[AT] Penetrating fluid

John Wilkens jwilkens at eoni.com
Mon Mar 28 23:35:35 PDT 2011


Mike, I've had thoughts of mixing ATF and MEK for the same 
purpose.  I noticed just yesterday when laquer thinner would not come 
close to cleaning a brush with contact cement (instaling formica) I 
tried MEK which cleaned it slick as a whistle.  Guess I'll try it 
unless someone says it wouldn't be safe.       John W.



At 02:28 PM 03/28/2011, you wrote:
>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
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                    In the wide-open spaces of NE Oregon
   




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