Will acetone remove chrome from sockets?

[rjohnson]

Hi everyone,
I have some dirty old Bonney sockets sitting in WD-40 trying to get dirt and grime off inside. Would it damage the chrome if I put it in acetone?

Thanks,
Richard

 

[johnnyturbo]

If you want to clean up the chrome, use coca-cola and aluminum foil. As a kid, my Mom taught me that trick to clean up rusty bicycle rims. I just poured the coke in a bowl and used a piece of aluminum foil as a scrub pad. Coke and a dobe pad might work as well. I've been told that if you put a nail in a glass of coke, it will be gone in a week or less. I drink water.

 

[rjohnson]

Thanks Johnny, I will try this

 

[nate379]

phosphoric acid is what is in coke. Same stuff in naval jelly/rust remover.

 

[rjohnson]

I will only drink Pepsi from now on!

 

[nate379]

Pepsi has it too, just not as much.

 

[pipehack]

If it was possible to have a glass of stomach acid. Put a 16 penny nail in that, it will be gone in less than 12 hours. That's a lot of hype about how bad pop is for you. In fact diet pop is the worse thing you can drink. Did you try using a crappy socket in acetone???

 

[rjohnson]

Sockets now soaking in Coke.

 

[rjohnson]

I think I might try crappy socket in acetone just 'cuz I'm curious!

 

[rjohnson]

Gonna be hard to decide who gets the acetone!

 

[Torque1st]

Acetone will not damage the chrome. It is just a hydrocarbon solvent.

The aluminum foil and coke or vinegar trick works to remove rust stains from the chromed surface due to a chemical reaction with the aluminum foil. The coke or vinegar just provides a slightly acidic transfer liquid. Vinegar smells worse but it is not as sticky as coke.

 

[ddawg16]

Avoid the vinegar.....it will really pit the metal......

I prefer the phosphoric acid....you can buy it at HD.

When finished with it.....just pour down the drain while diluting it with the tap water....won't hurt a thing...

 

[Steevo]

If they are just dirty/caked with grease/cruddy, then soak them in a good de-greaser for a day or so, and then (when the wife isn't home) slip them over the wire posts in the dishwasher with the socket side down, and put it on potscrubber cycle.

Shiny-clean!!!
Just check thoroughly for grease smears in the DW before wifey sees it.
DAMHIK!!

 

[rjohnson]

Thanks for your input everyone!

 

[redsky49]

If they are just dirty/caked with grease/cruddy, then soak them in a good de-greaser for a day or so, and then (when the wife isn't home) slip them over the wire posts in the dishwasher with the socket side down, and put it on potscrubber cycle.

Shiny-clean!!!
Just check thoroughly for grease smears in the DW before wifey sees it.
DAMHIK!!

But avoid the dry cycle to prevent rusting of worn components

 

[NeilH]

i second the comment about the use of coca cola.

also, the comment about diet coke by pipehack.

 

[Torque1st]

Avoid the vinegar.....it will really pit the metal......

I prefer the phosphoric acid....you can buy it at HD.

When finished with it.....just pour down the drain while diluting it with the tap water....won't hurt a thing...

Vinegar will not pit the metal any worse than phosphoric acid. It is much weaker. Any pits in the metal come from the original amount of rust on the metal surface that was removed by the chemical reaction. Vinegar can be found in most kitchens. No special precautions or dilution is required with vinegar.

 

[-B-]

Avoid the acetone it is a carcinogen gen that travels though you body via skin contact and vapors it is vile use anything else. carb cleaner or starting fluid work rel well for stubborn old grease and oil.

 

[Torque1st]

Avoid the acetone it is a carcinogen gen that travels though you body via skin contact and vapors it is vile use anything else. carb cleaner or starting fluid work rel well for stubborn old grease and oil.

Acetone is not a carcinogen. It is made naturally inside our bodies as part of our metabolism.

http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/ard/documents/ard-ehp-7.pdf
There are many references on the web.

 

[texasbob]

If you think acetone is bad check out the stuff in carb cleaner.

 

[z28toz06]

if you are a shooter and reload your own ammo, just dump them in your vibratory tumbler and they will come out amazing!

