Penetrating oils and test.

[swampratt]

I did not want to dirty up the other thread speaking of penetrating oils.
I have relied on many methods of getting rusty bolts and plugs out of automotive engines and their other parts.
I have found Kroil does not work well at all for me and PB blaster is not great either.
Transmission fluid and Acetone worked ok.
Brake fluid works better than anything I have tried including heat i some situations.
Yes brake fluid.
Another top dog is Rust Buster with the zoom spout. You can get it at a supply house like Johnstone supply.

The hardest bolts or nuts to remove are on exhaust parts like the catalytic converter or exhaust manifolds.
I had one car with 250,000 miles on it and the Converter bolts would not budge even with heat.
Kroil was used Heat with candle wax was used PB blaster and Liquid wrench and again with the heat.
Nothing worked.. heat was last and then i let it cool and tried again and it was not budging.
I decided to try brake fluid..A buddy told me about it.

I applied it by dipping a paper towel piece into the brake fluid and applying it to the area wit the towel.
I let it set 20 minutes and came back and they both snapped loose with 1/2 the torque as was applying.

Yes I let the other penetrants set on there ..in fact I would try it after 10 minutes and then gave it 40 minutes of rest time and try again.

But that is rusty bolts on Iron or steel much different than a plumbing part that may have calcium making the parts bond together.
For that you need something that eats calcium like CLR or something.
When CLR first came out I tried it and it did not work for me.
Vinegar works for me. Or other acids.

Here is a rusted bolt test I found.

 

[dennishoddy]

Interesting results!

 

[swampratt]

I found PB blaster dries quickly and when it dries it no longer works well.
Some of those may have worked better while wet.. but he did give plenty of time and 2 coats. so that should work if the stuff was even a little bit good at what it claimed.

I have done rust resistant test on a piece of flat polished steel.
Using many of the oils we use to protect out guns from rust.
One day I may do another test.
I like testing things as many of us here do.

 

[RKM]

 

[1mathom1]

Wonder what brakefluid would do to a blued gun part?

 

[swampratt]

Put it on and see.
It will not take the coatings off of bleeder zerts.
And does not eat aluminum.
It lays very thin and i think is one reason it will creep in and remove rusted stuff and it is hygroscopic.
Now hygroscopic may allow it to pull in moisture to bust the rust loose.

Think about how rust is formed.. usually by moisture many times by chemical reaction but that is corrosion.

I had a buddy try everything to break the rings loose on a dirt bike engine.
soaked it with all kinds of things from diesel fuel to marvel mistory oil.
The bike had sat outside with the head off laying in the weeds for over 10 years.
So really rusted rings to say the least.

He finally took the small engine and submerged it for a week in water.
He said water makes rust and it also breaks rust.
Well he must have been right because when he pulled it out you could now get the crank to turn and pistons were moving.

Lots going on when trying to penetrate or soften rust.

 

[John6185]

Swampratt you have more patience that probably anyone here to undertake that study.

 

[stick4]

Taken from the Practical Machinist Forum
(YMMV)

In a thread in the antique machinery forum, there was a discussion what to use to free up a part. Southbendmodel34 had mentioned a study in Machinist Workshop stating that Automatic transmission fluid and Acetone mixed was the best.
I just received a newsletter today from Tim Carter mentioning the same study. He had included the results of the test, which I thought interesting.

A study done by Machinist's Workshop magazine in their April 2007 issue looked at different penetrating oils to see which one did the best job of removing a rusted bolt by measuring the pounds of torque required to loosen the bolt once treated. If the study was scientifically accurate, it turns out a home brew works best!
Here's the summary of the test results:

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

 

[MacFromOK]

Brake fluid will dissolve some paints, so beware of finishes and coatings. It makes them curdle up similar to paint remover.

 

[swampratt]

Yes it will remove paint.
Here is another tip on brake fluid and cleaning brake drums or calipers with fluid on them.
Soap and water.
NOT brake clean in a can .. that stuff makes a mess.
Soap and water or some kind of spray window cleaner like windex.
You can windex the spilled fluid or parts that get fluid on them and blow the windex off with air gun and all is clean and dry.
Or wipe it up after windex treatment.