penetrating oil

[Taylor]

While reading some post here,I found one on mixing atf and acetone to make a penetrating oil.Which I needed to remove a bolster from a cva colonial pistol.I intended to use this as a test gun for the black powder I made.Couldn't get it off so I gave up,don't want to cause any damage.

No one ever stated the mix of these two,so I mixed 50/50.It separates,won't stay together,is this the norm? Do we need to shake it each time?

Thanks,Will.

[Goatwhiskers]

Yep, the mix is 50/50. Between my shop and being on a farm I have to say that this mix is the best penetrant I have ever used. Others have their favorites. Sometimes an application of heat has to be used also, anything to get the rust and deposits to break loose. This mix has been my salvation getting out stuck choke tubes. It usually takes 3 or 4 days of soaking interspersed with a few applications of a heat gun, but they come out with no damage and oil all the way down the threads. GW

[Ed K]

50/50 is correct. It should not separate. The acetone is a highly volatile solvent and should dissolve into the ATF.

I have used the stuff with great success over the past couple of years. While using it to solve my biggest "problem" to date I noticed the acetone rapidly boiling off as it was a hot day. It probably wouldn't take long for it to be completely gone in a hot/sunny environment. Not a good thing as I suspect it is the key to penetration. I got the work out of the sun and also applied saturated cotton balls at the joint to allow the mixture to wick in. Interestingly this was a ram on a milling machine: 3" ground rod inside a matching bored hole allowed to rust for 25 years in a barn. Got it free in 24 hours!

[opos]

If you can find Kano Kroil you might give it a try. I spend years restoring antique farm engines and equipment and they are normally a block of rust when you dig them out of the ground. I've tried lots of stuff...commercial and home made and Kroil is the king of penetrating oil..just let it work with a little tap now and then to set up a vibration...I have 2 gallons of the stuff in the garage that I've had for years and it works as well today as it did 3 years ago....comes in small cans, aerosol cans (not my favorite...waste) and big cans..some with silicone, some without...I prefer the straight stuff and time.

[10-x]

+ 1 for Kroil, although have friends with an auto repair shop that swear by "Wintergreen" the arthritis joint spray.

[725]

Kroil, 50/50 acetone & ATF, PB Blaster, & Ed's Red are at the top of my hit parade. Lesser jobs, good 'ol WD-40 works OK.

[375RUGER]

What ATF are you using? just thinking outloud- is there enough difference between Mercon, Dexron, Type F and the synthetics that some of the chemistry doesn't mix with acetone the same?

[bangerjim]

PB Blaster is the best commercial penetratant you can find. Period. Lowe's sells it. The spray-on can is handy. It has saved my keister many times! Brew up your own concoction, but why bother when you can buy it in a convienent spray can!!!!!

WD-40 is exactly that.......a Water Displacement formula #40! Not much good for anything. You cannot even use it as starting fluid anymore now that they have removed the "dangerous" accelerants from it. Thanks greenies, owl huggers, and tree kissers.

bangerjim

[Taylor]

I couldn't find my pb blaster,it's in the garage somewhere,guess I need to clean it.As long as I can find my Road King I am good.Love Ed's Red for barrel cleaning-good stuff.As far as the type of ATF,I'm using mercon,I'm sure I have others in the garage somewhere.Is there a preferable brand and type?

[Goatwhiskers]

Just a follow-up. Yes, the acetone will separate, you have to shake it up to blend the two parts together, then it will separate again when allowed to stand. The acetone will evaporate if you try to keep your extra material in an open container, I keep a small supply in a little bottle I got from Brownells that has a small pipe sticking up from the cap and a slide on top for the pipe. I think the reason the stuff works so well is that the acetone being so thin can penetrate and carry a small amount of oil with it, then evaporates back out. GW

[John Boy]

PB Blaster is the best commercial penetratant you can find. Period.
I would offer that PB Blaster is THIRD LOOSER! Save your money buying the commercial product

Independent testing of penetrating oils using a single steel bar with 1/2”x20 nuts torqued to 50 ft/lbs and treated with a 10% salt water solution that was allowed to rust. Listed are the chemicals and required removal torque.

