I've been using kroil for 30 years and have been satisfied but I'm running out of the numerous cans I have stashed. Saw this and I think I will try the Auto trans fluid and acetone mix. I'll just have to use a spray bottle instead of the spray cans. Penetrating Oil Machinist's Workshop Magazine recently did a test to determine which brand of penetrating oil worked best on rusty bolt / nut combinations. They scientifically rusted the threads on a group of nut/bolt combinations then measured the torque it took to remove the nuts after they had been soaked with various penetrants. Here are the results…. No Penetrant 516 pounds WD-40 238 pounds PB Blaster 214 pounds Liquid Wrench 127 pounds Kano Kroil 106 pounds ATF / Acetone 53 pounds The ATF / Acetone is a homemade machinist’s recipe that has been around for more than sixty years. It is made up of fifty percent Automatic Transmission Fluid and Acetone (acetone… you can buy at any local hardware store). The ATF/Acetone mix proved to be the most effective by far and costs the least amount per use. It was also interesting to note that the Liquid Wrench brand worked almost as good as the Kroil brand which costs about 20 percent more.
Here's something similar. I've used Ed's Red Bore Cleaner for just about everything, cleaning old radio parts, tools, firearms of course, rust buster, anytime both a cleaner and preservative is needed, SAE connectors etc, the list is endless. It is based on a really old Frankford Arsenal gun cleaning recipe by Hatcher. Whale oil is gettin' tough to find so ATF is the sub. It cuts through all the crap. Sometimes mix in Marvel's Mystery Oil too, that contains an excellent penetrant, Wintergreen oil. You can add in and dissolve Lanolin if desired while carefully warming it and it will extend it's rust keeping properties for preserving and rustproofing. Ed's Red Bore Cleaner 1 part Dexron ATF 1 part Kerosene 1 part Turpentine (can sub Aliphatic Mineral Spirits, Stoddard Solvent, or Varsol) 1 part Acetone (1 lb. of Lanolin, Anhydrous, USP per gallon, OK to substitute Lanolin, Modified, Topical Lubricant from the drug store)
Atf/ lacquer thinner are my go to on stuck engine's, never thought to put in a spray bottle... Interesting
There was a similar extensive thread on this in the past, maybe more than a few. I have some bore cleaner at home, I'll give that a try next.
There was a HAMB cookbook a long time ago, from back in the days when we could actually discuss other stuff without the mods deleting the thread. Is Zeke still around? I've used Kroil for 15 years or so, love it. Aerokroil and Penephite work great. Never tried the ATF and acetone, been meaning to but I seem to have a lifetime supply of Kroil.
Ive been using the acetone atf mix for 20 yrs or more never gave it a thought to share the recipe. Thought everyone would have tried it. Hell i think it was in popular mechanics once.
I have used the atf & acetone for years, works great. Just make sure you use a metal squirt can! I had always heard about melting paraffin into the threads of a rusted stud, bolt etc. but had never tried it until recently. Worked like a charm! I now keep that little trick in my mind (what little mind I have left)
Also been mentioned here on the HAMB - candle wax. Heat the part with a torch, apply candle and then turn out broken fastener with Vicegrips. Tried recently and removed 5 fasteners from a cast iron parlor heater. Easy peazy and broken fasteners came out w/o incident.
My go-to penetrating oil has been "Gibb's" for several decades. Freed up some seriously stuck antique outboard motors when all else fails...
Everything is a petroleum product so it will melt the plastic. It is no different than using gasoline in a plastic bottle.
Acetone (usually?) is supplied in metal cans, but when mixing up a batch of homebrew it gets diluted some, have not had any trouble using plastic spray bottles though it probably depends on the type of plastic. Don't mix up a huge batch, make up what you need I found the homebrew stuff will sour and varnish after a while. It should be labeled as to contents. One thing every good cook knows (since recipes were brought up) time is also an ingredient. Sometimes people hit a rusty bolt with Liquid Wrench or whatever and expect it to pop right off. It might be necessary to give it a day or two or three, reapplying a few times. A few love taps from a hammer will tend to shock and break up the rust bonds and helps the oil penetrate further. Sometimes, they will only be finger tight after that routine.
When I was teaching high school the wood shop teachers wife bought an old farmers milk can. It took a month before the lid moved the width of our witness mark. After that, a little back and forth and the lid was off in 5 minutes
I use a plastic spray bottle filled with old gas for weeds no melt down over the years.different plastics p.s.I have used trans acetone mix not a miracle solution but works.no substitute for a blue flame wrench where possible
The blue wrench has rarely failed me. On bigger hardware that can take a hit, I have a punch for my air impact gun that works well. Tap it around the nut (of course after soaking in in what you like...) and the shock helps to loosen it up.
Never could get it to mix either. Thought maybe it was the wrong type ATF. Ed's Red mix has both of what are called polar and non-polar solvents or somesuch. No idea what that means, but it mixes together.
A polar solvent mixes with water, while a non-polar solvent mixes with petroleum products, in a nutshell.
I can't be bothered mixing anything up, straight up Kroil is pretty good. If you have the access, try building a dam around the rusted item out of duct seal or windshield sealant (the roll type). This is amazing and let the item soak for a few days.
I mixed up acetone and MMO 50/50 in a metal pump can. Always give it a "shake" before using. Have a 400 SBC, that wouldn't budge. I'd give it a couple squirts in the spark plug holes, and last month, I went to try again with the wrench, it seemed to move. Couple more wiggles back and forth, and away it spun! I use PB Blaster also. Like mentioned above; time and some percussion(tapping with hammer), are allies in the fight against rust!
Not sure of the others, but I keep the mixture in metal pump can with flexible wand. The wand has a threaded cap, when not in use.
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