Danieldd

I'm currently deep in the throws of a timing belt/water pump job (so I can install those new ultra expensive cam gears) and I've got a tote full of parts I've pulled off the motor that I'm planning to clean this weekend.

Been looking at parts washers and solvents on the internet and garagejournal. Everybody has an opinion - which can lead to confusion. Anyway, I started thinking about all my years cleaning auto parts and its usually been performed with using Gunk, mineral spirits, and Brakeclean, and when I was really young - Gasoline. If I ever read the dangers of inhaling this stuff at some point in my past, apparently I've long forgotten what they were and out of sheer stupidity, have ignored for the most part those written warnings.

By the grace of God I have survived all those miscellaneous cleanings and I'm glad to report that I have suffered no problems (at least none that I'm aware of). I don't wear a respirator, but I do wear glove these days, but I'm going to invest in a respirator now. At 56 years of age I figure I've been quite fortunate and now I'm getting to the point where I need to be more cognizant about taking care of my health..

Best thing I can offer is if your going to be cleaning parts, make sure you do it in a ventilated area (hard to do when its cold out and you prefer the warmth of the garage), wear chemical resistant gloves, and utilize a decent respirator.

Don't take chances with your health. BTW, I found this article this welder wrote and what happened to him when he used a popular brake cleaner for cleaning metal prior to welding.

Read here: http://brewracingframes.com/id75.htm

Pretty scary stuff! Please take the time to be smart about your health.

EspritS4s

Scary stuff.

Here's another one for you told by a former Safety-Kleen rep:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...=264109&page=2

Apparently a guy on the rep's route used gas to clean parts 'for 50 years', unfortunately he didn't survive the accident.

Lizard928

lots of brake cleaner uses chlorine, when you weld and it turns into a vapor it can kill you in an instant!

Anyone who does welding should know not to mix brake cleaner and heat.....

polecat702

I've used carb cleaner for years, the kind you soak parts in a basket. Let'em soak, hose'em off. They come out spotless. I would love to own one of the new sonic cleaners, but out of my price range.

928er

another one...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/...e-solvent.html

Glenn Evans

I wear a respirator, nitrile gloves and chemical gloves over them. If I have to, I will remove a chemical glove and minimise the time the nitrile one is exposed, avoiding direct contact with the cleaner as much as possible.

EspritS4s

Maybe a good thread (either here or OT) would be recommended respirators for general garage use. I know that I would very much appreciate some expert opinions as it is way past time that I stepped up to a respirator for a lot of my cleaning projects.

Glenn Evans

Nearly 20 years ago, I was responsible for the Royal Australian Air Force's largest aircraft paint shop. OH&S practices then were good, and the painters were diligent about them, but some of them had been around in the days when they wore no protective equipment to strip and paint aircraft, just a T-shirt and shorts.

The painters' mustering was the only non-combat one closed to women. The justification for this was that the preferred stripper contained phenols, which cause birth defects, and the risk to a woman who may not know that she was pregnant was unacceptable.

Periodically, politicians would seek to overturn these exclusions, particularly to the painters' mustering. The chief instructor of the trade school was tasked to research the issue, and found that several other volatile organic compaounds (VOCs), such as toluene (used as a paint solvent) were associated with miscarriages (among other things) via the FATHER'S exposure.

14 out of 15 of the painters consented to telling me their miscarraige history privately. The number between all of them was eight or nine, as I recall. They were gobsmacked, It was common knowledge that the wife of one of the sergeant had suffered two miscarriages, but the other guys whose wives had suffered them had kept quiet about it. I know that many miscarriages in the wider community are kept quiet, but I am quite sure that it is nowhere near as high as the rate among the painters' wives.

The mustering remained closed to women, until earlier this year when all Defence Force jobs (including combat roles) were opened to them.

VOCs pose many health issues. Avoid inhaling them as much as you possibly can.

Glenn Evans

I use cartridges which have the highest rating I can get for volatile organic compounds. The respirator itself should form an airtight seal over your face. Test it each time you fit it by covering the cartridge openings with your hands and try to inhale.

Lizard928

One thing that you really need a good respirator for (or preferably a fresh air source), is welding galvanized metal.....

