Just bought a new parts washer and kerosene here is $3/gallon. I always do a final 'wash' with mineral spirits through a refillable aerosal so I am just looking for a lower cost solvent for the parts washer. Any ideas? Thank you,

Ultraman---

Call your local wholesaler and ask for Stoddard's solvent. It's made for parts washers. Mainly because of the high flash point and no harmful vapors.

It's usually $5 a gallon if you bring your own container. Run it through an oil filter under pressure to clean it........as far as I know it's indestructable. I've been using the same couple gallons since I got here 12 years ago.......of course I've added five gallons or so during that time.

I use MEK at about $4/gallon. Decant the used, dirty stuff into a 5 gallon drum and occassionally put it through my homebuilt still to recover it.

One day I'll get around to building a vapour degreasing tank using a vertically mounted 100 or 150 mm dia stainless steel tube. That will allow me to clean rifles actions, clarinets and bassoons very nicely.

cheers edi

MEK ( methyl ethyl ketone ) is a very potent cleaner but also a very potent toxin. The are much safer solvents.

"very potent toxin"

I disagree. As long as you do not try to get high from it and do not wash your hands in it fine.

Edi, try methylene chloride for a vapor degreasing agent. Perfect chemical for it. Same same as for MEK.

A nice trick with parts washers is to put some water in the bottom of the tank, then pour your kerosene or diesel fuel on top of that. The dirt and grime gets trapped in the water and your solvent stays clean a lot longer, especially if you use it for things other than guns. To get really fancy put a hole about 10" - 1' above the bottom and plug it with a bolt, then fill to a couple inches below that point with water, then solvent above it. When you are ready to clean your tank just remove the bolt and drain off the solvent, then do dump all the goo and water.

Of course you have to make sure the pickup is positioned in the solvent and not the water.

Hello Roger - affirnative of the methylene chloride. It's just that I always have MEK available. Essential when repairing composite sailplanes and using two-pack polyurethane paints.

Second thoughts on the vertical pipe vapour degreaser. It can also easily double as the boiler of the still.

Good one Mark -and so obvious when someone points it out - and to think that once my lab job was fractional distillation. Why didn't I think of it myself?

cheers edi

I've been told that stoddard's solvent is the same thing as coleman camp fuel (white gas). How true this is I don't know, does anybody else know. I can get a gal of it for 3.00 at wally world or K mart.

Hsp,whoever told you that must really want to see you get burned,colemans is not the same,and probably more flammable than gasoline.I use a hot water/alkaloyd? solution at work.cleans better than brake cleaner without all the voc's[fumes].The only down side is you have to be ready to wipe down the parts immediately or surface rust will occur in a few minutes,no joke this stuff removes ALL oil/grease.If you're interested i'll get the brand name and post,don't know it off the top of my head.

My vote goes to JBelk and the Stoddards solvent.

Best regards,

hsp223---

Don't take any candy from the guy that equated Stoddard's and white gas. It's sure to be poison.

The luckiest thing that's likely to happen with Coleman fuel (which is white gasoline) is for you to be blown out the roof *between* the rafters.

MANY houses have been burnt to the ground by gas fumes (heavier than air) being torched off by a pilot light or ignited with the flipping of a light switch.

Worked for a Gunsmith that used Simple Green.

Seemed to be pretty safe stuff and seemed to work fine.

http://www.simplegreen.com/

$bob$

[ 04-02-2003, 12:26: Message edited by: LDHunter ]

If I could afford it, my choice would be Mpro7 - I am impressed with it. It gave me the first clean, white, patch that I have ever pushed out the end of a barrel. It has no odor, does not eat anything but oil finished stocks - it simply cleans gun parts and, especially, barrels.