Sometimes I get tired of it
 

Of people who parrot or repeat things they hear without trying it or experimenting themselves.

I have read 100/s of times the virtue of 50/50 acetone/ATF mix as an alternative to branded name concoctions.

Well, I tried it, and IT DOES NOT WORK .

It evaporates almost instantly, then I tried less acetone and it did nothing, and then I tried straight ATF.

The straight ATF was the best , but still not as good as the lowly WD40.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

pooch, you make a very good point! If we don't know for certain the answer to someone's question, we should not "answer" it! Wrong information is worse by far than no information. Half right/half wrong information is no better!
This is supposedly the "information age" what with the internet, social media, etc., but I think it's more like the "MIS-information age"! Too many people love to repeat things they only half heard, details that they forgot so they make stuff up, or they didn't fully understand what they heard or read so they are really in the dark. If this has happened to us (and it hits all of us at one time or another), we just need to refrain from giving "advice"!

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

This is from an article that I found.


The April/May 2007 edition of Machinist's Workshop did atest of penetrating oils where they measured the force required to loosen rustytest devices. The lower the number of pounds the better. Mighty interestingresults for simple acetone and tranny fluid!


Penetrating oil . Averageload ..


None ................. 516 pounds ..


WD-40 .............. 238pounds ..


PB Blaster ......... 214pounds ..


Liquid Wrench ... 127pounds ..


Kano Kroil ......... 106pounds ..


ATF-Acetone mix.. 53pounds

The ATF-Acetone mix was a 50/50 mix (1 to 1 ratio).

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

Your doing something wrong. ATF and Acetone is the best I have ever used. Maybe where you live it was too hot. If you want to slow it down a bit use kerosene instead of acetone.
You also can’t just put it on and go for it, it needs to work in and maybe a few applications and a little heat.
Give it another try.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

Meanwhile, your nail polish will just have to stay ON, Pooch!! :rolleyes:

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

My brother being a professional mechanic has has to deal with just about everything in his 40+ years. So I have some extra knowledge on taking stuck bolts out.

The basic fact is a fastener that is fully oxidized in place will not allow the penetrating fluid in as there is no space. There are some that are just so bad that only mechanical or heat methods will work and some that just can not come out in one piece.

I have watched my brother beat the living crap out of the aluminum surrounding the bolts of a outlet that has a thermostat. The bolts came out in one piece. He hates having to drill them out as it costs him money.

Then there was the week I put Kroil on the head studs on my A engine as a test. NONE had any signs of penetrating fluid in the threads for the ones that came out. The others just broke, but based on the erosion at the base we knew they would likely break. You can look at the deck and see the bolt has some metal missing and no longer has the strength to handle the torque needed to make the threads move.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

What causes rust/corrosion? Water and in the case of dissimilar metals electrolysis. A small amount of heat applied to the offending fastener and a light spray of water will dissolve rust. A mechanic needs patience in this area.
After working in flat rate shops for over fifty years under the whip, I find myself at times trying to hurry a job when I don't have to.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

I am surprised at the post #3 of OLD31's. I was always taught that WD 40 was just a water displacement (hence the WD), and not a very good spray for removing rusted parts. This test says otherwise. Interesting stuff. Jack

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

When removing fasteners any lubrication is better than none.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

I'm surprised MMO Wasn't included.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

Actually AFT & acetone mixture isn't that bad. Works well for me, better than WD40. It does loose the acetone content rather rapidly to evaporation though.

Perhaps you'd used an offbrand substitute.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

Try a 50:50 mix of MMO and acetone.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

When I've tried it it never mixed together just separated out in the jar -Karl

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

Location, location location-- where you got your years of experience is everything. Northern climes where they use salt get the best workout. Southern or desert states are much easier on the poor fellow trying to make book time. I'm glad I got my years in, in California and Idaho.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

Best laugh for ages!

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

Pooch-
I agree with you. It did nothing for me.
The acetone & atf thread pops up about every 6 months.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

I guess some things just don't work for everyone. Maybe its a geographical thing, [:D].
Acetone/ATF has worked for me for 60 yrs and was taught it by my grandfather so its been around awhile.
However, that said, there are better things. Each task may require something different. When appropriate I prefer heat.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

Several years ago we had a plumber changing the shower head in our 60+ year old house. The pipe was frozen at a joint deep inside the wall. He was squirting something in there and trying to work it loose with a big pipe wrench. He told me that would need to break some of the tiles to get the pipe out. I asked him to wait while I mixed some acetone and ATF. It only took a minute or so after soaking it with a paint brush when the pipe came loose. The plumber was amazed.

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

The very best rust breaker ihave ever used was Breakfree i used to get it from a friend in the military. He said they cleaned the big guns with it? It came in 5 gal. od green cans and when i say minutes... it seemed like seconds. ( probably why i went bald at 26) lol

Re: Sometimes I get tired of it
 

Mike,

The Military gets to use stuff that civilians can't use.

When March AFB, near my house, was decommissioned and turned over to the State for use by the Air National Guard, the State and Riverside County found pits that the Air Force used to dump their highly toxic stuff.

The AF used stuff that EPA and California had banned. I don't think the AF had to report or get approval from local, State or Federal agencies to use it.

My neighbor used to manage the Base Hobby Shop where guys could work on their cars. He had a very nicely equipped garage at home.

David Serrano