Penetrating oils tested

Davo

Davo

Senior member
Location
West of the Rabbit Proof Fence
Came across this while researching methods of disassembling a severely rusted and seized wine press. I have not tried ATF/Acetone yet but can say that WD-40 is not working despite a very long soak.

Penetrating Oils Compared

Machinist's Workshop magazine actually tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. Significant results! They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants 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. **** See addendum below ***

Note the "home brew" was better than any commercial product in this one particular test. A local machinist group mixed up a batch and all now use it with equally good results. Note also that "Liquid Wrench" is about as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price.
 
I once worked on Demolishing its building, it was that big and removing a by now 240-year-old Bolten and Watt Steam Engine that is Exhibit No1 of The Power House Museum in Sydney. After moving it all to the site where it was refurbed one of the last jobs we did was to sink its valve gear sitting in corrugated iron tanks and completely cover it in WD40 out of 44-gallon drums. Just about everyone thinks it's the Duck's Guts with no research done. Urban Legion.
 
I'm soaking a stuck triple piston in Kroil at the moment, I might try the acetone /atf mix if it doesn't work. I hate stuck pistons!
 
my favourite especially where alloy and steel are seizing (pistons?)
is Laco Rustbuster it comes in a bottle with a long spindly, telsecopic, straw like spout and you dribble the stuff out by gravity, very economical and you only get it dropped where you need it. Laco is a major manufacturerer of plumbers self cleaning flux, no idea if this is a by product of that stuff, but it does work very well. I am never without it, no idea if available in Aus.
CLEM
 
I can personally recommend the acetone and ATF mix. Recently aquired a Villiers Starmaker power unit which had been sitting in a West Coast NZ shed for around 40 years. 18 Meters annual rainfall over there. Piston was of course stuck. 3 days soaking and it came free. Clutch was sitting in a box - just a rough lump brown colour fused together. 3 days and I could separate the chainwheel and drum assembly off the rest.
 
Rocol penetrating oil on the shelf here, seems mostly Molybdenum Disulfide with propellant. Look up the dreadful WD-40 MSDS, low grade white spirit for the most part. Hoax on end users, worst is damages or dissolves plastic in switch assemblies or close by plastics. To dissolve/convert rust, bulk molasses, have no experience as penetrating rust agent. HTH j.
 
iis_iis said:
Rocol penetrating oil on the shelf here, seems mostly Molybdenum Disulfide with propellant. Look up the dreadful WD-40 MSDS, low grade white spirit for the most part. Hoax on end users, worst is damages or dissolves plastic in switch assemblies or close by plastics. To dissolve/convert rust, bulk molasses, have no experience as penetrating rust agent. HTH j.
Click to expand...
I found a pair of pliers that my father had, while going through his possessions after he cashed in his chips. Even as a kid I remember them being rusted closed.

A couple of weeks in diluted molasses and bingo. Rust free and they opened and closed with ease.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep my eye out for Pearsons Paddock Cab Sav
 
I previously wrote
"my favourite especially where alloy and steel are seizing (pistons?)
is Laco Rustbuster it comes in a bottle with a long spindly, telsecopic, straw like spout and you dribble the stuff out by gravity, very economical and you only get it dropped where you need it. Laco is a major manufacturerer of plumbers self cleaning flux, no idea if this is a by product of that stuff, but it does work very well. I am never without it, no idea if available in Aus."

I have failed to buy more of this stuff, I even contacted the maker direct in USA with the part number (from an empty bottle) they said they had no knowledge of it and can I please send a picture?, which I did, they then said that it was discontinued due to health and safety concerns over its contents.
hey ho, another one bites the dust, the last one lasted me about 5 years, so what do Ibuy now?
CLEM
 
WD-40 was never designed to be a lubricant or to loosen rust. The name WD-40 means water displacement, formula 40. It was made to prevent corrosion and displace water from military equipment back in the 1950's. It is mainly solvents and mineral oil and it does nothing particularly well but is used for everything.

The acetone and ATF mixture does definitely work better than WD-40.
 
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