parts washer fluid

[atotalnincompoop]

what are you guys using in your parts washers?
i bought a 40gal unit from greg smith equipment and would hate to have to buy 40g of varsol for it.
is there something bettter, a concentrate?

 

[LutzTD]

what are you guys using in your parts washers?
i bought a 40gal unit from greg smith equipment and would hate to have to buy 40g of varsol for it.
is there something bettter, a concentrate?

I just bought one recently, I was thinking simple green for mine, all the old stuff is pretty caustic and volitile, plus expensive to have evaporate away between uses.

 

[spongerich]

I use simple green in my little home shop washer. It's pretty cheap, and much less toxic than a lot of the alternatives. Once in a while if something is really gummed up, I'll have to hit it with some more aggressive solvents, but it works pretty well on most things.

 

[Matt M PA]

I bought some Agitene at Graingers for mine.

 

[LutzTD]

I bought some Agitene at Graingers for mine.

I never heard of "Agitene" looks like its pretty good but maybe too rich for me at $26/gal. How long does it last at what heaviness of use? Does it evaporate?

 

[Northstar]

We use stoddard solvent in our tanks at work.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I use PSC1000 from tractor supply. It is really good stuff! This stuff hasn't evaporated away and Ive been using it for about a year and a half. The grime seems to settle to the bottom after a few days so Ive been using the same fluid since Oct 2010 with no noticeable evaporation.

Don't put a water based cleaner (like simple greene) in a metal parts tank unless you want your paint peeled off and tank rusting out.

Chris

 

[Outlawmws]

Kerosene works well and if the setup is covered, does not evaporate much at all, I keep a cover on the drain hole of the washing basin when not in use.

If considering Simple Green make sure it is compatible with the tank/pump seals. I feel like this is a better choice for water based solvent setups, but I like the results and use SG a lot.

 

[Matt M PA]

I have an older Gray Mills machine that was given to me...with the big top lid. It had some fluid in it...so I only needed about 5 gallons (I think about $100) to top it off. I haven't noticed any evaporation or odor, either. It's on the second floor of the garage and you wouldn't even know it was there.

(Frankly...I have so little use for it...that I wish it wasn't there sometimes.)

 

[jeepmedic]

I use Jet A fuel in mine, it is free from the fuel samples they do at work so the price is right.

 

[LutzTD]

I use PSC1000 from tractor supply. It is really good stuff! This stuff hasn't evaporated away and Ive been using it for about a year and a half. The grime seems to settle to the bottom after a few days so Ive been using the same fluid since Oct 2010 with no noticeable evaporation.

Don't put a water based cleaner (like simple greene) in a metal parts tank unless you want your paint peeled off and tank rusting out.

Chris

that seems pretty reasonable at $8/gal. I wonder how I would test my pump for simple green or this stuff? The ultimate test would be to try it and fail but then the cost goes way up.....

 

[Shadowdog500]

that seems pretty reasonable at $8/gal. I wonder how I would test my pump for simple green or this stuff? The ultimate test would be to try it and fail but then the cost goes way up.....

Did you buy this parts washer?

If so, you want a solvent and not water based cleaner.

The Tractor supply stuff is a parts washing solvent like Safty-Kleen that a lot of shops use.

Read the manual and see what it says to use. Also be aware that the advertised tank size on part washers is usually the volume that the thing would take if you filled it up till it was flowing over. My 20 Gallon Tractor Supply model only took a little under 10 gallons to get it to the shelf.

Chris

 

[Full Throttle]

if any of you know somewhere to get Bio-Diesel it is a pretty good solvent, much better than Dino Fuel.

I like the tractor supply stuff as well

 

[SGKent]

Stoddard Solvent aka mineral spirits aka white spirits aka Safety Clean as far as I understand. I believe that Safety Clean makes sure the environmental and safety standards are met at the sites for the solvent and also picks up and re-refines the old solvent to reuse it. I've never found anything that works better but wear specialty gloves cause after years of using it your hands will react to it.

 

[fatboy99]

40 gallon's would fill that parts washer to the top. 15 gallon's should be enough to operate the washer on. I have a 30 gallon washer and have 15 gallon's of the tractor supply solvent in it. Keep the lid closed when not in use that keep's the evaporation to a minimum.

