I was searching old forums for some info on parts washing solvents and found a lot of talk about the expense of different cleaners. Here is a trick I use to keep the cost down. If you have a 15 gallon parts washer fill the bottom with 5 or so gallons of water. You must use an oil based solvent for this trick! Set your pick up tube above the water level so it only gathers solvent. As gunk, grim and dirt collect in the water and stay at the bottom of the tank your oil based solvent will rise up clean to the pick up tub ready to be reused.

Bloody brilliant!!:D

Jerry

Until the water makes a rust hole in the drum.

Epoxy the drum problem solved.:yes:

We use 55 gallon drums with heater bands to seperate oil and water at work.

So line the drum with a plastic trash bag.

We always did this in the parts washers back in my motorcycle shop days.

Would mixing antifreeze with the water solve the rust problem?

Would mixing antifreeze with the water solve the rust problem?

Or, maybe a little corrosion inhibitor like Prestone Super Anti-Rust? I use this and straight water in my race engines. Never any rust in the cooling system.

It'd probably work in the parts washer, too.


Randy

That's similar to the dipped black paint trick. Fill a five gallon bucket with 3-4 gallons of water. Poor in enough reconditioning black (Eastwoood's underhood black) to make about a 1/2" thick layer on top. Dip your bumper brackets and other parts like the factory did.

Paul

Cool trick :yes:

I just cleaned out my parts washer and then priced 20 gallons of solvent at O'reilly auto parts so it sets empty for now. :pout:

I was using Safety Clean to be able to have a record for the EPA but thought their prices got too high, maybe not.

Why don't you just use mineral spirits in your parts washer. Our parts washer in the shop here is about two and a half feet wide, four feet long, and about three feet deep, It uses a sump pump to flow the liquid.

There is about thirty gallons of mineral spirits in the parts washer. The motor is open, we weld and grind around it, and never a problem. Mineral spirits work very well to degrease these big nasty, thirty year old caked in grease elevator parts. And I guarantee it's a hell of a lot cheaper than Safety Kleen.


Rocky

I have a "30 gallon" parts washer; I DO use mineral spirits. I install less than 5 gallons of mineral spirits in the "30 gallon" drum.

Aside from concerns about the flash point of mineral spirits, it works fine. The solvent does get ugly-looking very quickly, but that doesn't seem to affect the way it works.

My tank does not have a decent filter system; it's the one thing that disappointed me. Now and then, I run the solvent through one of those old "toilet paper" Frantz/SKY Corp. partial-flow oil filters; but I can't say that it seems to make much difference.

I'll probably wind up using mineral spirits even though it is flammable. :(
Either that or wait and add solvent to my CHRISTmas "wish list." :D

Years ago, I got a customer's old Chrysler-Airtemp condensing unit on fire using mineral spirits to clean it up and had to replace all the wiring and the blower belt. I was trying to locate a refrigerant leak and I washed it all down and stuck a halide-open flame leak detector in it and it immediately caught fire. My boss wasn't too happy with me when his bud the fire chief was the one to tell him about the indecent.

I'm kinda paranoid about fire now, especially since the fire in my back garage-shop. :(

Hey Dean, thanx for putting Christ back in Christmas, we don't see this enough these days! Sorry for the hijack.

Jerry

Lol, I love the CHRISTmas wishlists. I remember the first year I made a wishlist on summit, then just told my family to look there.

My birthday/christmas are withing 9 days of each other, so I typically have to make a good list. I just started giving out part numbers over the last couple of years, makes things a lot easier.

Diesel with a touch of Stabil works for me.