Parts washer solvent?

[metalmagpie]

I have a Graymills drum-mounted parts washer I bought years ago from an auto repair shop going out of business. I have tried lots of solvents over the years but have never gone back to one.

My washer is not heated.

What solvent do you recommend?

 

[PoorUB]

PSC 1000 at Tractor Supply, or check your local fuel and oil supplier for stoddard solvent or stanisol, pretty much all the same stuff. Even paint thinner works if you can not find anything else, but look for the deorderized thinner. (not lacquer thinner!)

 

[racecougar]

Parts cleaners

What parts cleanibg fluid is the best, mineral spirits or soap based?

www.garagejournal.com

Grease Cleaner For Shop parts washer ?

I know, I know.....but I'm old, and have used pretty toxic chemicals in my parts washer, but now that I'm home most the time I bought a really cool small parts washer that hangs on the wall (close to the garage door to vent well) that has a pump & hose similar to the big shop shop washers. It...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Zeus36]

I use bulk WD-40.

 

[metalmagpie]

Ozzyjuice sounds good but it's way too much money for me. I guess I'll go back to deodorized mineral spirits.

 

[vpd66]

I have a Harbor Freight parts washer and I use bulk Kerosene that comes from a gas pump at my local Fleet farm. I buy what is called fuel fragrance that is designed for racers to put into there fuel so it doesn't smell nasty. It still has a pretty strong smell by at least it is tolaratable. The key is to have a good filter system to keep the dirt from contaminating the kerosene. I put 2" of water in the bottom of my tank and have the pump above that. Then when you drain the tank all the dirt settles to the bottom. I've done this for 6 years and have only added about a gallon of kerosene and I clean the tank about once a year.

 

[Plastikosmd]

* do u pomp transfer the kerosene our to empty water/debris or pump out bottom only then add water

 

[Walkers]

* do u pomp transfer the kerosene our to empty water/debris or pump out bottom only then add water

What?!?

 

[Farmall450]

PB B'laster makes a decent one

 

[Plastikosmd]

Walker:
Asking vpd how he gets rid of water/debris below kero when it needs cleaning

1) pump off clean kero and dump

2) pump out water/debris and replace water

 

[AP514]

MEK for the WIN ! !

 

[fang123]

Kerosene.

 

[BillK]

Safety Kleen will sell you solvent and will also come out and swap it out when its dirty for a fairly reasonable price.

 

[cyamaha2007]

I’ve used Kerosene but I’m not happy with the smell.

 

[TomC750]

I have used kerosene with some Gunk mixed in. That works very well. Unfortunately The Gunk cannot be found anymore. I have some left over from years ago. The only name I can come up with for the manufacturer Is Solder Seal, may or may not be right.

 

[PoorUB]

I have a Harbor Freight parts washer and I use bulk Kerosene that comes from a gas pump at my local Fleet farm. I buy what is called fuel fragrance that is designed for racers to put into there fuel so it doesn't smell nasty. It still has a pretty strong smell by at least it is tolaratable. The key is to have a good filter system to keep the dirt from contaminating the kerosene. I put 2" of water in the bottom of my tank and have the pump above that. Then when you drain the tank all the dirt settles to the bottom. I've done this for 6 years and have only added about a gallon of kerosene and I clean the tank about once a year.

I do the same. I skim off all the old solvent and scoop out the water. The water goes into the sanitary sewer, the **** at the bottom goes into the trash. I do one more step. I have a 5 gallon bucket suspended high that the "sink" drains into, from there I have a PVC pipe that runs just about to the top of the bucket, and goes stroight down through a hole cut in the botten of the bucket, that pipe goes to nearly the bottom of the solvent tank. So the solvent drains from the sink into the pail, which has to over flow into the PVC pipe and then into the water.

I bet I haven't cleaned my parts washer in ten years! I probably should! It will be fun to do. It usually stinks like road kill!

 

[AK 99]

I use a parts cleaner solvent from NAPA. It says it's not recommended for parts washer pumps, but it hasn't killed my Harbor Freight pump yet (been a few years now). It is very very spendy... around $200 for 5 gallons. But holy **** does it work well. Other than the cost, it's amazing stuff. Imho, it works far better than heated Ozzy Juice.

 

[vpd66]

* do u pomp transfer the kerosene our to empty water/debris or pump out bottom only then add water

Yes, just turn on the parts washer and have it run into 5gl pails. When it quits pumping then I turn it off and dump the remaining fluid and dirt.

 

[vpd66]

Walker:
Asking vpd how he gets rid of water/debris below kero when it needs cleaning

1) pump off clean kero and dump

2) pump out water/debris and replace water

 

[vpd66]

I’ve used Kerosene but I’m not happy with the smell.

fragrance-fuels
Use this in the Kerosene. It makes the smell more manageable.

 

[vpd66]

I have used kerosene with some Gunk mixed in. That works very well. Unfortunately The Gunk cannot be found anymore. I have some left over from years ago. The only name I can come up with for the manufacturer Is Solder Seal, may or may not be right.

I've tried the Gunk/Solder Seal stuff mixed in my Kerosene but never really noticed a difference over straight Kerosene.

 

[vpd66]

I do the same. I skim off all the old solvent and scoop out the water. The water goes into the sanitary sewer, the **** at the bottom goes into the trash. I do one more step. I have a 5 gallon bucket suspended high that the "sink" drains into, from there I have a PVC pipe that runs just about to the top of the bucket, and goes stroight down through a hole cut in the botten of the bucket, that pipe goes to nearly the bottom of the solvent tank. So the solvent drains from the sink into the pail, which has to over flow into the PVC pipe and then into the water.

