Recommendations for parts cleaner fluid...

[av8ter]

Methylethylclorobadshit can't be beat, except at the risk of one's health ----

MEK? That's some solvent right there! I always worry about going up in flames and making Jay Lenno look like an amature.

 

[homebrewed]

Before buying these kinds of products I always take a look at the SDS to see what's in it. If a manufacturer doesn't have one, I don't buy it unless I have no alternative. Gotta wonder WHY no SDS, eh?

 

[Jim F]

I use a heated parts cleaner tank with a bio-degreaser I beleive it’s called ozzy juice. The system works great being heated. I’ve purchased the ozzy juice refills at oreillys.

This is what we have at work.
Really takes dried on forming oil off quickly.

 

[cathead]

If you just want some bad A$$ chemical solvent, it is hard to beat B12 Chemtool. It has all the stuff that causes cancer in the state of California.
Now, this is not the stuff to use as a parts cleaner in a general sense but I do find it good to have around as a solvent and also
for cleaning carburetors and getting the accretions off small parts. It reeks of badness so not good to get on ones body, likely
unhealthy to breathe the smell of it as well. It has it's place though if used carefully. It contains toluene, methanol, acetone,
2-Butoxyethanol, MEK, and isopropanol. I remember poring over a bunch of auto products at Walmart and stumbled upon Berryman B-12 Chemtool
on the shelf. The ingredient list told me to buy it. I see it's indication is for cleaning fuel injectors although I have never tried used it for that.
Someone must have stayed up all night to come up for the name of this stuff. It says on the top of the can "100 years" , that can't mean
they have been making it for 100 years I don't think. Also with a name like "Berryman" it sounds almost edible! Also, the B-12 thing
has me baffled, apparently it is meant to be vitamins for your fuel system.

 

[wayback machine]

The Tractor Supply stuff is about the best I've found - Pretty low VOC, but still a decent solvent.
I use these gloves with the parts washer: Amazon

 

[C-Bag]

I don’t do engine work anymore thankfully so my approach is situational. When I cleaned up my old Atlas shaper I used Awesome from the dollar store. I hear it’s best when you spray it on then steam clean. Don’t have a steam cleaner so don’t have direct affirmation. But awesome and a brush or scrubby pad takes off grease etc in a hurry. Also use Purple Power for heavy grease. For the final spritz before powder coat I use the cheapest brake clean in a can. It all seems the same brand wise and is so volatile it doesn’t even hit the ground if it drips. I also use it before paint to get that last bit of grease off. I also use gloves and a respirator any time I use brake cleaner.

 

[tq60]

We use greased lightening, no oder at all and melts Grease and oil.

Rinse with dawn mix in garden sprayer then water

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[IamNotImportant]

Trichloroethane 1,1,1,Tech has been "outlawed" in the States for years. But it can still be found with a little digging. The military still uses it, but under tightly controlled circumstances. It is extremely hazardous to work around, and if heated will remove air from water. I have high exposure from way back when it first replaced carbon tetrachloride. Just a couple of breaths will give a hell of a buzz. But it penetrates the metal, something no other solvent will do.

High temperatures (welding, etc) and water must be avoided. Either will generate phosgene gas.

.

i remember when Brownell's was selling that stuff back in the 80's and before

 

[projectnut]

The best I’ve used is stoddard solvent. It’s a synthetic made from a petroleum base. It cleans just about anything and has a high flash point. I used it for years in my auto repair shop. It can be reused if you run it through a filter similar to the ones used in coffee machines. The only downside is that it’s fairly expensive.

 

[Shotgun]

What ever you use, mix it with . . . TIME.

In the past year, I bought an 80yr old lathe and a 40yr old mill. Along with several "seasoned" accessories. They were all filthy with caked on crud. I've found that I can lay a rag, sopping wet with 10W-30 motor oil, on the caked on grease and it will go from crusty/gummy to runny/goey by the next day. Whatever you use, figure out a way to get it on there for a day or five before using elbow grease.

That said.
I found that degreaser, with less dilution than the bottle calls for, in a wheel barrow is good for the intermediate size parts. It was instrumental in cleaning up my 12" rotary table. Let is soak an hour or three. Hit it a little with a brass wire brush. Then, let it soak some more.
A wipe down with tiki torch fuel after that bath, or a bath of it for all the small parts. I think the tiki torch fuel is just very clean kerosene. Has the kerosene smell, but not nearly as strong. Again, leaving it there overnight eliminates the need for application of elbow grease. Put a sopping wet rag on there, then stick it in a plastic garbage bag.
Some of the crud will be mixed with chips that were then compressed by two parts coming together. Almost all the gears seem to have this problem. You'll be forced to go through with a dental pick, small screw driver or wire brush to scrape these out. Not too hard if you loosened the glue in the crud with degreaser, kerosene or oil. It's like scraping out asphalt otherwise (Which, I guess it really is technically).