 

[Jononon]

I find an overnight soak in kerosene gets the **** off, then washing up liquid and a toothbrush, then a squirt of WD40. Nothing (too) hazardous, no risk of upsetting the missus. No help with pre-existing rust, of course.

If you think acetone is bad check out the stuff in carb cleaner.

Plus carb cleaner is 30% acetone anyway.

 

[stewart]

Hi everyone,
I have some dirty old Bonney sockets sitting in WD-40 trying to get dirt and grime off inside. Would it damage the chrome if I put it in acetone?

Thanks,
Richard


Hello

The best wat to keep tools clean is to use them, of course this will wear off the chrome, I quess it's a catch 22 situation! The W-D is a pretty good cleaner for old petro chemicals or try diesel fuel. For rust maybe nevr-dull then clean in acetone and spray with clear lacquer or they will rust again.

Stewart

 

[Uncle Buck]

Hi everyone,
I have some dirty old Bonney sockets sitting in WD-40 trying to get dirt and grime off inside. Would it damage the chrome if I put it in acetone?

Thanks,
Richard

Acetone will not remove chrome finish from sockets.

 

[Elroy]

What you may find however is that most "thinners" will remove the silver paint that most sockets have applied to the inner broach.

This maybe a non-issue for a vintage Bonney but almost all newer sockets have this silver paint on the inside.

Acetone will have zero effect on the chrome.

 

[Mike83]

Avoid the acetone it is a carcinogen gen that travels though you body via skin contact and vapors it is vile use anything else. carb cleaner or starting fluid work rel well for stubborn old grease and oil.

Will carb cleaner work to remove my toenail polish, though?

 

[Uncle Buck]

Will carb cleaner work to remove my toenail polish, though?

If we are lucky, it will get both your nails, and your toes!

 

[Uncle Buck]

What you may find however is that most "thinners" will remove the silver paint that most sockets have applied to the inner broach.

This maybe a non-issue for a vintage Bonney but almost all newer sockets have this silver paint on the inside.

Acetone will have zero effect on the chrome.

I totally agree with what George Jetsons son here said about the removal of silver paint.

 

[z28snksknr]

Plain old engine degreaser always worked well for me. Let em sit and rinse them off.

If WD-40 and Enginer degreaser doesn't work, it's not petroleum based grime. If so, try alcohol. Usually between pretroleum based solvents or alcohol based solvents you're gonna dissolve the majority of substances (that are readily found in a garage).

 

[slicktoptt]

I've been told that if you put a nail in a glass of coke, it will be gone in a week or less.

This has been proven false so many times. My mother tried to tell me that years ago because I drink a lot of diet coke. Try it for yourself.

http://joshmadison.com/article/will-coke-dissolve-a-nail-experiment/

 

[Kevin54]

Just toss the sockets in the wifes dishwasher.

You could soak them in a bucket of Dawn dishwashing liquid mixed up rather strong. Dawn cuts grease really well.

 

[rwhite692]

Castrol Super Clean.

 

[hydramatic]

how about mineral spirits and a brush. then a light buff with a jeweler`s buffing pad, and some green rouge..

 

[njfl]

I was surprised that no one mentioned brake cleaner in this thread. When you guys are talking about acetone, I assume that you mean nail polish remover type acetone or acetone that you buy in volume from an auto supplier, right?

I have always found brake cleaner to be the best for cleaning dirt, grease and everything from many materials without leaving residue. Brake cleaner uses acetone as the carrier and as such it makes up typically 50% by volume. The other 50% is other solvents that do a nice job cleaning, instantly, with no soaking necessary.

You can get brake cleaner super cheap in cans at Auto Zone as they often have their house brand on sale.

Brake cleaner will not harm chrome either. It will mess up the silver painted surfaces that you are talking about in some of these posts though.

 

[porschedude996TT]

No solvent is going to harm the chrome. It would take an acid to touch the metal.

 

[Torque1st]

Castrol Super Clean is very corrosive.

 

[rwhite692]

Castrol Super Clean is very corrosive.

Yup, but it won't harm chrome.

Aluminum, anodized aluminum, yes.

 

[Torque1st]

But it will corrode the inside of the sockets if they are left in the solution too long or they are not rinsed thoroughly. It is real hard on skin also.

 

[Builder302]

if you want the chrome taken off, just stamp Craftsman on them, it has worked on most of mine.