Penetrant Oils

[pirate]

I recieved the e-mail below from a friend of mine which he had also recieved via e-mail. Anyone know if this works? Seems to simple to be true!


Machinist's Workshop magazine tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment. The results are as follows:

Penetrating oil Average load
None 516 pounds
WD-40 238 pounds
PB Blaster 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench 127 pounds
Kano Kroil 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix 53 pounds

The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50/50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone.

Several times, others have given out the 50-50 mixture of Acetone and Automatic Transmission Fluid as an anti-rust/break-free helper. Mix it 50/50, then shake, shake, shake… and spray.

 

[dellwas]

Yup, tis true, and definitly works. Been using it for a few years now.

I recieved the e-mail below from a friend of mine which he had also recieved via e-mail. Anyone know if this works? Seems to simple to be true!


Machinist's Workshop magazine tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment. The results are as follows:

Penetrating oil Average load
None 516 pounds
WD-40 238 pounds
PB Blaster 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench 127 pounds
Kano Kroil 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix 53 pounds

The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50/50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone.

Several times, others have given out the 50-50 mixture of Acetone and Automatic Transmission Fluid as an anti-rust/break-free helper. Mix it 50/50, then shake, shake, shake… and spray.

 

[Graymills - Craig]

I recieved the e-mail below from a friend of mine which he had also recieved via e-mail. Anyone know if this works? Seems to simple to be true!


Machinist's Workshop magazine tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment. The results are as follows:

Penetrating oil Average load
None 516 pounds
WD-40 238 pounds
PB Blaster 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench 127 pounds
Kano Kroil 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix 53 pounds

The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50/50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone.

Several times, others have given out the 50-50 mixture of Acetone and Automatic Transmission Fluid as an anti-rust/break-free helper. Mix it 50/50, then shake, shake, shake… and spray.

Not surprising. Technically, WD-40 is a water displacer, not a lubricant or penetrant.

 

[cheap bastard]

I've used the 50/50 mix with mixed results. If time isn't an issue, it works great. If it's on a job that needs to be time efficient, PB blaster works better. I haven't found Kroil locally, yet.
I've tried that freezing stuff and it in no way works as well as It should. When the stuff was cheap, R-12 was great for cracking the "rust bond" and making the old Nuts-Off brand penetrant work wonders. R12 was good for making pop icy cold, too.

 

[rwhite692]

I don't think that it is easy to replicate, in a lab environment over a short timespan, the equivalent of the internal thread corrosion seen on a 30 year-old bolt that has been living under a car, for example.

I have tried the ATF/Acetone mix, and the problem is that the Acetone component of the mix simply flash-evaporates before having any real chance at getting deep into the threads.

Kroil has worked much better for me, in actual use.

 

[nehog]

I have successfully used a diesel/ATF mix many times. I keep a bottle of that mix on the shelf, with the can of Kroil and a can of PB Blaster. IMHO, PB BLaster is a very distant third, and the Kroil and diesel/ATF mix are about equal.

 

[Groovy]

PB blaster is my go too but I'll try the D\ATF mix. I have to get leaf springs off an axle that have been there since 1969 on the east coast of the USA so that will be my lab

 

[granitestater]

I haven't found Kroil locally, yet.

Kroil is sold by gunsmith supply places such as Brownells and I have had good results with it.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=7610/Product/KROIL

 

[rwhite692]

Kroil is sold by gunsmith supply places such as Brownells and I have had good results with it.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=7610/Product/KROIL

Readily available at MSC (via Amazon), as well....

 

[DCarr]

if accessable a Torch beats them all .. heat up then turn twist it off

If going to use an oil Kroil works great

 

[rickycobra]

Awesome usually I have a hard time believing these kind of emails but you guys have changed my thoughts on this one.

 

[memento]

I work in a large industrial site with nuts up to 4" that are exposed to water and heat up to 2000 degrees for years at a time before we have to loosen them. Price really is not an option when you HAVE to get these off and the clock is ticking. Heat and kroil is what we have concluded after 18 years. We've tried just about everything under the sun. Aside from the ATF mix, I agree with everything on the list.

 

[zmotorsports]

I have mixed results with the 50/50 mix of acetone/ATF. I have had fairly good results with both Kano AeroKroil and PB Blaster. The smell of the PB Blaster is still something that I have not been able to get used to. We use the Kroil at work with pretty good results.

I finally broke down and purchased an induction heater last year that works great. It can be a pain in the *** to use but works great when I have to resort to that extreme of a measure. I have the one below and have had great results. Mike.

http://www.theinductor.com/index.php?m=50&s=24

 

[MattT]

I've used the 50/50 mix with mixed results.

The reason you, and others, report mixed results with ATF could be because the author made a mistake with the article. The test was actually performed with power steering fluid.

Yes, the article text says automatic transmission fluid and I fully intended to use ATF, but I obviously purchased the wrong bottle. Testing was conducted with power steering fluid. Sorry for the confusion. I don't know how many times I saw that bottle -- adjusting position, setting lighting, framing the shot -- and never actually read the label.

Is It ATF or PSF ?

 

[rwhite692]

Price really is not an option when you HAVE to get these off and the clock is ticking....

It sounds like your business would be an ideal application for the electrically inductive ring heaters that slip around the nut and heat it up cherry red...Those are awesome tools. Guys who work on bridges, boilers, etc use them, but they are big $$$$....They work much easier and faster than a torch when there are many fasteners needing attention.

 

[csargents1546]

As a tech, I can say that Kroil is my go to, followed by Yield. Keep a can of both on my roll cart.

 

[Pure Oil]

We have been using PB Blaster on 60 year old cars with good luck by spraying and then just letting it be for some time - in some cases overnight.

 

[Thumper]

There used to be some stuff called "Du-Solv". You could spray that stuff on and watch the rust dissolve...great stuff...hadn't seen it in years . I don't know if they still make it.

 

[scooby074]

Kroil.

Been meaning to give the Acetone/PS a try though. Kroil is a lot more convenient

 

[memento]

It sounds like your business would be an ideal application for the electrically inductive ring heaters that slip around the nut and heat it up cherry red...Those are awesome tools. Guys who work on bridges, boilers, etc use them, but they are big $$$$....They work much easier and faster than a torch when there are many fasteners needing attention.

I know them well and have a direct contact with their local people. What takes 10 minutes with a torch takes 30 seconds with the inductive heaters. I just love watching the process.

 

[Zeke]

I heat the stuck fastener and cool it off with a shot of PB or anything else. ***** it right in. The thinner it is, the less it works in this scenario. Acetone would be useless. As a cold process penetrant, I can see the advantage.