Snake penetrating oil tests

[EDG]

Shows the results of testing under identical conditions.
I do not use any of these products or any other specific penetrant.
I only use the gun oil that I have at the time.


https://youtu.be/xUEob2oAKVs

[6bg6ga]

Years ago I learned that plain water works wonders. He should have tried it too.

[Peregrine]

Project farm is one of my very favorite channels on YouTube. Not only does he do unbiased testing and listen to his audience for suggestions, he does all sorts of crazy awesome stuff.

Testing the limits on what small engines will burn from WD40 to unrefined crude, testing replacements for engine oil using everything from vegetable oil to shampoo, making cylinder heads from plexiglass so you can watch the combustion or wood to see how well they can hold up, destroying cylinder heads then seeing if a JB held patch will hold up (spoiler, it will).....

Yeah, y'all need to check this guy out.

[6bg6ga]

Years ago I learned that plain water works wonders. He should have tried it too.

I see that he has another video where he did test water and it showed questionable results. Having tried water probably 30+ years ago my results did differ from his. I will mention that bolts do vary as do the manufacturing tolerances which could and would change the results shown in my opinion on all of his tests.

[Gewehr-Guy]

That was a good test,now I want to try the Liquid Wrench in a rusty barrel and see how it works.

[RED BEAR]

Well color me shocked i figured the kroil would be best. Live and learn. Believe i will look at the liquid wrench to.

[Froogal]

I have tried many different brands of penetrating oil. ALL of them have done what they were supposed to do, and ALL of them have also failed miserably. Common, ordinary auto trans fluid probably works the best, and if you think it needs to be thinner, add some diesel fuel.

[mattw]

The concern I have about this test is the amount of soak time. If I am going after something that is really a mess, I plan 3-5 applications over a day or even 2. I have not found that any of them are "instant".

[JSnover]

I like Blaster and Kroil but my favorite is the 50/50 homebrew and I agree: none of them are "instant." Parts that had years or decades to get stuck will need more than a few minutes to get unstuck.

[Froogal]

If you need it unstuck right now, get the blue wrench out. Even that is not always 100%.

[John Boy]

The video isn't worth the time to watch it and here's proof:

Machinist’s Workshop Mag™ recently published some information on various penetrating oils that I found very interesting. Some of you might appreciate this. The magazine reports they tested penetrates for break out torque on rusted nuts.They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist. They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrates with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a “scientifically rusted” environment.
*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 ATF-Acetone mix was a “home brew” mix of 50 -50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note the “home brew” was better than any commercial product in this one particular test.Our local machinist group mixed up a batch and we all now use it with equally good results.Note also that “Liquid Wrench” is almost as good as “Kroil” for about 20% of the price.Steve from Godwin-Singer says that ATF-Acetone mix is the best and you can also use ATF-lacquer thinner 50 -50 mix.
*AFT=Automatic Transmission Fluid

[onelight]

Very good comparison
I’m a pb blaster fan not just for freeing rusted items but I have found it to be versatile because it does not leave a lot of greasy residue. You can flood something you do not want to disassemble cycle few times and blow 99% of the mess out with an air hose even some electrical components, sort of the same a purpose as brake cleaner but leaves a bit of lube and rust protection.

[EDG]

Sorry JB
It does not appear you watched the video.
I do not see your comments as proof of anything.
If you have a link to the original material you might post it.
Just remember when publishing much reduced break away torque that the original torq,ue on the fasterners should still be present.


The video isn't worth the time to watch it and here's proof:

Machinist’s Workshop Mag™ recently published some information on various penetrating oils that I found very interesting. Some of you might appreciate this. The magazine reports they tested penetrates for break out torque on rusted nuts.They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist. They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrates with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a “scientifically rusted” environment.
*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 ATF-Acetone mix was a “home brew” mix of 50 -50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note the “home brew” was better than any commercial product in this one particular test.Our local machinist group mixed up a batch and we all now use it with equally good results.Note also that “Liquid Wrench” is almost as good as “Kroil” for about 20% of the price.Steve from Godwin-Singer says that ATF-Acetone mix is the best and you can also use ATF-lacquer thinner 50 -50 mix.
*AFT=Automatic Transmission Fluid

[M-Tecs]

https://www.bangshift.com/forum/forum/bangshift/tech-section/9336-make-your-own-penetrating-oil-that-s-better-than-kroil

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/penetrating-oil-showdown.350800/

Personally I am a Kroil fan based on my own usage experiences. That being said a lot of this experience was before 1995 or 1996. Around that time to be EPA and GSA compliant some chemicals were removed. At one time I had to maintain MSDS's folders for both the old and new. The old Kroil was superior. No different of a lot of product. They may or may not be safer but they clearly don't work as well. Hoppe's #9 has not been the same since they removed Nitrobenzene in the late 80's

[Peregrine]

The video isn't worth the time to watch it and here's proof:


Saying a video isn't worth watching because it's methodology generated data that conflicted with your preconceptions is massively ignorant.
I've heard good things about the ATF-Acetone mix, but i've also seen some a few tests that show there are better things out there.

Here's another independently performed test in which 50-50 performed OK but far from the best. I agree with his concept that having a propellant that helps the liquid really get in there may be the difference.

AvE's pretty salty and some of y'all are touchy about language so be forewarned

*EDIT*
video removed


If 50-50 works for you, great.
If you see some systematic errors in the data gathering someone performed and you have some useful insights that can help interpret the data, also great.
But if you're going to trash someone just because their results don't agree with what you want to be true you're a fool.

