[AT] Penetrating fluid

[Mike Sloane]

Things seem a little slow on the ATIS list, so I thought I would throw 
out the following:

I have used a lot of different penetrating fluids over the years, but I 
recently discovered one that works very well and is very inexpensive. It 
is 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF (any kind). The problem is that when you 
mix a quart of acetone and a quart of ATF, you get half a gallon of a 
liquid that is likely to evaporate (at least the acetone part) and also 
wants to melt most plastic containers. The good news is that your 
average windshield washer fluid bottle is made from HDPE, which is not 
attacked by acetone (I do like Material Safety Data Sheets to find out 
that kind of information!). But a gallon jug really isn't the best 
container for squirting a little penetrating fluid on a balky fastener 
on a tractor or implement. I tried various other containers and 
applicators, but none of them really did the job.

I am a frequent customer of American Science and Surplus, as I love all 
the oddball stuff they have for sale at reasonable prices. My latest 
purchase included a bag of 4 HDPE square sided bottles that hold about a 
liter/quart and have screw-on flip type nozzles. The price was right - 
$3.95 for a bag of four, and I think it will do an excellent job. I used 
a metal funnel and filled one with my mix, and I will see how it works 
on the next rusty nut/bolt. My next chore is tearing down the mower deck 
on my International 184, and I can almost guarantee that the last guy 
who put it together (not me!) didn't use anti-seize grease on any of the 
fasteners. Item number 39741.

<http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm/terms/16359>

They do have a $10 minimum order, but if you can't find another $6 worth 
of stuff to buy, you just aren't a real breathing hobby hacker - they 
have tools, electrical stuff, science stuff, etc. I also got 3 small 
rolls of steel wire, small enough to keep in various tool boxes.
<http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm/terms/17031> and two packs of 
offset screwdrives for $3.75.
<http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm/terms/16979> (They aren't Snap-On 
quality, but if I only use them once to get an badly placed screw out, 
they will have paid for themselves in time and aggravation saved.)

Mike