Any ideas on a parts washer?

[mattmc2003]

I was thinkin of buyin a small parts washer. I found a tabletop one in northern catalog for like 45 bucks, but im wonderin if anyone has any cool ideas for one. It would be for personal, and mostly occasional use. Could i get by with a metal bucket and some mineral spirits and a brush? Im on the cheap. What do cleaning solutions cost and where do get them. What is the best in your oponion? Thanks.

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

I'm thinking about building a parts washer

I'm thinking about building a parts washer. I have a submersible pump. I'll be watching this thread.

Dan

 

[2dogs]

A spray bottle of Purple Power and the wife's kitchen sink.

 

[Justsaws]

I use kerosene for the solution. If you use mineral spirits/paint thinner, keep it sealed up tight or it will evaporate fast. It is also too flammable for me to want a tub of it laying around.

Wear solvent gloves, keep the dirty solution off of you and your cloths. Ventilation is important.

After a few saws/engines there is a lot more than kerosene in there.

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

A spray bottle of Purple Power and the wife's kitchen sink.

Still watching!

My wife says the kitchen sink is a no no!

 

[wigglesworth]

How about a 5 gallon bucket of kerosene? Put the lid on it and shake it up and you have a parts washer with an aggitator.

 

[Justsaws]

How about a 5 gallon bucket of kerosene? Put the lid on it and shake it up and you have a parts washer with an aggitator.

Do that in the kitchen a few times and then she will let you use the sink.

 

[Brian S]

I'm watching this thread with interest too.

Personally I think that the initial cleaning I give most of the reject crap I drag home is best done outside with Simple Green or Purple Power and a garden hose.

I could use a parts washer for the upkeep part of keeping saws and stuff clean though.

Perhaps this http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200006774_200006774

and an old Rubbermaid tub and some hose from the auto parts store.

Heck I bet a cheap bilge pump inside of coccon of panty hose would work with an aqueous solution like Simple Green. I know the bilge pump on our old boat pumped plenty of spilled fuel and oil and water and never gave up.

Or maybe this, if you have an old variable speed drill laying around.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34302

Again, probably best with a water based cleaner and some kind of pickup filter. But if is craps out you didn't loose much.

 

[kevin j]

what are people's expereinces with water based cleaners?
I have always used K1, or diesel, or some gas mixed in. But now more concerned with fire issues where I am.
I expect water based, if cold, won't be nearly as effective.
But I have heard they have to be used often to keep from going biologically rancid. Henced not suited to occasional use by homeowner, me.

and my wife is not so accomodating of the dishwasher as Brads apparently is......



kcj

 

[wigglesworth]

Im serious about the bucket. I would like a parts washer myself, we have one at work, but do I really need it for my tiny shop? No, only if I were doing like a some V8 heads, or an engine block would I ever need one so big. Maybe its just me, but I think a parts washer is a waste for just a chainsaw. Long live the bucket!!! LOL :biggrinbounce2:

 

[IchWarriorMkII]

Talk to your local Saftey Kleen about a parts washer... they know whats up.

 

[parrisw]

Use a bucket of whatever. Solvent, kerosene, what have you. then use 1/4" copper tube, make a coil to cover the whole bottom, then solder the inside end closed, the outer end gets extended out of the bucket, in the coil part drill many many consecutive holes 1/16". stick and air regulator on it to about 4-5psi, and let er rip for a while. suspend the parts in the middle don't let them rest on the bottom.

 

[wigglesworth]

Use a bucket of whatever. Solvent, kerosene, what have you. then use 1/4" copper tube, make a coil to cover the whole bottom, then solder the inside end closed, the outer end gets extended out of the bucket, in the coil part drill many many consecutive holes 1/16". stick and air regulator on it to about 4-5psi, and let er rip for a while. suspend the parts in the middle don't let them rest on the bottom.

Bubblicious!! I like it!!

 

[Justsaws]

what are people's expereinces with water based cleaners?
I have always used K1, or diesel, or some gas mixed in. But now more concerned with fire issues where I am.
I expect water based, if cold, won't be nearly as effective.
But I have heard they have to be used often to keep from going biologically rancid. Henced not suited to occasional use by homeowner, me.

and my wife is not so accomodating of the dishwasher as Brads apparently is......



kcj

I avoid them because of the bacteria issue and they really work best warm to hot. I have used different additives for disinfectants as well but it started to get expensive compared to kerosene. One more issue was disposal of the solution after it becomes rancid or over saturated with sludge. It is no longer just a water based solution.

I have tried lots of different types of solutions and always end up back at kerosene for a initial solution. Depending on what is to happen with the part determines what happens after the first cleaning.

 

[HimWill]

I have a similar setup,stainless steel stock-pot from the dollar store and a dual outlet airpump for an aquarium as the air source.I used steel brake lines instead of copper since they were handy.Kerosene is the best all around solvent.For plastic parts I usually use a spray bottle of 25% purple cleaner and a garden hose.

I also use standard coffee filters to strain the sludge out of the kerosene.If you fold it in half,then fold it into quarters,you can put it into a funnel.(The same way you do filter paper in the chemistry lab.)I didn't drill the holes,I cut slots in the line with a Dremel cutoff wheel.

 

[PaladinMan187]

I'm partial to using brake clean to knock down the oil and big crud. My buddy has a media blasting cabinet at his place that I take and do most of my stuff in. it does a better job and if you just hit it to get the crud off it will leave the paint. Right now we are using walnut shells. Just my .02

 

[whitedogone]

Dollar store oven cleaner. Around a buck.

 

[KD57]

There are 3 things I have to have or I may as well crawl under a rock and die.
1. parts washer
2. air compressor
3. power washer

In that order. I have a cheapo washer I bought at Harbor Freight for 89.00, and it has served me well for 7 years, and still going strong. I use mineral spirits because I can get it cheap. I doubt a water based cleaner would work on anything except getting mud off your boots.

 

[fourfivefour]

Brakeclean is very good but it's a one time use, if your doing a lot of cleaning, $$$$ will add up quick.
Save the kero for your space heater. Why try to degrease with oil? That purple degreaser is corrosive, it took the paint off the inside of my parts washed then started rusting it. It also ruined the pump. It will also remove annodizing.
You need something thats a solvent if you want to degrease. Naptha (it's a solvent) is all you need, it's very similar to SafetyKleen solvent. It won't harm plastic, but it will remover grease and oil. It's around $13. bucks a gallon. If it gets dirty, leave it sit the grease will settle out of it and you can siphon off clean fluid. It's whats in my parts washer.

Dollar store oven cleaner. Around a buck.

Be careful with this stuff, it's very corrrosive. It will srtip paint and annodizing, then leave it rusting. It may stain plastic. It also gives off very unpleasent fumes.

 

[brucew44guns]

parts washer

It's been my experience that kerosene is not a very good cleaner. It is better than using gasoline obviousely, at least you won't blow yourself up, but the cleaning of grease and bad crud is best done with cleaning solvent. Kerosene is a little better than diesel for cleaning, but to me at least---not very much. Use gloves with solvent so you don't absorb the stuff, and trash the product when it gets real oily. It shouldn't evaporate all too quick if it's in a container that's connected to a parts washer. If you have an oil distributor nearby, they usually have it in 5 gallon buckets.