[M-Tecs]

In the op's test video the methodology seems solid. The Results not so much. Three of the foot-pound torques (after application of the oil) are within 4 pounds of dry torque????????? and 3% or less benefit from using penetrating oil over dry????? Having done R&D testing any results that are suspect are tested again and suspect results are addressed. The results at 8:30 in the video are outside the norms of any similar comparative tests or experience and should be suspect.240960

[swheeler]

EDG thanks for the video, interesting. I from personal experience have found PB Blaster to be my number one penetrating oil over Liquid Wrench or WD40, although I have cans of each as we speak. I use Ed's Red to clean guns but have never tried it as penetrating oil, may have to remedy that. I want to pull an old mauser barrel, I reach for PB Blaster. .02

[Willbird]

The video isn't worth the time to watch it and here's proof:

Machinist’s Workshop Mag™ recently published some information on various penetrating oils that I found very interesting. Some of you might appreciate this. The magazine reports they tested penetrates for break out torque on rusted nuts.They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist. They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrates with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a “scientifically rusted” environment.
*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 ATF-Acetone mix was a “home brew” mix of 50 -50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note the “home brew” was better than any commercial product in this one particular test.Our local machinist group mixed up a batch and we all now use it with equally good results.Note also that “Liquid Wrench” is almost as good as “Kroil” for about 20% of the price.Steve from Godwin-Singer says that ATF-Acetone mix is the best and you can also use ATF-lacquer thinner 50 -50 mix.
*AFT=Automatic Transmission Fluid


Would be an interesting read. I’d presume you would have to torque test the fastener before soaking in the oil ?

[fecmech]

I have never had much luck with any penetrating oil on stuck/rusted fasteners. If I want it off I use heat or impact or both. I do use ATF/Acetone on the threads for lube. I wonder if the synthetic ATF had any bearing on the results as my mix with plain old ATF does not separate.

[RU shooter]

Not the normal wd40 https://www.wd40specialist.com/products/penetrating-oil/ We have been using this at work for removing 30 year old tooling off of 4" keyed shafts on our rolling mills. We were using the actone /atf mix and works ok takes at least overnight to work . This new WD seems like it works a lot faster.

[john.k]

A lot of the old time products contained carbon disulphide a very penetrating liquid.......so penetrating,if you get it on your hands ,you could taste the stuff in a few seconds....Needless to say,it is banned........a lot of the so called tests are simplistic,and dont reflect the variety of real world situations...........you cant compare a clean tight fit ,with old rust in a looser fit...............Incidentally,rust is a water based compound,and is hydrocarbon repellent.......in other words to penetrate rust you need a different system.............and we did it in marine situation with a solution containing nitric acid,and nitric ether.Both these liquids have a very low surface tension ,and solvate rust.

[William Yanda]

solvate-71years old and still expanding my vocabulary.

[john.k]

W.Y........believe it or not ,there is a monthly magazine called "Rust".....and it contains articles about......rust......and I might add,when you are dealing with half baked greenie millenials on Port Authority and Harbour Trust admin staff,you use non threatening words ,as getting work permits can hinge on not alarming a twentysomething girl with nasty words like "acid" and "dissolve",and say things like environmentally friendly and mild solvent tendency and carbon neutral.

[izzyjoe]

Knowing from experience after working on equipment, and trucks for 20 years, PB blasters is the best penetrating oil that I've ever used, and I've used a lot of home brew concotions through the years. But if its rusted bad, ain't nothing gona work but a smoke wrench! If you want to try out different penetrating oils, try changing the tracks on a dozer, you'll soon find out what works!

[john.k]

I find grouser bolts come out real easy when I cut the heads off with oxy......just gotta remember not to knock the redhot head into the belly guards......lucky we were insured.

[loveruger]

I use a product called Free all. I've used everything mentioned I think free all is great try it.

[Three44s]

Heat, vibration and penetrating oil ..... in that order.

On really rusted items there are no penetrating oils that can work miracles. Now if you have all the time in the world then just soak the item in something like Kroil or for big parts then diesel fuel.

Even heat is not magical but I like repeated cycles of heat and cooling, use a water spray bottle to mist the small part if you dare, but be ready to kiss it good by if it’s cast iron.

If I have a thru hole to heat out the other side I have luck heating to red or yellow and chilling the item then chilling and heating back and chilling down. Run an easy out in with a hammer to seat it in the internal part and remove it quickly before the heat transfer softens the tool. Quench the stuck part and resume heating and cooling without involving the extractor until you are back to cold. The goal here is to create a swaged internal surface within the stuck part while it is malleable because doing so upon the quench the part will harden to some varying degree and cause the extractor to skate inside the part and not grab it.

For plumbing fittings and nuts I can get to a hammer treatment serves me well. If I can get the part to an anvil I rotate the part on the flat area and strike all around the fitting or on the wrench flat of the nut. We are not talking lady taps here but good smart striking. If the part is not portable or too large to bring to an anvil I use a much bigger hammer as a portable anvil or “back up” following on the opposite side of my striking hammer strikes.

What you are striking is the outer part to cause a bounce away from the internal part with repeated strikes gradually enlarging the outer piece, all the while the rust between the parts breaking down and allowing a penetrant/lubricant to move into the space.

If the part is galvanized you are in a very different pickle where heat is needed. If you over heat where one or both parts are galvanized you can only heat on a limited basis because if you activate the burning of the coating between the parts the residue acts like sand and gravel in the interspace.

Three44s

[ackleyman]

take it from a guy that re builds front ends on cars, trucks, and various tractors with rusted on bolts:

Free All is in a class by it's self

these did not work so well:
https://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ackleyman/IMGP0059.jpg[/URL]

This is the product you want to try:

https://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q489/ackleyman/IMGP0085_1.jpg[/URL]