I have found that heat & bees wax works well on rusted nuts & bolts. I am also a fan of Kroil.

Dave Huffman

Actually the test on penetrating oils is at least several years old. When I first saw the results, my thinking then was the same as it is today.
Essentially, just how comprehensive was this test?
I'm wondering how they ensured that each fastener that was loosened by whichever type of penetrating oil was being tested was exactly the same as those used on the others?
It would require tests done on a large number of different styles of fasteners with differing levels of corrosion or seizure before anything conclusive could be determined for certain.

That said, I've used all sorts of so-called penetrating oils over the years, and some couldn't even loosen up a partly seized car door hinge. Kroil works very well. I've had mixed results with the ATF / Acetone thing. It works well, but like Kroil, can't always get the job done every time. Sometimes the hot wrench or a grinder, a drill or nut splitter becomes the best option.

For most things, I'll just stick with Kroil simply because it's easier to use in an aerosol and it stores well in the can.

My opinion only, of course
Mark D.

Like Mark, I was a little skeptical of the test as well. How do you conduct such a test?

I haven't tried the ATF/whatever mix, but I'm a big fan of Silikroil which provides a lubricant in addition to breaking up the rust. Had good success with it in disassembling a '41 Chevy pickup and other old stuff.

I would add that if you are thinking of using Acetone and ATF you mix only enough for today's job. The acetone will not stick around for more than a day or two. But you can always add more acetone when you need it. Acetone will thin out the ATF to a viscosity that will penetrate very small crevices and also changes the surface tension of the ATF so that it will better "wet" the surfaces it is in contact with. Find a small 4-6 ounce squeeze bottle to keep it in. That will let you put it where you want it and keep it (mostly) off of your hands.

DON"T use nail polish remover! That stuff is mostly water to make it less volatile (safer)and have a long shelf life. The better brands have less water but also have some natural oils added to combat the drying from the acetone.

Oh, and one more thing.....DON'T get fire around this stuff! You will go up in flames faster than you can shout "OMG, FIRE!"

PR

Here is a steel spray can you pressurize with compressed air. You can mix ATF and acetone and not worry about the acetone evaporating. Just give it a shake to mix it up before spraying.

http://www.tooltopia.com/sure-shot-1000b.aspx

What? The squirting WD-40 on the bolts? How many different ways can there be to do it?
Or do you mean the rusting?
It's pretty well established how you scientifically rust things. Salt spray bath, leave them outside, etc.
It's also possible they bought bolts from a testing house that had already been rusted.

The real point is, whatever you do, you do the same thing to all the bolts and be precise about that.


Or alternately, keep the stuff in the fridge. Of course, having a fridge for chemicals is something we're no stranger to at WRM, since we use a ton of 2-part paints and epoxies, and the pot life can be extended by days and weeks by sticking it in the fridge.

That's been our experience with 2926; if Kroil won't work, then it's the rosebud (or cutting torch if the fastener or fitting in question is too badly rusted or corroded). Of course, your mileage may vary...

done a lot on 765, just heat the bolt red hot, no oils, the heat expands the bolt, crushes rust, and or burns it, out comes the bolt.

[quote="dinwitty"]done a lot on 765, just heat the bolt red hot, no oils, the heat expands the bolt, crushes rust, and or burns it, out comes the bolt.[/quote]

Not advisable if the bolt's through timber......
Acetone is used in the fibreglass industry as a solvent. It removes uncured resins and such from your work gloves after laminating. (Yes, a lot of people in the industry don't wear gloves and just wash their hands in a bucket of acetone to clean them. I suspect they're paying the price later in life).
One application where it's used is in the fibreglassing sheathing of wooden-hulled boats. You apply a coat or two of 50% acetone and 50% resin, which soaks into the timber
and gives a good chemical bond with the full strength resin which is used with the glass cloth.
In the same way, I imagine the acetone in the mixture mentioned would thin out the ATF to allow penetration.
Must try it some time.
Cheers, Bob

Long-term effects won't be from the acetone. They'll be from the epoxy hardener. For virtually all 2-part materials and paints like that, the hardener is an immune system irritant, and the risks increase with repeated exposure. The risk for hardware store epoxy is so low that they don't label it. Probably the worst is the toluene diisocyanate in Imron. It is proportionately faster/worse with more effective methods of penetrating your body. I use soap and water to clean West System epoxy off my skin. For epoxy paint, I use orange lanolin hand cleaner.


Yes that's the same thing done with Git-Rot. It's a naturally thin epoxy. A similar trick with epoxy primers is hyperdilute the first coat, soaks in like a dream.

A fridge would be recommended only if it is a sparkproof chemical fridge. Any vapors that leak out of the container into the fridge can be ignited by a spark from the thermostat.

I'm a retired chemist, and a number of years ago some guys down the hall from me learned that the hard way. Some flammable solvents were stored in an ordinary household fridge. On day the door blew off (didn't swing on the hinges, blew straight off). The explosion ruptured several containers of the solvents, which made for a very intense fire. That lab room was gutted by the fire, along with extensive smoke damage to the rest of the building. The fire investigators determined that a spark from the thermostat ignited some vapors that has leaked from the container.

So, DON'T keep flammables in an ordinary fridge.

I have never tried the heat the bolt red hot so it expands and crushes the rust. I will. My method is beat the living daylights out of it first with a hammer to remove external rust and loosen everything else and then apply the penetrating oil and go lunch.

I learned the Bees Wax trick from an old machinery book from the 1880's that I picked up a long time ago.
Heat the Bees Wax till it turns liquid & heat the nut or bolt to where you just can't touch it more than a second. Pour a small amount of the wax in the threads & heat the nut just a little more. Wait a few minutes & more than likely your nut shoud have loosened so you can remove it.
The secret to this method is not getting anything to hot. I have used this method a few times & it works well. That said I love the Kano products "Kroil" & found a hardware store near by in Tuscola IL. that sells that line.

Dave Huffman