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Grant
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-- 04-15-2012 @ 5:14 AM
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Has anybody tried using a 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid and acetone as a penetrating oil for disassembling rusty parts ?
Is it possible that acetone might damage aluminum, chrome plating or stainless steel ?
At yesterday morning's London Auto Modifiers club breakfast, one of the members brought in a printed email with the following information.
Apparently a magazine called Machinist's Workshop tested various penetrants with the control being amount of torque required to break loose a nut from "a scientifically rusted environment".
The test results are:
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 mixture of ATF and acetone was reported to be a 50/50 home brew that worked better than any commercial product.
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Stroker
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-- 04-15-2012 @ 8:50 AM
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Grant:
My personal favorite is Kroil, and WD-40 shouldn't even be on the list, as it was never engineered to be a penetrant, but rather a water displacer. As for the acetone/ATF brew,
it works; and no, acetone won't hurt aluminum, stainless or chrome plating. The problem
with acetone is that it is highly flammable, and will attack most painted surfaces. This may explain why consumer product manufacturers haven't used it in their concoctions.
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supereal
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-- 04-15-2012 @ 11:49 AM
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I certainly agree with Stroker regarding the danger in using acetone. It is highly explosive, even in low concentrations. WD40 has come out with a new line of penetrating oils that are formulated separately from their well known lubricant line. I haven't tried them, but plan to. The only method missing from the list is heat. Applying heat, usually from a fine pointed acetylne torch flame, where possible, causes almost all rust to let go. Penetrating oils take a long time, and often are useless. Using two hammers, one to back up and the other to strike the part, will hasten the release.
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Stroker
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-- 04-15-2012 @ 12:54 PM
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And I agree with Super regarding heat. One old-timer trick with the heat is to apply
candle wax to the thread joint after heating. Some of our local "hit and miss" farm
engine restorers have been known to build a large fire and after it turns to coals, place the entire engine that they dug out of a fence row in it prior to dis-assembly. I haven't resorted to this, and probably never will.
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TomO
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-- 04-16-2012 @ 8:32 AM
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When using a torch to heat and free a bolt in cast iron, heat the bolt, not the casting.
A torch provides localized heat and will crack the casting. That is why the Hit and Miss guys put the whole casting in the heat and bring the temperature the complete casting up high enough to break the rust bond.
Tom
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supereal
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-- 04-16-2012 @ 8:48 AM
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When we remove a stuck bolt from an engine, such as an exhaust manifold stud, we use a wire welder to join a nut to the stud. The heat of the weld almost always releases the rusty threads so the stud can be turned out. If the piece is a bolt, and has a usable head, we use the torch. I agree with the others that caution must be exercised when using heat on engine part. However, it isn't practical to try to heat a whole block. As Tom says, heat the bolt, not the material around it. I should have been more specific.
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Grant
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-- 04-17-2012 @ 5:36 AM
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Thank you all for responding to our inquiry.
I am always impressed by the seemingly endless knowledge which you guys are able to share with the rest of us.
It is my intention to experiment with this ATF/acetone concoction outdoors. First, on five spark plugs which so far refuse to come out of a pair of nice 8BA heads. And also, on a number of other 1949/1950 small parts in a bucket.
If it is necessary to heat anything up after a few days of soaking, all penetrant will be thoroughly rinsed off before the torch is lit.
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supereal
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-- 04-18-2012 @ 10:09 AM
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Be careful when removing stuck spark plugs. Often carbon is the problem, or someone cross threaded them, or tried to install the wrong type. Work them back and forth a small bit at a time to get them loose before backing them clear out to minimize damage to the threads in the head. Our shop does a big business in repairing stripped heads, as new vehicles use mostly aluminum heads. Your 8BA heads should be easier, but take patience.
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BERTHA
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-- 04-27-2012 @ 12:20 PM
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You'd be surprised how much a few sharp smacks with the appropriately sized drift will help. Spray & smack, heat if needed. 
"it's only original once""
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