 

[atotalnincompoop]

Did you buy this parts washer?

If so, you want a solvent and not water based cleaner.

The Tractor supply stuff is a parts washing solvent like Safty-Kleen that a lot of shops use.

Read the manual and see what it says to use. Also be aware that the advertised tank size on part washers is usually the volume that the thing would take if you filled it up till it was flowing over. My 20 Gallon Tractor Supply model only took a little under 10 gallons to get it to the shelf.

Chris

yes this is the one, perhaps i should read the manual

 

[atotalnincompoop]

i still have 10g of varsol out of my old washer, its still good, i could reuse that. i read someone a long time ago that guys would add water to the varsol, the varsol would float to the top, all the dirt would fall through the varsol and settle into the water layer, helping to keep the varsol clean. anyone heard of this before?

 

[hidollartoys]

50% kero and 50% paint thinner. Works great and does not evaporate.

 

[jlckmj]

Plain old mineral spirits

Jim

 

[NUTTSGT]

I had Simple Green in mine. The instructions recommended a bio-friendly solvent, so I figured Simple Green would work. It ate the paint off.

Mine has been sitting empty for a few years because of this. I'm not sure if I should try to paint it again but I don't know what to use ? Maybe a gas tank sealer product?

When the time comes, I'll be buying the stuff from TSC like Shadowdog posted. A friend uses it in both his parts washers and has good luck with it.

 

[pmason0]

I bought PSC1000 from Tractor Supply for mine last fall, but its still setting in the can on the garage floor :-( But will need to break it out soon, need to rebuild some CV joints.

 

[Shadowdog500]

i still have 10g of varsol out of my old washer, its still good, i could reuse that. i read someone a long time ago that guys would add water to the varsol, the varsol would float to the top, all the dirt would fall through the varsol and settle into the water layer, helping to keep the varsol clean. anyone heard of this before?

Yes, some people put water at the bottom of the drum style parts washers so the **** settles to the bottom into the water. Some people put a junk carpet at the bottom of the tub style ones so the **** settles into the carpet.

I really like the TSC stuff because the dirt does settle to the bottom after a few days and the fluid stays fairly clean.(I don't use it daily so it has time to settle) I just let the **** settle to the bottom of my tank and If I don't disturb it it just seems to stay there. I also use cake pans from the dollar store as a parts basket to soak small items and wipe the **** layer from the bottom out with a rag after pouring the fluid back. Since I'm paying for the fluid I try to keep the **** that goes into the fluid to a minimum. I'll wipe the gobs of grease off with a rag before soaking something in the solvent. Funny I never thought to do stuff like this when I wasn't the guy paying for the solvent.


Chris

 

[weaponizer]

I find it odd that Tractor Supply says PSC 1000,is "not for use" in their 20gal Jobsmart partswasher SKU 3907887...

 

[38Chevy454]

Good ol' mineral spirits in mine. Keep the lid down when not using and it does not seem to lose any due to evaporation.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I find it odd that Tractor Supply says PSC 1000,is "not for use" in their 20gal Jobsmart partswasher SKU 3907887...

That actually came up here before. For some reason that particular portable parts washer says to use an eco friendly, water based fluid in the footnotes even though it says to use solvent in the product description. It has the same pump, tank, and thermal fuse as the other no portable models, and is made to use solvent. Some (including myself) believe that the lawyers added this note to give themselves an out since solvent can easily slosh out of that portable unit onto the ground, which would pollute or catch fire.


I have that same portable unit and had solvent in it for a year and a half now, and you can't jostle it around or you will get solvent everywhere since the tank is shallow.


Chris

 

[metalmagpie]

Used paint thinner. Free off craigslist. I top it up every 6-8 years. Housemates complain when I do a bunch of washing, 'cuz of the odor, though. Before that I used $uper Agitene, wow, heavy spendy.

 

[Mmfh]

I've been using Mineral Spirits in mine for as long as I can remember. Once I heard that Safety-Kleen used it, I switched and stopped using their expensive service each month.

