Whats everyone using to clean old parts with?

Chemical Tanks? What chemicals are cheap and work best? Has anyone used the new sound wave tank? How about those nut and bolt tumblers from Eastwood? Currently Ive got a chemical parts washer with some not so effective degreaser hence the post topic. I work in the pool industry and was thinkin about using hydorchloric acid but that stuff is pretty caustic. Any tried and true reciepies out there?

 

Simple Green for most stuff, mineral spirits for internal engine parts etc.

 

Oven degreaser, I've used that a couple of timse on some relaly tough stuff with good sucess.

 

I like denatured alcahol. Stay away from the stout carb cleaner stuff, it'll jack you up.

 

I use a five gallon bucket of casteroil super clean and a dip basket. let em sock overnight and it removes all the grime paint etc. dont use it on alluminum it turns it black then turns to white powder.

 

I use an Eastwood Vibratory tumbler for small parts. Works well. Stuff needs to be degreased though

Large greasy shit gets a dip in our Safety clean washer.

I have a carb can for carbs. NAPA brand, it sucks, no basket

Carb cleaners and Laquer thinner is my pal good shit.

 

gomez,

there have been several posts on this topic over the years. if you do a search you should find some of them. there are LOTS of suggestions. good luck, and let us know what works best for you.

 

if you want a good degreaser and to remove old paint, id use easy off oven cleaner. Spray it on the part and let it sit, then either rinse or carefully brush (so you dont get anything in your eyes). I degreased a whole engine in a truck with a few cans of easy off, worked very well with just a water hose to rinse (no pressure).

 

My exboyfriend's toothbrush.... I'll send it back to him one day.

 

Flash 140 solvent this shit will eat the paint off and your finger tips.
Super clean and a heated power washer..

Or let the dog chew the smutz right off, that what happens when your cross a dane with a lab

 

I've gotten some good results with the trusty kitchen dishwasher, easy off oven cleaner and at times Simple green. As long as the parts fit in the dishwasher, and I got as much crud off as I could it worked fine. Some parts were so cruddy, it took a couple rounds of scrub by hand and dishwasher. Hope this helps! OH yeah...run the dishwasher empty a couple times with dishwashing cleanser, wiping large particles off by hand if necessary before putting your dishes back in there!

 

Plastic lenses, simple green and water.

Greasy parts, gasoline or Berryman B-12. Be prepared to dispose of at a haz-mat place.

Rusty stuff, wire wheel.

Overspray, lacquer thinner, as long as you're not working with a plastic or painted surface. Not sure about anodized. But lacquer thinner is awesome on stainless trim.

Sand cast aluminum such as intakes, real glass beads. But I usually have sandblasted and then paint with silver paint that matches as-cast. Oh, and you need to de-grease at least all the wet stuff before blasting or your media will get messed up. One reason I just have sand blasted, but I have to degrease for him too. Oh, and only do this method on rough-cast surfaces too-- altough glass beading will leave a cool satin texture to a polished surface.

Undercoating, aircraft stripper OR torch and putty knife. Finish cleaning with wire wheel and/or lacquer thinner.

Painted panels, aircraft stripper. (nasty, nasty stuff though-- don't breath or get on skin).

 

I have an industrial chemical called BG, mum's company uses it in fire restorations of houses and shit ..... needless to say it is awesome.

for rusty ive been using vinegar 4 litres and 1 small citric acid container mixed together, strippin rust off brake drums and shit like that like nothing else and does it overnight

cheers
adz

 

For small parts we use simple green or pink stuff to remove
the grime and we remove rust with an eletrolytic tank.
Ultrasonic cleaners are oK but big ones are expensive and not good for brass, bronze, zinc or aluminumum.
Simple green and pink stuff work much better if heated to around 120 to 140 degrees F.

 

..........................You do realize that this thread is over 13 years old!

 

Simple green to clean up any dirty grimy parts with oil or grease on it. And to get rust off metal or watever to make it look like new without all the b.s. Evaporust that stuff works miracles tbh. And is environment friendly.

Sent from my Z981 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Greasy stuff.....varsol

 

Zombie posts always crack me up...

 

This thread is 13 years old but we can still add to it with some good info.
I like citric acid.

 

I've used diesel and a stiff brush to loosen caked on grease. Another thing I've used is Drano (gotta use the crystals as the liquid isn't as effective)

To remove rust I've soaked things in phosphoric acid. I've been told not to use it on suspension parts though because it could cause hydrogen embrittlement.

 

What do solvent tanks at the shop or on the floor use? Some kind of petroleum or deoderized kerosene right? Can't really get much better n that. Anything not too stinky or flammable is right in there.

 

We used Varsol in our tank. HRP

 

Most "hot tanks" in older days used "Oakite' in the water....

 

Right. So a handy equivalent in just about every hoodlum's garage would be charcoal grill lighter fluid. Aka paint thinner or sometimes called Stoddard solvent.

 

So where does one purchase REAL -Varsol these days ? Not that Varsol substitution shit.

Oldmics

 

Easy. If the label says "New and Improved!" that ain't the stuff.

 

Just use solvent from the local hardware store. Does ok, but when i was in the service we got some stuff from the flight line we put in a 50 caliber ammo box. We would put a greasy intake in it and 30 minutes later it looked brand new, down to bare metal. Dont know what it was but would like to find out. Any one on a flight line somewhere that can chime in?

 

When? They sicked the EPA after the .mil while I was in, or started to, by the 90s. "How long has that oil can been sitting there?" Yeesh.

1,1,1, Trichlorethane aka "Trike" was used a lot. Since been defanged I'm sure. MEK would be another good candidate.

 

Careful with the Drano. If you buy a lot, the police will suspect you're making meth.

 

Fore shot from the still,can't drink it but it makes great parts cleaner.