Cleaning up a machine in daily use

On Thu, 8 Apr 2004 21:21:52 +0200, "Steve Lusardi" shouted from the rooftop:

Must be Liquid Tide isn't available in Europe. It's a water based laundry detergent.

-Carl "An honest man doesn't need a long memory"- Jesse Ventura

The only reason I suggest to not use water based cleaners is the rust problem. If you're spritzing the surface with a spray bottle and wiping things down, rusting is not a serious consideration. I've done that as long as I've owned machines. The place you get in trouble is when you flood wash a machine with a water based cleaner. It gets everywhere, and replaces lubrication with water. If you don't remove all the cleaner, and your machines are run intermittently, you're asking for problems. All depends on how well you get the machine dry, and how deeply you are getting the cleaner.

Washing a machine down with coolant is a different matter. It has corrosion controlling additives which prevent the same kind of damage. Washing a precision grinder down with coolant was routine where I was trained, and I've always done the same thing on my lathe when running the coolant. Works great, with the only problem being that the coolant is rather aggressive, eating away the paint slowly.

Assuming you do want to use a hydrocarbon for cleaning, there's nothing that works as well as Stoddard solvent. Aside from having to put up with the smell, it's really quite safe to use. The best part is it doesn't do any damage to precision surfaces, a guarantee you can't get when using water based cleaners.

Harold

The water-based degreasers are weak solutions of butyl cleaner (various names for it: 2-butoxyethanol, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, butyl cellosolve), which is the same surfactant ingredient in 409 or Fantastik.

The "industrial strength" versions simply add a little lye (sodium hydroxide), which is why they melt off hardened grease and dried oils. Including defatting your skin, if you contact it more than a little.

Cheapest common retail source is to buy the Zep industrial (purple) cleaner at Home Depot, and dilute it to whatever strength you need.

Guys can be as superstitious and ignorant as washerwomen when it comes to cleaning products. Learn to find and interpret MSDS's and you'll discover how these high-priced (but heavily advertised) cleaners work, and are made from stuff as cheap as dirt. Also see the article on "detergency" in the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, all the mysteries and ingredients are explained.

"Randal O'Brian"

If I did that the cat would find it and crap in it. No thanks. If I leave a pile of sawdust on the floor under the table saw the cat will find it and crap in it and thank me for the fresh cat box. Tom, with a cat in my lap.

Gene, This is difficult,because the label is in Dutch. I buy this stuff from an Industrial Supply house in Maasbracht, NL. I know that he gets the stuff from Switzerland. It is labeled as "Industieontvetter. Vlug. Millieuvriendelijk . Veilig" My limited Dutch translates that to be a industrial degreaser that is safe for everything. It is sold by : G/H Reinigings Techniek Ankerkade 153

6222 NL Maastricht Tel +31 43 3634289 Import/Export Groothandel If you like, I can do some investigation to find out if it is imported to the States and under what brand name it is sold. Contact me directly if you are interested. I can assure you that I have never found anything like this before. I recently picked up an 18 x 54 Lodge and Shiply lathe and it was covered in this oil coolant varnish. It was very thick in many places. Nothing budged it until I used this stuff. I used something less than a 1/2 gallon and the original grey paint appeared with the original gloss. Steve

Hmmmmm. Now there's a thought. I've seen recomendations for milk, orange juice (sorta), anti-freeze,... Why not borsht? Anybody tried beer? ;-)

Ted