 

[Wes Tex]

What an interesting question with interesting responses. I have used napatha for at least 40 years before the pump driven washers became popular. I find it to be cheap (about $6.00 per gallon), and it does not have a strong odor. In the old days it was used by dry cleaners. I still use it in my pump driven washer. It is harder to locate, but I have found several distributors that still sell it. I just hope they don't declare it illegal for some reason and stop selling it.

 

[RTcat]

I use PSC1000 from tractor supply. It is really good stuff! This stuff hasn't evaporated away and Ive been using it for about a year and a half. The grime seems to settle to the bottom after a few days so Ive been using the same fluid since Oct 2010 with no noticeable evaporation.

Don't put a water based cleaner (like simple greene) in a metal parts tank unless you want your paint peeled off and tank rusting out.

Chris

X2 - I'm currently having good results with this product.

 

[Falcon67]

I have a 20 gallon unit from HF. I used 10G of mineral spirits in it plus one quart of ATF. Used to buy the fluid at Lowes (paint thinner) but TSC PSC 1000 is cheaper per 5 G can, per the web sites.

 

[atotalnincompoop]

Some people put a junk carpet at the bottom of the tub style ones so the **** settles into the carpet.

great ******' idea!!
i'm gonna do this

 

[LutzTD]

my washer is a pretty old one out of a dealership, I have no idea the pump seals or construction. I dont want paint coming off so I guess simple green is out. Im liking the TSC stuff after this post. Mineral spirits is about the same cost but it evaporates pretty quick. I bought it about half full of mineral spririts so I may just end up topping it off

 

[LutzTD]

I have a 20 gallon unit from HF. I used 10G of mineral spirits in it plus one quart of ATF. Used to buy the fluid at Lowes (paint thinner) but TSC PSC 1000 is cheaper per 5 G can, per the web sites.

whats the ATF for? what kind of carpet? I would sure hate for it to come apart and clog everything up or melt and add some kind of extra suspension in the fluid

 

[Outlawmws]

What an interesting question with interesting responses. I have used napatha for at least 40 years before the pump driven washers became popular. I find it to be cheap (about $6.00 per gallon), and it does not have a strong odor. In the old days it was used by dry cleaners. I still use it in my pump driven washer. It is harder to locate, but I have found several distributors that still sell it. I just hope they don't declare it illegal for some reason and stop selling it.

That would probably be difficult to do. it is used EVERYWHERE and under many names (some in conflict with other different petro products from one country to another...)

You should be aware that naphtha does not leave any oily residue (other than what has broken down and been absorbed by the naphtha...) so rusting can be an issue after cleaning bare steel parts.

I use the stuff fin my camp stove collection, so made this up some years back:

And for what it is worth, some references and notes on the volatility of different petroleum solvents:

and lastly some notes on non-petrolatum "solvents". Note that SG is nearly 80% water...

 

[Outlawmws]

i still have 10g of varsol out of my old washer, its still good, i could reuse that. i read someone a long time ago that guys would add water to the varsol, the varsol would float to the top, all the dirt would fall through the varsol and settle into the water layer, helping to keep the varsol clean. anyone heard of this before?

Yes, it does work. I used a coffee can in the bottom of my home built cleaning setup, and put the water in there; mainly to contain it so it wouldn't rust out the bottom of the 20 gallon barrel i used. I used a bathroom sink drain/tail and extended it to the coffee can. I had plans on gluing some Scotch Brite to the top of the coffee can and just leaving a small hole in the Scotch Brite so it would act as a crude filter, but never got around to it. Seems to work anyway.

 

[1fastvx]

Oops, never saw that. I have the Crown PSC in the exact parts washer they say not to use it in. No issues here yet....hopefully it is written in the manual since it is portable.



John

I find it odd that Tractor Supply says PSC 1000,is "not for use" in their 20gal Jobsmart partswasher SKU 3907887...

 

[Falcon67]

The ATF gives it a little oil and makes it somewhat easier on your skin. ATF colors the liquid (paint thinner is clear) and is also a great detergent. I clean cylinder bores, decks, freshly machined surfaces with towels and ATF.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Outlaw, nice list.

 

[oilslick]

Ozzie juice is awesome but pricey, 75 for 5gallons, easy on the hands

 

[Outlawmws]

Outlaw, nice list.