Parts Cleaner Sovent

[Phill Tibbetts]

I'm thinking about buying one of the HF parts washers and was wondering if the old solvents are still available. I think the stuff we used years ago was called Stoddard solvent or something like that.

 

[TractorDad3]

Thanks for posting the question
I have bins full of dirty parts and fasteners that would be really nice to box and organize properly after cleaning but don’t really know what to use
The gentlemen from Just a Few Acres reviews one that’s worth a watch

 

[rustred]

nothing like the good old varsol. all kinds of degreaser's out there.

 

[a49deere]

I'm thinking about buying one of the HF parts washers and was wondering if the old solvents are still available. I think the stuff we used years ago was called Stoddard solvent or something like that.

I've got one from HF, used the degreaser that is water soluble that HF sells! All I can say is it is just about worthless. degreaser doesn't work all that great, the filter in tank is nothing but a piece of heavy cheese cloth. Doesn't take long to turn the whole thing into a greasy soup. I ended up putting diesel fuel in mine. Not the best fix but better than some degreasers. I'm going to someday get a tank heater for it and see if that helps. I don't think you can buy the old reliable degreasing agents anymore.

 

[rustred]

Diesel is the last thing you want for washing parts, it is pretty much useless. Gas works way better but it’s highly flammable. I use gas a lot but not in a washer. Only in a cut off pail or pan. You want varsol.

 

[a49deere]

Diesel is the last thing you want for washing parts, it is pretty much useless. Gas works way better but it’s highly flammable. I use gas a lot but not in a washer. Only in a cut off pail or pan. You want varsol.

40 dollars a gallon for varsol and is considered a hazardous waste!! I'll stick with diesel i guess!

 

[Watthour]

I've had one of those low-buck parts washers for about 20+ years. I've found that diesel fuel is actually pretty good for cleaning off routine grime that a hot water wash doesn't get. I've also dosed it on occasion with a touch of acetone, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, ethanol, and other more flammable/volatile solvents. Those tend to evaporate out within a few weeks at most, leaving the kerosene (diesel) behind. I'm lucky that I know of several people with waste oil burners and can discard it with my drained oil whenever it needs to be changed. The small strainer/screen on the inlet of the pump really doesn't clean anything, but only protects the pump from chunks. An axle housing/carrier, transmission, a few heads, carburetors, small engines, and whatever else gets nasty will contaminate it pretty quickly, so I do change it at least once a year at a minimum.

 

[rustred]

40 dollars a gallon for varsol and is considered a hazardous waste!! I'll stick with diesel i guess!

They both are hazardous , diesel does not clean oily dirty parts very good. Plus it is very hard on the skin. But so is varsol. Diesel is worst. Diesel stinks more also. Have u tried washing a fish , well that’s about what diesel does , it’s like slimy and don’t want to clean. Varsol eats the grim of using a brush. You need to get it at a bulk dealer not a hardware store that’s why it’s high priced. Years ago I had stuff in a 5 gallon pail that smelled like oranges. It was called some kind of citrus name. In the garage varsol was used in the parts washers. We added a bit of atf so it was not as hard on the hands. Never even heard of latex gloves in a garage then. I do know diesel is the worst of the 2. Look around for some environmentally friendly stuff. Won’t be cheap either.

 

[Watthour]

Limonene-D. It's been around for quite a while. It is slightly acidic, contains natural solvent oils and usually some alcohols and hydrocarbons.

 

[560Dennis]

Purple power ,or simple green ,except aluminum.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

Purple power ,or simple green ,except aluminum.

X2 on PP. I keep a 2-1/2 gallon jug on hand. I knock off most of the caked on junk and soak the parts, usually overnight, but it works quickly. Hot water rinse and parts come out so dry they flash rust in minutes. Use it till it doesn't clean well. Best part is I can use it in my basement workshop and the wife doesn't crab about the smell.

 

[Welding man]

Go to Lowes and get 5 gal of mineral spirits. Closest thing to Varsol that I have found and a lot cheaper.

 

[560Dennis]

X2 on PP. I keep a 2-1/2 gallon jug on hand. I knock off most of the caked on junk and soak the parts, usually overnight, but it works quickly. Hot water rinse and parts come out so dry they flash rust in minutes. Use it till it doesn't clean well. Best part is I can use it in my basement workshop and the wife doesn't crab about the smell.

I used an old roaster pan and with half pp and water , on Turkey frier burner. I boil out my carburetor s ,this work great. I use Dawn dish soap on the aluminum stuff . Very economical way for me to clean, even removes faded old paint from parts,
Wear face shield and gloves cause it liable to splash you.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

I used an old roaster pan and with half pp and water , on Turkey frier burner. I boil out my carburetor s ,this work great. I use Dawn dish soap on the aluminum stuff . Very economical way for me to clean, even removes faded old paint from parts,
Wear face shield and gloves cause it liable to splash you.

I got a plastic dish washing tub from WM. Holds the whole jug plus parts. PP takes the paint off too. Doesn't take off the white corrosion from aluminum.

 

[showcrop]

The company that I worked for produced a lot of D'limonene based products. It is a solvent that is water based and the best degreaser that I ever found in 40 years in the cleaning chemical business. It is also very expensive. I use diesel myself. Mostly I use it in a five gallon bucket. The key is to leave the part in the bucket for a few days. Generally you don't have to pay for bucket use time, so just sitting, the parts clean themselves.

 

[Tgrasher]

I have a Harbor Freight parts washer with mineral spirits and it works well. I added a (purchased online) oil filter housing that allows me to put an inexpensive filter on. Helps clean the mineral spirits very well, much better than the original. Also put a self stick foam insulation strip around the lid to seal it better from evaporation. There are a lot of tips on how to customize the Harbor Freight online.

 

[redtom]

I have a very nice commercial quality Graymills parts washer that has sat empty for years. Its exactly like the one we had in our garage in the plant where I worked. At that time ours were serviced by Safety Clean of whom came and changed the solvent monthly. I once bought 55 gals of mineral spirits for mine because it was cheap. But once used up it was no longer cost effective. Now with spirits at roughly 10$ or more per gallon. Gasoline is once again the cheapest cleaner. I try to wash and or power wash and rinse with gas. Ideally a steam powerwasher like a Hotsy is best for big jobs like whole engines but I cant afford one of those.

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

Thanks for all the input from everyone. Guess I will stick with my stiff bristle brush an 5 gallon bucket with gasoline.

 

[Eman85]

TSC sells parts solvent in 5 gal buckets.

 

[MSD]

Thanks for all the input from everyone. Guess I will stick with my stiff bristle brush an 5 gallon bucket with gasoline.

I found kerosine works pretty good. Way better than deisel. Spray it down with some brake cleaner when done washing it and it is pretty much bare metal.