Better than P Blaster? Food for Thought...

[YellowJacket!]

Someone I know emailed this to me.  Any truth to it or just an urban legend?

Machinist's Workshop magazine actually tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. Significant results! They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist, Bud Baker. *Don't forget the April 2007 "Machinist's Workshop" magazine comparison test.*

*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.*
*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
about as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price. *
*Your experience may vary, etc., etc.*


David

[h2olawyer]

I think they all have their uses.  WD-40 is good to displace water, but not for much else.  I've used Liquid Wrench for years with great success on rusted fasteners.  Dad had it around for as long as I can remember.  PB is a little better when the rust has really progressed way up into the threads.  It has a better capillary action than most of the others.  The Kriol I've used is Aero-Kroil.  That stuff is like spraying 24K gold on rusted parts.  ($$$+++!)  But it is the best all around commercial product I've seen or used.  Amazing.  Used it on an old tractor a friend & I were restoring.  Rust so bad the heads of bolts no longer had flats.  Was no problem to break them loose with an 18" pipe wrench.  (glad there were no worries about reusing the bolts)  I believe the small 4~6 ounce aerosol can was around $25 and that was in the late 80s.

I am kind of surprised at their finding of so little difference between PB & WD-40.  Don't know if they had better luck with the WD-40 than I since they show it making a considerable improvement over using nothing.

That ATF - acetone mix is intriguing.  Going to have to give it a try.  I'll forward it to several of my rancher / farmer friends and see if they want to give it a try as well.  Those guys are always running into rusted stuff & often resort to a 'hot wrench' to remove the really stubborn parts.

Thanks for the post, David!  Wish I'd heard about that before kwells & I were replacing a frame crossmember with a skidplate setup on his Grand Cherokee.  However, PB did an adequate job (along with pneumatics  ;D )

H₂O

[Jimustanguitar]

Type ATF fluid, plain old Dex Merc, type F...

Any idea what was used?

[Blake]

equal parts atf, acetone, mineral spirits, kerosene.

called "ed's red" - old homemade recipie for gun cleaner, which also works wonders on engine parts.


search google for "ed's red."

oh.  I use dex III..whatever cheap stuff you can buy.. for the detergents.  I bought the gallon cans of acetone, mineral spirits and kerosene at HD for 6-8 bucks each.  so i have possibly 5 gallons of the stuff for 40 bucks or so

I'm surpised you didnt see "wax" in there.  old trick to heat up the bolt, let melted wax weep down, repeat a few times, and usually works the same.

[Jimustanguitar]

Hate to add kerosene and mineral spirits, wouldn't it 'water' down the acetone and atf?

Just joking, sounds like a pretty penetrating mix. I will have to try it on something stuck, I'll stick to my hoppes no 9 for gun cleaning though :)