), I put 20 gals in the unit (it can handle anywhere from 16 to 42 gals according to the specs) and kept another 10 gals in reserve.
Charles
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Da Bull
Well-known member
I don't have one at home, but where I work they use Simple Green Crystal. Works great, and easy on your hands and smells nice too. 
e-tek
Well-known member
"Only downside to the lanolin is that you cannot paint a part after cleaning it, without first washing in soap and water to remove the lanolin"
That would be the same problem with ATF...great for mechanicals, but bad if it's going to be painted!
That would be the same problem with ATF...great for mechanicals, but bad if it's going to be painted!
I've never found any one thing that was best for everything. Solvents are good, but they really don't float fine contamination off as well as they need to, and of course you can't paint over them. Also, some of the solutions are bad on aluminum, and when you are working on aluminum blocks and body panels, you have to be careful. The soap and water trick didn't thrill me because it gets so dirty so fast, but when I realized how cheap it was to use compared to the commercial solutions, it looked better. I was always really worried about rust, but we had a heat gun that we started using to dry everything after rinsing it in hot water. We never really had any problems with flash rusting, but I still couldn't get it out of my head. We finally settled on using soap and water when possible and kerosene or gasoline or diesel fuel when necessary.
Vinko
Well-known member
Do they have any reporting requirements for buying in bulk? I've always been wary of OSHA having an excuse to visit.
tbarber
New member
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Rayjay,
I used to own a house in Uniondale, PA.
SMALL WORLD !!!
Tim
RAYJAY
Well-known member
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Rayjay,
I used to own a house in Uniondale, PA.
SMALL WORLD !!!
Tim
where in Union Dale?
we live by across from the Union dale fireman's picnic grounds
madjack
Well-known member
Super Clean. I buy it in concentrate from my local bulk oil distributer, and only cut it 50% instead of 400% recomended. The down side of this stuff is the main ingrediant is Naoh which is lye. strait up the stuff will strip your skin to the bone in 20 minuteswith out rubber gloves. Baked grease on an engine block melts away.
I also get simple green that way. They have both in 55 gal. drums for cleaning up oil spills in their warehouse
I also get simple green that way. They have both in 55 gal. drums for cleaning up oil spills in their warehouse
So you guys are using Simplegreen/purple power type cleaners in a traditional motorized pump type parts washer? I've got an empty one I inherited and have been just using a old 2 gallon wash tub with simple green as I've been leary of putting the simple green in the parts washer.
kartracer23
Well-known member
On a side note...
The local Rural King store here had a big problem a few weeks ago. They had a spill of (insert chemical fertilizer name here), and went to clean it up with Simple Green, the way they always clean spills.
Chemical reaction. Noxious fumes. A dozen people to the hospital and a hazmat clean up later, they learned not to try to clean *everything* with Simple Green.
The local Rural King store here had a big problem a few weeks ago. They had a spill of (insert chemical fertilizer name here), and went to clean it up with Simple Green, the way they always clean spills.
Chemical reaction. Noxious fumes. A dozen people to the hospital and a hazmat clean up later, they learned not to try to clean *everything* with Simple Green.
hidollartoys
Well-known member
Kero/mineral spirits 50/50 mix.