Hot Rods Cleaning solvent

I've read the thread on what cleaning solvent people use. I have used paint thinner before with good results but recently bought a gal. at a box store and it smelled like lacquer thinner and it was so harsh it took the paint off the parts washer I have, big mess, and then evaporated in three days. Has the formula changed? Bought another can and the same smell/results?

 

Most, if not all, cleaning solvents have been changed to be more environmentally friendly which, unfortunately, is synonymous with "doesn't work".

 

Same results for me, took 3 months though. New parts washer and got Simple Green Aircraft Safe G1695355 from Zoro.com through Amazon. Haven't used yet so read up credentials..

 

For degreasing and getting sticky crap and grease etc works great and does not smell .



and we use this stuff with our hot water pressure washer


If you have a spot for it a gas powered hot water pressure washer does quick work of cleaning , and most times doesn’t even require a degreaser or soap .

 

There are a whole bunch of things that can be called "paint thinner", but the one that you probably want is called "mineral spirits". You have to read the label carefully. If you post a picture of the can, maybe we can help you figure out what it is you bought. And we can see what brand you got, and maybe suggest a different product from that company that might be more what you want

 

^^^^I’ll do that…Thanks…

 

You may have gotten acetone. I really miss the day that you could go buy a drum of ' parts cleaning safety solvent' from the local jobber...take your own container.
I have been using 'Wax and Grease" remover lately, that I purchase from the automotive paint supply house. I have been purchasing it in 5 gallon cans and it runs about $70.00, up considerably from what it used to be. I like it because it doesn't evaporate away like paint solvents and it cleans parts well. I also use it for wipe down of the parts I'm getting ready to paint...it's original application by cracky

 

I run Crown PCS 1000. It's basically odorless mineral spirits with a higher flash point. Works great!

 

I've been getting just this, from a petroleum jobber in Tucson, for years. I think last year was the most recent. It was about ten bucks a gallon then, and is probably higher now.

 

I own a powder coat shop, use a lot of "Ripper 2" from Hotsy. Good shit, goes a long ways. Its like $90 for 5 gallons but you can mix it 3oz's to a gallon. They have "Ripper 1" & " Ripper 3". The 3 is nasty, will actually soften powder coat! I soak a lot of greasy parts, and run it through my steamer pressure washer as well.

 

Is that like Irish Spring for machinery?

 

Hydro sol was the go to years ago. Loved the smell of it. It would rip carbs clean as a whistle. Cherished down to my last puddle of it. Gov't banned it but have been told Military still gets it. My brother in law is a chemist and he helped me concoct a 5 gallon mix that is aggressive and works. Got to keep an eye on Aluminum parts. And yes wear gloves. I purchased the Farm and Family degreaser for my parts washer. Works quite well but expensive. Safety Kleen has their own proprietary formula but cannot get recipe for it.

 

Hot water and high pressure, with a couple capfuls of corrosion inhibitor.

I buy the water by the acre-foot from the local municipality.

It is odorless, and is incredibly hard to set on fire.

 

It sounds like you bought a product with a lot of acetone in it.
I don't have a parts washer but do have a bin I soak engine parts in. I use a mixture of Diesel, Acetone and gasoline. The acetone smell goes away (evaporates) in two to three days. I assume that's what you have experienced.

 

I tried Krud Cutter in my used when I bought it HF solvent tank and it ate the paint out of the tank and it ate the paint off a Ford Flathead Hogshead that I had in it to soak. It works great and the reccomended dilution is one ounce per gallon so a gallon of the stuff goes a long way but I would only use it in a bare metal tank.

 

I must be doing something wrong, since nobody has said this already. My parts washer is filled with kerosene. With the lid down it doesn’t stink up the place, or seem to evaporate. Works pretty good. Not a magic grease and gunk remover, but soak it overnight and even the worst stuff is softened up and brushes off.

 

Last season my Kerosene heater gave up and the rebuild parts are sky high. The Kerosene went into the parts cleaner soak bin.

 

Kerosene or diesel fuel. My parts cleaner holds 45 gallons. It’s a big one.

 

5 Gallons of diesel, 6 gallons of gas, a gallon and a half of methanol and 4oz of Dial Gold hand soap. It's all of the old fuels I had laying around. The gas was probably 5 years old, the methanol was 25. The diesel got gas in it (gas station screw-up). I tossed the soap in to take the edge off of the smell. Worked a little.
For the last 20 years I have been using water based stuff. I liked Mean Green (Rustoleum, $11/gallon at HF), Krud Kutter (acid based, most others are caustic, ~$15 at HD) and Simple Green Precision (too spendy, ~$30 !). I probably have tried 10 kinds.
I recently started doing a bunch of transmissions. They are filthy and encased in mung. First batch, I pre-pressure washed with soap (at home), ran them through a steam spinner cabinet that uses a caustic powder and hot water and finally through a heated ultrasonic tank filled with Simple Green (at a buddy's shop, 30 miles away). Back home, I still had to do too much hand scrubbing to get them totally clean.
I dumped the water based stuff out of my HF 20gal washer. It was disgusting and stagnant anyhow. Leave that stuff alone too long and it turns on you. I put the washer 50' from my shop, filled it up with the seasoned fuels, left the switch on, carried the extension cord inside and plugged it in. It did not blow up. A couple of hours in the washer with the pump on, showering the parts, and an easy pressure washer rinse got them ready to use. The shit softened up and blew right off. I use a baby pool to catch it. It was so much quicker, I generated a fraction of nasty water compared even to the last pre-wash. And, no trip to the machine shop to mooch equipment. The flash point must be pretty low, the volatiles in this brew are long gone. After a few soaks, it's dirty and hardly lights at all (I tested )
I still use Mean Green in a smaller ultrasonic tank for carbs and such. When it comes to big boy stuff, it's in the witches brew from now on. There is a 65 year old oil pan soaking in it now. Your results may vary, be careful. Mike

 

Tough for us city guys where water use is getting tougher. Back in the day when we had Standard Brand Paint Stores. We bought paint thinner and added a quart of non detergent oil to the 25 gallon washers. No more.

 

I lived in North Charleston SC for over 25 years, always had to keep an eye on any kind of petroleum getting on the gound... every mother's son wanted to write you a EPA offense... last hurricane that we had, I watched the runoff from the wasteland between my place and the railroad yard pouring into the street (!!!!) from my driveway... there was a definite oil sheen and it stunk of diesel oil... but it's MY problem, not the railroad's...
I use a lot of plain mineral spirits and "off" fuel for cleaning stuff.

 

Here's what I bought. They smell exactly the same and I had the same results with both. I wanted the old fashioned paint thinner, maybe I'll go the Kerosene route....I can't believe these are more enviro friendly? These are similar to MEK....

 

**Cleveland has entered the chat**

 

Nope. I have a skimmer.

I have a sealed, filtered system, and and a waste disposal contract.

I realize that this stands in direct opposition to everyone with an open waste stream, but I won't have it.

 

Didn't realize. My Home Depot doesn't even carry the real stuff anymore. When I saw mineral spirits, I figured it was mineral spirits. Bastards !

 

It is the spirit of recently departed mineral spirits.