Parts Cleaning Solvent - What do you use?

RIGHT ON!

Pine-Sol = Simple Green! See this post:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=131472&highlight=Degreaser

~Jason

 

I've been building engines for years in local machine shops and all have used deisel or kerosene in there parts washers, works great!

 

what is the best thing to use for primarily carbs??

 

The Worx Toilet Bowl Cleaner is some of the most wicked **** I've ever seen.... dump one bottle in a 5 gallon bucket, add about 4 gallons of water, and dump your greasy, grimey, rusted parts in... wait 10 mins, remove and rinse... Thats all it takes.

PLEASE DO THIS OUTSIDE... I COULD FEEL THE BRAIN CELLS MELTING AWAY!

 

I traded the neighbor done the street for a new-in-the- box electric turkey fryer. The temp range goes from 150-350* or thereabouts. It has a gl*** lid and best of all, a lift out bucket! I've heated Simple green in it for degreasing, the grease gets clumpy and white. Kind of nasty looking. I also use it to heat up my manganese phosphate for coating cast iron or steel pieces. The neighbor had it in her garage sale. The wife saw it and thought it would be a shame to see it get dirty. I quickly dirtied it before she got too many ideas.

 

I've always had good luck with that!

 

I have been having good luck on STEEL parts using dollar store caustic oven cleaner. $1 a can and it cleans up easy. works good on the big stuff at the car wash. doesn't seem to hurt paint either (sprayed some stuff down in the bed of my truck and it is still glossy)

on the heavy stuff I give it a soak in paint thinner and then a rinse off with the oven cleaner. leaves it dry and oil free. also I rotate my carb cleaner cans. the freshest can is for carbs only. and the older cans get parts put in them. great for bolts and such since it will take the paint and grease off them. just let it sit for a few days or weeks and pull them out and they are as good as new looking.

I have heard about doing a boil using TSP since it will take paint off stuff.

 

I am right there with you guys on the Zep stuff. We use Zep brake wash to clean lots of stuff here. Makes an oily engine, nice and clean.

Have you guys ever tried adding water to your parts washers?
I know some people that used to do it at a shop. The idea is the water and mineral spirits (saftey kleen, whatever) mix with the water when the pump is on, but if you let it sit over night the solvent floats to the top and the water and dirt go to the bottom. Then you can switch on the pump, running the hose into a bucket thus pumping out the nasty dirty stuff and the water.. That way you dont have to dump the whole tub of solvent.

Seems like it may work, but the oils dissolve into the solvent, so they would not just settle out.. or would they?

Anyone try this? I still havent found a spot for my new parts washer, so I havent tried it yet.

 

I've done the water thing. Man, make sure you get ALL the water out when you turn on the pump, especially if your tub is metal, else the water will sit on the bottom of it and rust pinholes through!

~Jason