Parts washer solvent

[gregbr]

What solvent do you use in your parts washer?? Mine is in an area with welding & grinding. What do you recommend?? Greg

[purple gas]

Well, I'd definatly recommend something that's non-flamable. I don't have a washer, but for cleaning parts I always use "paint thinner" from the paint dept. the type you can buy almost anywhere. Basically it's a non flamamble solvent. Comes in qt. gal. and some places 5 gallon pails. It cleans grease good, isn't too stinky, doesn't eveaporate too fast, drys your hands out a bit, but doesn't burn the skin off. It doesn't affect dry paint, and is fairly easy on plastics & rubber too. Whatever you use if ther's sparks around, probly best to keep it coverd.

[Longhorn Man]

We use about 30 gallons of mineral spirits and a gallon of ATF to help keep your hands some what not messed up.

[jamesi20]

I use mineral spirits in mine.It doesn't leave an oily film on parts that I want to paint like the kerosene I used to use and it cleans just as well.I also started using the nitrile gloves from harbor freight keeps your skin in good shape and they're disposible,and cheap enough.

[kwmech]

I use K1 kerosene, afterwards when it's dirty I can mix it in with my waste oil for disposal.

[chipflyer]

Check your local fuel distributers, I have a local oil company that sells bulk fuel and still carries parts washer solvent. Its about 4 bucks a gallon, I try to take care of it and make it last a long time.

[gregbr]

Sounds like the mineral spirits may be the way to go....less cleaning before painting. Thanks.

[73737373]

I use a very strong concentration of Dawn dish soap...about 16 oz per 10 gals of water. Let your parts sit in that for a week, and when you pull them out, all that oily greasy stuff is soft as mush. Give them a quick brushing and they're good as new. Then if you want to use the mineral spirits...any good painter will always wipe the car down w/a degreasing agent....now is the time for that. Afterwards, if you let your water sit, the oily crap comes to the top, and you can scrape it off, then dump it, so you don't get the EPA folks upset.

[Fred T]

Follow Jeff's recommendation and get solvent. It used to be sold under the name Stoddard Safety Solvent. The safety is the fact that it doesn't flash like mineral spirits, you can throw a lit match in it and the match will burn out. It is flammable, which means it will burn when it gets hot enough. I started using it at a shop in 73 and fell in love. Far better than kerosene for cleaning. I buy mine at a local co-op, there's also a bulk dealer in the area that will deliver. At the museum we usually change the solvent out annually, we use it every weekend. My washer at home I filled 5 years ago, it is just now needing changed.

[ChevLoRay]

Back in "the day", I worked for an ESSO dealer....pre-EXXON. They had a solvent that was sold, called Varsol. Last time I bought any was in '75. It was pretty good stuff.

Since that time, I bought Gunk, in the 1-gallon can and used it full strength. I also bought some stuff called Tyme, also in a 1-gallon can, but also available in a 5-gallon bucket, with a parts cleaning basket. Oh, it only came with 3-gallons of cleaner. Both Tyme and Gunk were used where I worked to clean carburetors for rebuilding. Probably the best part of the carb-cleaning equipment was the container that used air to raise/lower the basket continually during the cleaning process (1 hour), which was also on a timer. But, that was also back in '75-76.

If you have one of the recirculating parts cleaner sink/pump/filter equipment, check with Safety-Kleen for some of their solvents.

Don't use gasoline, because of the flammability of the vapors. Kerosene is good for cleaning tar off of vehicles, but it does leave an oily film.

[Musclerodz]

We still use stoddard solvent and works great. You will have to go to a petroleum distributer to get it more than likely.

Mike

[gregbr]

Never heard of stoddard, will do some checking around. Thanks for all the great input. Would have to learn alot the hard way without this board. Greg

[jimfulco]

Stoddard solvent is the same thing as Varsol.

[gregbr]

Thanks Jim, I've heard of that.....HAHA.

[71SWBChevy]

We have always used diesel fuel because living on a farm that was alway around but it does leave a film so if you plan on painting something it isn't the way to go.