-None ………………… 516 pounds
-WD-40 ……………… 238 pounds
-PB Blaster …………. 214 pounds
-Liquid Wrench ….. 127 pounds
-Kano Kroil ………… 106 pounds
-ATF-Acetone mix….53 pounds

And BTW, the Acetone:ATF mix has to be shaken before use

[dragon813gt]

PB Blaster is the best commercial penetratant you can find. Period.

Until you try the can of Liquid Wrench that is located right next to it ;)

The results of a scientific test under lab conditions are posted above. I was skeptical that Liquid Wrench would work better than PB Blaster. Needless to say I no longer carry PB Blaster on my van. If the ATF/Acetone mix could be sold in a pressurized can like the others I would use it. I almost always have to spray the chemicals on because I can't get to the stuck bolts to apply it by hand.

[rhbrink]

I had a hard to reach bolts sometimes and I stopped at a farm and home center and bought a bag of syringes and needles cheap from the veterinary deptment works great and can reuse them over and over.

Rb

[Guido4198]

ALL great information. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experience and expertise.
I'm going to add just a little emphasis on a single point that some have mentioned, but seems worth bringing up again.
One of the most effective things I've found using ANY penetrant is TIME. For the uninitiated...you should understand these products are not a "Magic wand". You don't just spray or dribble it over your stuck parts and "voila" they come apart. Takes time. Whenever I've come up against something soooo stuck together that I have to get the _________(fill in penetrant of choice)...I give it overnight, and often several re-applications during that time..depending on the situation.

[possom813]

I use liquid wrench, almost exclusively. I keep WD-40 around because it's a heckuva lot more useful than a penetrating oil.

I have a small can of liquid wrench that I bought several years ago(think late 90's early 00's) that sits on my bench, and still has pressure for some reason unknown, it gets used occasionally, but I don't have a real big need for penetrating oil on the bench.

I do keep a small bottle of 'reel oil' mineral oil closeby for trimmer shafts and press rams, about a drop every month or so, run them up and down and then wipe off any excess. Not sure if it helps, but it's peace of mind.

[Taylor]

Patience and time are correct.Unless you want to booger up your work.I remember it took a full week on a jeep one time,spray before work,come home and spray again.Sometimes parts just can't be replaced.

[dragon813gt]

Time is a luxury you have when working at home for yourself. It is not something you have when working for a client and the job has already been quoted. I don't run into anything like stuck exhaust bolts that take days to break free. But a stuck fan blade on a motor shaft needs to come off quickly and in one piece w/ no damage to it. This is why I carry what I do on my van.

[quasi]

The more volatile the solvent, the faster the penetration. For outdoor use I use Gasoline with ATF, it is a lot more affordable than Acetone. I have also used Gasoline with 10w-30 engine oil. it seems to work as well as ATF in my limited uses.

[Ed K]

The more volatile the solvent, the faster the penetration. For outdoor use I use Gasoline with ATF, it is a lot more affordable than Acetone. I have also used Gasoline with 10w-30 engine oil. it seems to work as well as ATF in my limited uses.

I stand corrected. Earlier I said "The acetone is a highly volatile solvent and should dissolve into the ATF." I can see now the evidence is to the contrary. However I do stand by my claims of it proving very effective. I put the two liquids into an opaque ATF bottle, replaced the cap with a re-useable spout top (with little snap cap), shook and applied. Never noticed any separation and since I always shook penetrating oil mixes just got lucky by habit I guess. Now I will say the price of acetone has risen sharply since I learned of this five years ago. Quasi posts of using substitute solvents for acetone for reasons of economy. What if one used the most volatile solvent that would dissolve into ATF - whether gas, minieral spirits, etc.? Might fall a little short of the acetone in performance but if it did not separate and retained most of the penetrative qualities, it might be a great substitute for all but the most demanding applications.

[uscra112]

I've got bottles of Ed's Red, which is 25% acetone, that have stood on the shelf for a year and nothing has separated.

BTW I only use bottles that had nail polish remover in them. It's a kind of plastic that acetone can't burrow through and evaporate.

[gofastman]

Patience and time are correct.Unless you want to booger up your work.I remember it took a full week on a jeep one time,spray before work,come home and spray again.Sometimes parts just can't be replaced.
YES!
Penetrant takes time to work.
SiliKroil is my favorite, then the original Kroil. PB blaster and Liquid Wrench are about the same-both better than most but nothing great