Degreasing tank

Pay attention to what it's made of. Polypropylene will stand up to almost any solvent that you can obtain. Polyethene will stand up to everything apart from molten alkali metals, and hydrofluoric acid.

I have used a sturdy polypropylene 'play tub' for this sort of thing. You really should either keep this outside, or use a proper metal tub, with a closely fitting lid, with a hinged lid with a fusible link to hold it open. Otherwise, if it goes on fire, bad things can happen. tub, with

thats cool...i was thinking about those large play/toy box things you can get....as these usually come witha sealable lid...

i would intend to leave it outside tbh as well...

i wouldnt know how to recognise if it was made from polypropylene or poly ethene tho...

i have had thinners in an old squirter before...like a window cleaner squirter...one lasted perfectly well for ages, whilst another melted over night!

cheers for the quick reply.

Ah, yes. I have a large variety of such. Ready? Here goes:

Containers/Applicators

Graymills drum-mounted parts washer 110 gallon Rubbermaid cattle trough (bought at rural feed store) variety of stainless stock pots from 2 gallon to 30 gallon various rectangular plastic tubs i.e. Rubbermaid cut off top of old water tank 26" diameter cut off bottoms of old 5 gallon propane bottles

Solvents

Paint thinner cut slightly with ATF (for parts washer or bench work) Cascade Dishwashing Detergent -- powder, will remove paint, awesome stuff TSP (actual trisodium phosphate) (purchased at local Home Depot in paint dept) Red Devil lye (1# cans purchased in cleaning section at supermarket) Muriatic acid (purchased as needed at hardware store, not stored @ home)

Tips: Lye and TSP will do bad things to aluminum and zinc. Remove nameplates before doing a soak in these solvents. I tend to start by scraping away heavy gunk and doing a first cut in the parts washer, then I often go to dishwashing detergent in boiling water soak followed by rinse in water hot enough so the item self-dries completely within 60 seconds. Larger items you have to get creative with. I soaked the entire body casting of a Walker Turner bandsaw in the cattle trough in lye for a week to get the old crappy paint off.

GWE

Polyethelyne has kind of a slick waxy feel to it. If you are familier with tupperware, it is made from either LDPE or HDPE The difference here is the LDPE is softer and more flexable than the HDPE.

Also there is a recycle symbol on most consumer grade products, a triangle made up of three arrows with a number inside. See:

Look for a 2, 4, or 5. These plastics will have the chemical resistance needed and if you choose a sturdy enough product you should be OK for a long time.

I'm curious, why add the ATF?

Personally, I use mineral spirits in a 1 gallon paint can for small stuff. Larger stuff goes in a big plastic tub sold for mixing concrete, using Simple Green or citrus based stuff for the solvent.

-Ron

Easier on your hands

Where do you get Simple Green in quantity?

ATF makes it a little easier on your hands, that's all. - GWE

OK, makes sense. I wear disposable gloves when I mess with solvents, so my hands don't take a beating.

I buy gallon jugs of concentrate locally. I think I got them at Home Depot. I don't use it very often, and never more than a gallon at a time diluted 10:1, so it's not a big expense. I've seen pails and drums listed in the Enco catalog.

-Ron

---snip....

Just as a warning to all of you, some solvents can evaporate right through some of those plastics without melting them.

In early Dec I put about 12 oz of Coleman fuel into a Type 2 HDPE container and marked it in 1 oz intervals so I could fill my handwarmers easily. As of the beginning of March it was down 1.5 oz without having ever been opened. It evaporated right through the plastic. I had a similar occurrence with acetone although I don't recall which type of plastic I had that stored in.

For short term exposure, such as using a plastic tub to wash parts, the above advice may hold. For longer term storage, I don't think you can use all of the types of plastics listed above.

RWL

MSC sells several types of Simple Green in 55 gallon drums.

Martin

thanks very much roger, you're very helpful. cheers!