Parts Cleaner...what does everybody use

[flyerdan]

I've got your basic stand alone big tub type. Got it before HF had stores here, at that time (89) there was a fuel distributor up in Woodburn that had solvent at a pump, you filled up containers.
I put a regulator on the shelf next to it with a plastic hose so you can percolate a can with bearings at 1-2 psi and not spend a lot of time brushing and swishing.

 

[thepumpguysc]

It seems that the majority is the HF tub.. Theres a real good video/review on utube.. the guy show his mods & results after 1 year of use after rebuilding/washing an engine.
& he used petro based solvent.. no issues.

 

[Deere Dude]

Since I have my new barn up I can get a shop better outfitted. Looking for a parts cleaner. The popular ones I am looking at only allow water based solvents. I would like to use oil based solvents but these popular units pump will not work. Is the water based solvents really that good to not have to use oil based solvents ? Maybe I could buy a oil based solvent pump and install it ?

Thanks for any info

Last year I went to TSC and bought a tank that comes with the cart and wheels. It uses 5 gallons of solvent as cleaner. It works great and is always set up for use.

 

[Bird]

Before I moved back to town, I was using my Harbor Freight parts washer several times a week and I used Varsol for the solvent.

 

[CADplans]

Virtually all of my "greasy" cleaning is done the same way,,
I buy Greased Lightning at Lowes in a 5 gallon jug,,, (cheap!! :thumbsup

I pour the Greased Lightning into a 2 gallon garden sprayer,, then, spray the dirty item.
If it is a small item, I wash it with a brush and a bucket of water,,

If it is heavy enough, I pressure wash it,,,

I have all other sorts of cleaners,, but, have used none in the last 10 years,,

OOPs, that is incorrect,, I did clean a carb with Pine-Sol and a crock pot this spring,,
that did work like a miracle,,,!!

 

[thepumpguysc]

When I watched all those utube videos, they were NOT using water based solvent.. If the pump burns up.. so be it.. just get another one.
I do like some of the modifications done to those tanks..

 

[Mace Canute]

I use varsol/mineral spirits/paint thinner...whatever is cheapest at the time. I've had my old parts washer since the mid 80's and it's done a lot of cleaning for me. The filters are rectangular in sheet form that sit on a curved tray under the easily removable floor of the washer. The Little Giant pump is suspended from the lid of the 5 gallon pail the solvent is stored in. Looks very much like this.

I don't have a flow through brush which I should have incorporated decades ago, lazy me, but I did add a diverter valve so I could reduce the flow through the main nozzle and hence reduce splash to the point of no splash at all. I used an old radiator drain cock for that with a T fitting. I also drilled a pair of holes through the legs on one end and added an axle and couple of steel wheels so I can pick one end up and easily roll it around.

A friend bought a used one of these last year.

Once we took it through the local car wash and cleaned it up, straightened/repaired a couple of things and gave it a new paint job it looked and worked like new. I bought an on sale Princess Auto moving dolly (600 lb capacity, 29.7 x 18.0 x 5.2 in.) to make it easy to move around .

We added a couple of pieces of 3/4 inch plywood with curves cut out to nest the barrel in. The dolly also raised the working height which allows the user to stand up straight while using it; much easier on the lower back!

 

[kenmac]

I use to use mineral spirits, kerosene , but those are now $5.00 per gallon. I use diesel fuel now days