Two solvent questions....

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Greg_Lewis
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Two solvent questions....

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Hi folks:
I have two solvent questions. Many decades ago I had a can of carburetor cleaner large enough to dunk a carb body into. Anything that went into that can came out cleaner than new. And I suppose whatever chemicals were in there are considered dangerous by today's standards. That can is long gone.

So I'm trying to clean a couple of things. I've tried the aerosol can engine cleaner, and I don't like it. It smells horrible, gets all over everything and doesn't get the really dried gunk off. I've also tried the water based "Purple Power," which has a strong ammonia smell but also doesn't get off the thick residue, even when soaking the parts overnight. I've also tried paint thiner, but again, it doesn't get into the caked on dried paste combo of dirt and grease.

Question 1: What I'm looking for is something that's not an aerosol and that will penetrate the sticky goey sludge that sometimes builds up on things over a period of time.

Question 2: I'm also looking for something to clean off the data plate for my lathe (photo below). But I'm nervous about taking off the paint, and I don't want to find out the hard way what doesn't work. Have any of you done this and what did you use?

THANKS!
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Bill Shields
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by Bill Shields »

Was probably MEK -> cleaned everything including your lungs and brain and other auxillary organs.

Or maybe 1,1,1 trichlorithane.

All I can suggest today is go to AutoZone and purchase a can of each and see what works best for what you want.

I have some stuff called SEM XXX gun cleaner which I get online that I like, but may not do what you want...and may not be worth the price.

I clean my air brushes with it.
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STRR
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by STRR »

Are you thinking of Berryman B-12 Chemtool? I remember using that dunk type of carb. cleaner. Don't know if it's still available in the dunk tank type but there are other B-12 products still on the market.

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Rich_Carlstedt
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by Rich_Carlstedt »

Carburetor Cleaner was alkaline liquid
The closest to that today is Oven Cleaner .. but not the "no smell " variety .
It will remove paint as well, so do not use it on your QC box !
For that, I would try a Ultrasonic cleaner of some sorts
TriChlor was probably what you had earlier , but alas is no more

Rich
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Thanks, guys. Rich, the stuff I had was petroleum based. I bought it about 1963. Bill, the 1,1,1 trichlorithane sounds familiar. It was Very Hard on skin, and whatever it was, was most certainly carcinogenic.
I'll pay a visit to my local NAPA store and see what they have.
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Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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Bill Shields
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by Bill Shields »

Wear gloves with all the stuff and work upwind or with a respirator.

Getting it in your eyes is also a NoNo
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Bill Shields wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 10:48 pm Wear gloves with all the stuff and work upwind or with a respirator.

Getting it in your eyes is also a NoNo

Absolutely. Remember, though, when we were 18 and invincible. How did we survive?
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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Bill Shields
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by Bill Shields »

Some of us are (as of now) considered cancer survivors
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Glenn Brooks
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Most any of the biodegradable household squirt bottle cleaners in Safeway will do an excellent job of lathe cleanup - with no damage to the finish. A lot cheaper and environmentally friendly to you as well. I’ve used Super Clean- purple bottle, and something else in a green spray bottle. Both work well. You’ll be surprised, probably.
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Glenn Brooks wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:02 pm Most any of the biodegradable household squirt bottle cleaners in Safeway will do an excellent job of lathe cleanup - with no damage to the finish. A lot cheaper and environmentally friendly to you as well. I’ve used Super Clean- purple bottle, and something else in a green spray bottle. Both work well. You’ll be surprised, probably.

Hm. That's a thought. I haven't tried 409 — Wifey uses it a lot.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Greg, I don’t think 409 has the same formula as the newer biodegradable house hold cleaners. You could try it, here is a pic I meant to post. The stuff in a green bottle is better even than this. Aparenty horror freight also Carrie’s it as an industrial cleaner
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: Two solvent questions....

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Thanks, Glenn. I'll check it out.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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