[AT] Penetrating fluid

[mpnc282 at juno.com]

Hi John,Just be careful with the MEK John, its nasty stuff. Try to minimize skin contact, it will absorb and hurt your internals (liver). As a teenager I worked in a conveyor belt shop, we used acetone, MEK, xylene, toluene, and other nasties to clean the belts prior to shipping. We were supposed to use gloves, but as a dumb kid it always seemed like too much trouble to find them, so I would just dip a rag and my hand into a bucket of the stuff. I'm sure that will come back to bite me in the a$$ later in life. Its no different than a parts cleaner; I keep mine full of diesel, and it works fine, but I do try to minimize contact when I can. I too would be interested in how your neighbor makes bio diesel, and what type of equipment he uses. Mike M ---------- Original Message ----------
From: John Wilkens <jwilkens at eoni.com>
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: Re: [AT] Penetrating fluid
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2011 23:35:35 -0700

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
>_______________________________________________
>AT mailing list
>http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at


                    In the wide-open spaces of NE Oregon
   

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