Penetrating Oil Research

[blue 72]

I only use Kroil on frozen bolts. It's the best thing I've tried so far. The only thing I use WD40 for is as a mild rust barrier on bare steel parts and as a lubricant when drilling holes through metal.

[ChrisB77]

I've used PB for the last several years and have been amazed sometimes at how good it is. I'm going to try some Kroil since many here say it is better. Looking at the numbers, it's hard to believe that something could be nearly ten times better. Definately going to try ATF and nail polish remover just to see if it works. What do ya think?

[sblake01]

If I were to try this I'd get the acetone from a hardware store rather than buying nail polish remover. As Allan said earlier the nail polish remover is diluted acetone. Plus the hardware store chemicals are in larger containers and cost less per the unit price. That would be the best way to go depending on how much homemade blaster you were planning to make. Before I became a non-smoker, I used to buy Naphtha from the hardware store which is the same chemical in Ronsonol or Zippo lighter fluid.

[Seppi72]

Acetone is such a small molecule - at 58 Daltons, it has about the same molecular weight as rubbing alcohol (isopropanol, 60 Daltons) and is just a little heavier than ethanol (46 Daltons). Because it doesn't have the capacity to hydrogen bond in bulk like the alcohols or water do, it has a very high vapor pressure.

Acetone is also very polar. The polarity will allow it to penetrate into paint - even crosslinked clearcoat - and cause the polymeric structure to swell, at the very least. However, if you do not mechanically disturb (touch) the swollen region, the acetone will gradually evaporate and the coating "should" return to something close to its initial condition.

Acetone's flash point is only 15 F. This is the lowest temperature at which an open flame will ignite a pool of the liquid. Its explosive limit in air is the range from 2.6 to 12.8%. With its high vapor pressure, it is not difficult to reach that lower explosive limit in stagnant air in a closed room or garage.

ATF, on the other hand, is usually composed predominantly of hydrocarbons similar to those found in kerosene or diesel, along with numerous and various additives.

The good thing is that the vapor pressure of the solution resulting from mixing acetone with ATF will be lower than that of acetone by itself, but almost all the vapors coming off the mixture will be acetone molecules and so the flammability issue is still there - just somewhat reduced.

I suspect that the acetone/ATF mix is very low in viscosity and that allows it to perform its reported penetrating action on rusted materials. That's pretty much the same principle on which Kroil and PB Blaster rely except that they also have rust-dissolving additives to help things along. Besides, Kroil actually smells OK. I think it smells "sweet", if such a thing were possible. It's one of the few automotive chemicals that my wife won't complain about if i'm using it in our attached garage. Motor oil and windshield washer fluid are the others. Anything else and I'd better be using it in my outbuilding workshop.

[petew]

Have any of you guys used ZEP 45? I have a can of that and at $12.95 a can it is not cheap, but man does it work. I've used it on some really rusty farm equipment and was amazed that it just broke free nuts and bolts that hadn't moved (and sat out in a field) for 10 years. It is really good stuff. The Kroil stuff sounds like it is the same stuff.

[brownclee]

For me, patience is key. Soaking and waiting always pays off. I used a whole can of PB blaster when I disassembled my Z car. It took me a week to remove a broken head bold. Each day, for a week, I sprayed it down and tapped it with a hammer a few times. On the seventh day, I clamped a pair of vice grips on the 1/4" long stub, it backed right out with little effort. Patience is key, trust me.

[SledZ]

I just mixed up a batch of the 50/50 and put it on two 3/4 pipes on top of a very old water heater that I am going to use to make something out of... They are really rusted on there, in fact the metal is in bad shape where it's threaded into.

It was kind of like mixing water and oil but did mix up and seem to go right into the threads. I'll give it a few days and see what it takes to get them off...

[texasz]

For me, patience is key. Soaking and waiting always pays off. I used a whole can of PB blaster when I disassembled my Z car. It took me a week to remove a broken head bold. Each day, for a week, I sprayed it down and tapped it with a hammer a few times. On the seventh day, I clamped a pair of vice grips on the 1/4" long stub, it backed right out with little effort. Patience is key, trust me.

Only one can!?!? I've used 3-4 on one parts car before...I'd love to have something that works a bit better so I could use less of it. Time and patience is key though.

[hls30.com]

I'll give most bolts a try, then how ever long it takes to move complete the next part(or two) of the project or so with PB Blaster, unless I am at a stopping point, then out comes the heat wrench. So far the only three things it hasn't worked on are a single spindle pin, and a brand new L20 head bolt that broke off at the threads-a reverse twist drill bit got it out, and an exhaust stud on a L24-had to have that one eaten out by an an Acme Disintegrator Ray operated by a Warner Brothers character(the guy at the machine shop was actually wearing a Tshirt with the WB ALien on it when he used the Ramadeh(?) machine eat the stud, left the threads perfect, chasing them was a smooth asbacking a running a tap back through a just taped hole!

Will

[datsunrides]

Has anyone tried a product called Yield? Supposedly this is industrial strength stuff and works great, but is like $15 a can or so.

Mark

[eric_503]

Before ending work at the shop here I picked up some cans of castle thrust,maybe half way threw a can and the 240z is stripped.

Used it all the time tho,works great in the many exhaust manifold bolts that broke off,or turbo bolts on the transports,along with the rust on the cars.

Normally runs $8 ish a can,and was definatly better then the can of pb blaster I had in the tool box,then agian it could be personal preference.

[240260280z]

I finally mixed the acetone and ATF in a small metal oiler can.... wow, it works great.

I could not get a broken water hose (garden hose) fitting off with a pipe wrench. I sprayed this stuff on, waited and the part came off in my hands.... I could not believe it.