Podguy

Harbor Freight is selling a decent respirator for about $15. For that price you can throw away the whole thing instead of replacing the cartridge. They are packaged in a resealable foil bag and have a plastic shield for the mouth piece when in storage. They come in two sizes.

I have tried a number of things for cleaning. brake clean will work great but is is a disaster on your health. Just don't use it PERIOD! Gasoline works nice but is dangerous - not worth the risk. Marine Clean from the POR 15 people is junk. The products sold at most parts stores are not very good either. Simple green is too mild for heavy grease. The same with mineral spirits which again like gasoline is flammable. I have a dishwasher and it is not very effective. Maybe with a good detergent ?? The water based cleaners from like harbor freight are useless and get corrupted too soon.

Ammonia with Dawn dish soap is pretty good and cheap. But the best I have found is ZEP floor and driveway cleaner. It is purple and can be bought by the gallon at Home Depot. Spray it on and leave it. It will melt melt the grease away which can then be removed with water. Perhaps hot water would even been better. Several passes are good. The ZEP will dig into the aluminum and foam taking the deep grease out of the pores in the castings. Just do not let the aluminum parts sit too long in the full solution as it will eat away at the aluminum.

Easy off is the best thing I have found for removing cosmoline - the waxy stuff that is on the suspension parts. Spray it on - work it in with a soft brush and wash it off with water.

Finally for removing rust Muriatic acid is super. Just that the rust will come back quickly if the part is not treated. Full strength it is aggressive - use it outside. Glove, glasses and use a respirator - also long sleeves are in order. It works fast. You should de-grease the parts before immersion. Use a plastic bucket - never add water to acid when diluting - instead add acid to the water. (CORRECTED) Muriatic acid is used in pools and can be bought at Home Depot.

Caswell makes a degreaser in powered form that can be mixed with water and heated to about 200 degrees F that is excellent at cleaning small parts.

Habor Freight sells a ultra sonic cleaner for about if I remember right for about $60. it has a stainless steel tank and works well with the ZEP floor cleaner. Great for cleaning small part but with the ZEP it will remove the cadmium plating if left too long. Use it outside as the cleaner gets hot. Do NOT use flammables in a sonic cleaner as the heat generated by the sound will ignite them.

I have tried a lot of things and short having access to a professional hot tank, the ZEP is the best I have found

jon928se

Just don't.

If you really must then a positive pressure helmet is the only way to go. And preferably grind off all the galvanising around the weld site before you start.

M. Requin

I learned about using BraKleen (sp?)- like products around welding on a welding site- IIRC it's the UV from the arc that causes that compound to form phosgene, which of course is deadly. I made a post on the site thanking them for the information, it actually might have saved my life.

The coolest parts cleaner I ever had was a vapor degreaser an engineer made for my bike shop. 10-30 minutes in that thing and the grubbiest things would come out perfectly clean and dry.And it was pretty much fume free. I've often thought about building one for my shop.

smyth1

yes that fosgene is bad stuff.i'm always around it in dealing with brazing air conditioning and refrigeration systems.i m sure i have it in my system at some level.i currently use kerosene in my parts washer being thats its probably the cheapest thing besides gas.laquer thinner is what i use on everything as a final clean before painting.

polecat702

As a professional welder, fabricator, and certified welding inspector, I worked for over 40 years, with no regard to the hazards of metal fume disease, plus I smoked non-filters under my hood while I was welding. Back when I started, all that smoke in the shop was considered: "the smell of money!" I was told to get used to it, and when you smell it you're making the big bucks!

Today I teach at the community collage, and one of the first things I show my students is my $2000.00 Jackson supplied air welding hood.

Quit smoking 11 years ago, and just took a lung function test 2 weeks ago. Doc said my lungs are normal, like I never smoked or welded. I was lucky! Most welders die in their 50's, can't see,hear. or breathe.

Anyhow I forgot to mention that Royal Brown makes an acid free wheel cleaner that works on aluminum, and it won't etch the metal, or damage the paint on a cars finish. Fantastic stuff, washes off, and it's at Target, so you don't have to mail order it anymore.