I bet I haven't cleaned my parts washer in ten years! I probably should! It will be fun to do. It usually stinks like road kill!

 

[KenC]

I have used kerosene with some Gunk mixed in. That works very well. Unfortunately The Gunk cannot be found anymore. I have some left over from years ago. The only name I can come up with for the manufacturer Is Solder Seal, may or may not be right.

I have used kerosene with some Gunk mixed in. That works very well. Unfortunately The Gunk cannot be found anymore. I have some left over from years ago. The only name I can come up with for the manufacturer Is Solder Seal, may or may not be right.

I've used Gunk too, for years. It is still available in my area at Orielly's under the name Gunk SC, (super concentrate).

 

[KenC]

I've tried the Gunk/Solder Seal stuff mixed in my Kerosene but never really noticed a difference over straight Kerosene.

It works best if you do a water rinse. The Gunk immulsifies The grease and solvent into a white liquid that rinses off.

 

[johninct]

I got Safety Kleen (8 Gallon Drum) delivered for about $200 last week. I like SK because it does not leave a greasy residue and doesn't hurt anything I clean with it. I have plenty of free Kerosene available and chose again to go with SK.

 

[Plastikosmd]

Poorub

Could u post a pic of that setup

 

[PoorUB]

Poorub

Could u post a pic of that setup

Nothing to take a picture of, unless I take it apart!

 

[PoorUB]

Poorub

Could u post a pic of that setup

How about a crappy drawing?

 

[Jagmandave]

I used to buy the 25 gal barrels from Safety Kleen - delivered - the last time I called they had gone from $167 to $428! We used another firm called Crystal Clean at the school I worked at so I gave them a call, they delivered 25 gal for guess what? $168!

I need to do it again as it's been about 5 years since the last one - I'm scared to see what they'll want for it but this should be my last changeout as I'm retired from working on engines and gearboxes now.

I also have used my HF tank and pump with this type solvent (vs. water based) since about 1998, still works fine. I reconfigured the tank to sit on top of the barrel and the fixed the pump to a shaft to set it about 1 ft off the bottom of the barrel.

 

[-Stew-]

Diesel.

 

[BillK]

It is very very spendy... around $200 for 5 gallons.

That sounds like the old nasty carburetor cleaner. Nasty stuff.

 

[BillK]

I used to buy the 25 gal barrels from Safety Kleen - delivered - the last time I called they had gone from $167 to $428! We used another firm called Crystal Clean at the school I worked at so I gave them a call, they delivered 25 gal for guess what? $168!

Crystal Clean has gotten up pretty close to Safety Kleen I called them to get a price for pumping out my jet spray washer and they were about the same.

 

[sloppyjoe]

I had a HF parts cleaner years ago. I used a mix of diesel & the cheapest ATF I could find. It only held a few gallons. It worked for me.

 

[racecougar]

I got Safety Kleen (8 Gallon Drum) delivered for about $200 last week. I like SK because it does not leave a greasy residue and doesn't hurt anything I clean with it. I have plenty of free Kerosene available and chose again to go with SK.

Crown PSC 1000 appears to be basically the same. If you have a Tractor Supply near you, it's $90 for 10 gallons.

 

[Bill T]

I go to my local oil company (fuel oil ,etc..). I buy Varsol. Works well. Gunk and Kerosene works, but, I do not know what the active ingrediant is in Gunk. A little reasearch you could find out. What ever you decide, read the MSDS sheet on Google first. Stay away from strong solvents. I went to an ARMY/NAVY surplus store and found elbow length heavy black rubber gloves. Strong solvents work well, but do you want to gamble with the health risks? Protect yourself...

 

[Drunkonunleaded]

I know that these things are typically mutually-exclusive, but what's a solvent that won't give me cancer in 30 years and allow me to still have children? Bonus points if it won't discolor aluminum.

I've looked at the CRC Smartwashers, but I have a 20 gallon parts washer in the box that I haven't done anything with because I've never been able to decide on a solvent.

99% of my work is/will be doing smaller things like brake calipers, suspension knuckles, motorcycle engine components, etc. Nothing I'd classify as particularly "dirty" for the most part.

 

[Jagmandave]

Crystal Clean has gotten up pretty close to Safety Kleen I called them to get a price for pumping out my jet spray washer and they were about the same.

Well, I'm due for a changeout, so I guess I'll find out!

 

[rcbk00]

I recently purchased a bench top parts cleaner. It holds 3.5 gallons of solvent so I bought the 5 gallon container of PSC 1000 at Tractor Supply for $45. The PSC 1000 does a good job cleaning and doesn't have a strong smell. With the lid on my cleaner closed, you can't smell it at all. Most importantly, it's got a high flash point, so an errant spark into the solvent won't burn the house down. I initially thought about buying 3.5 gallons of diesel, but for for an extra $25-30 for the PSC 1000, I don't have to smell diesel when I'm working at my bench.

 

[AK 99]

That sounds like the old nasty carburetor cleaner. Nasty stuff.

Yeah I couldn't say one way or another. Much of my life has been spent around fumes and chemicals so I have lost a lot of sensitivity.

That's probably a bad thing. But ignorance is bliss, right?

-Joking of course, lol.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Just good ol’ mineral spirits!
SafetyKleen is like 98% mineral spirits- but probably 4X the price (for their proprietary ingredient)!!!