Solvent is hazardous waste, so what to use?

[2wrench]

Shocked when I went to Napa to buy solvent to clean
parts. No can do. Not on shelf. ILLEGAL!

Great. Let's you know how out of the loop I am.
Okay, so I've had great luck using Marine Clean.
Endorse the stuff; but, always used outside parts.
What if I want to clean some inside-engine-type
parts? All Greek to me (so here's the learning curve).

What do you guys do?

 

[Bugeye58]

Are mineral spirits still available out there?
Jeff

 

[Tosh]

I seem to have gotten along pretty well with kerosene or diesel fuel and a stiff brush.
You can donate the used material to your local garage for use in a waste oil furnace.
BTW a product called 'Gunk' used to be available as a detergent for use in kerosene.
Course, I too have been out of the parts cleaning loop for a while.

Keep on.

P.S. Yes mineral spirits are still available but expensive @ $8-9 per gal.

 

[Bugeye58]

Tosh, I meant in California. Just about anything that works has been banned by the state.
Jeff

 

[2wrench]

Kerosene is readily available. I'll try it, unless
somebody else has a better idea.

 

[martx-5]

Are mineral spirits still available out there?
Jeff

I get mineral spirits in the paint section of Home Depot. I just bought some a few weeks ago. They have quarts, gallons and five gallon pails. Any place that sells paint should have it.

 

[Banjo]

Simple Green works well at full strength for certian things, and where that fails, Kerosene.
I love how we develope solvents so people would quit using semi-dangerous things like Kerosene, or gasoline for parts cleaners. Then the tree-huggers swoop in and ban all the solvents, so we're back to Gas and Kero.

 

[2wrench]

Right. Doing the right thing becomes more difficult.

 

[piman]

Hello 2wrench,

in the U.K. we have water soluble degreasers which are readily available for DIY people. However the trade use a recirculating system for small parts cleaning, so you could ask an engine builder, for instance, what they use and who supplies it. I know also that hot caustic dips are used for bigger items, but that is not a home set up, and neither can it be used on aluminium components as they dissolve!

Alec

 

[Guest]

Is Varsol (ExxonMobil) available in California? I buy it here in 5-gallon quantities from a local petroleum jobber. But then, this is Louisiana where anything is available. (Prolly could get you some DDT or Chlordane.)

Varsol = paint thinner.

 

[Tinster]

Hey 2 !

I use the Green stuff for initial clean and then usually
Xyxol for the final clean. Wear gloves and work in a well
ventilated place with solvents. Sometimes I use brake
cleaner also, if I am powder coating something.

Off to the boat now, maybe some fishing today.

d

 

[DrEntropy]

Mineral spirits is my first-line solvent. Laquer thinner in the case of small parts sometimes. I usually discard it by mixing it into the five gallon container I take waste oil to the local collection station in.

HEY! It's ALL dinosaur based, ain't it?!? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

 

[martx-5]

Varsol = paint thinner.

True, Varsol is essentially the same as mineral spirits.

We use so much of the stuff at work that we have a distillation rig that reclaims about 60 gals in eight hours. We run it twice a day.

 

[Tinkerman]

I use mineral spirits purchased at Lowes in my parts cleaner. Have been using it for years. Used to use Varsol but it got too pricey for me. I have a 30 gallon cleaner, had to replace the pump awhile back. It sure beats trying to use gas! When I first filled it up I used about 20 gallons, cost me about 40 bucks. Much more now. I have a vent fan above the cleaner so that when I use it for an extended cleaning job I don't OD on the smell.
Does a good job and leaves no residue.
I also have a bead blaster for the heavy cleaning. What a WONDERFUL piece of gear that is. Bead blasters (cabinet type) and sand blasters have come way down in price and are worth their weight in gold.
When I started on the TR I took everything off the frame and sand blasted it. Took 400 pounds of sand. Sure got the job done though.
Of course to use all that equipment you have to have a decent air compressor. The one I have is a single stage compressor. If this one fails, I will buy a two stage to replace it. They also have come way down in cost.

Anyhow, my thoughts, Tinkerman

 

[YankeeTR]

Water-based solvents should be available on the shelf...

 

[PeterK]

I use water based solvents in my tank that are "friendly to the environment." But the stuff I wash of is NOT friendly so it makes the remaining solvent/sludge mix hard to dispose of. I usually drain the tank during the winter and let the junk settle to the bottom of the containers and then strain it when I refill.

All used fluid disposals are an issue. I tried to give my old oil to a shop with a waste oil burner and they won't take it because they are afraid it might have gasoline mixed (which doesn't play nice with their burner.)

What to do with used anti-freeze?

 

[dklawson]

Varsol is "like" mineral spirits... but it's much better at removing oil based deposits (and stains for clothing). My dad used to work for Monsanto (MANY years ago). He used it at work and later found our Esso (that shows you how long ago it was) carried it. It's GOOD stuff.

Like others, now I use mineral spirits for most things. For really stubborn spots I'll use some lacquer thinner. In a pinch I'll use brake cleaner. CRC also sells spray electrical contact cleaner (Lowes... and maybe Home Depot.. have it) and that's an aerosol version of TriChlor. Strong and slightly dangerous.

Usually I use the mineral spirits followed by Marine Clean or Simple Green if it's important to remove all petroleum residue. Like the DR above, when I have collected enough dirty mineral spirits I also mix it with my drain oil for recycling.

 

[2wrench]

Okay, so this stuff is readily availiable.
Bead blasting or sandblasting sounds cool. I've
seen what this does. Heard the sand leaves a mess,
though. Must be done outside, I suppose, and the
bead blasting will be confined to small parts, I suppose?

 

[Tinkerman]

Yep your right, 2wrench, sand blasting needs to be done outside, and make sure you wear protective clothing and a respirator.
Bead blasting depends on the size cabinet you get. Mine is big enough to get a wheel in it. I have seen them as small as a tomato box.
When I did my first frame off restoration I had a wire brush and a wire wheel on a motor that was an antique when my father had it. (still using it I might add). The bead blaster does in minutes what might take hours with wire wheels, which, by the way, may only be a partial success. A good compressor is a must also. I built mine up using an old water tank, second hand motor and a large cast iron compressor I got from a customer of mine. This was in the mid '60s.

Good luck with your work, if you have any questions please feel free to PM me.
Regards, Tinkerman

 

[DougF]

Moving out of California would solve several of your car problems.