Penetrating Oils

tb901

tb901

PR Addict
Got this from My old boss (retired Engineer) Thought it might help someone save their knuckles.
Machinist's Workshop Mag recently published some information on various penetrating oils that I found very interesting. Some of you might appreciate this. The magazine reports they tested penetrates for break out torque on rusted nuts.

They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist. They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrates with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment.

Penetrating oil Average load
None 516 pounds
WD-40 238 pounds
PB Blaster 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench 127 pounds
Kano Kroil 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix 53 pounds

The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note the "home brew" was better than any commercial product in this one particular test.

Our local machinist group mixed up a batch and we all now use it with equally good results.

Note also that "Liquid Wrench" is almost as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price.

Steve from Godwin-Singer says that ATF-Acetone mix is the best and you can also use ATF- lacquer thinner 50 - 50 mix.

ATF=Automatic Transmission Fluid
 
I've been using the 50/50 acetone/ATF mix for a couple years now.
One issue. It leaks out of sprayers, like this
http://www.mcmaster.com/#spray-bottles/=jyt8sr
when the temperature changes. As the temp comes back
up it pushes past the nozzle. Ends up all over the work bench.
If you loosen the cap a bit, that doesn't happen but the
acetone vapor pressure is so high it boils off after a couple
weeks. So you need a sprayer that is totally sealed or
you need to make up more a lot. I haven't found one totally
sealed. I pour the stuff out into a metal can I can seal
after using it. Sort of a pain.

Probably wouldn't happen if my garage was heated even
when I'm not in it but it's not.
 
Would an acetone application followed by ATF work? That would eliminate long term volatility or is the acetone in the mixture required to draw the ATF?
 
k01 said:
Would an acetone application followed by ATF work? That would eliminate long term volatility or is the acetone in the mixture required to draw the ATF?
Click to expand...

I don't think so but don't know for sure. The acetone makes the ATF thin enough to seep
into the very tight spaces it needs to be seeping into.
 
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