by kittyfritters » Fri May 27, 2011 3:34 pm
If you want to free up anything that is rusted try this idea that a friend sent me.
"I found this on Smokstak which is an antique tractor and engine web site:
Machinist's Workshop magazine actually tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. Significant results! They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist, Bud Baker.
They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment.
*Penetrating oil ..... Average load*
None ............ ......... 516 pounds
WD-40 ............ ...... 238 pounds
PB Blaster ............ . 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench ..... 127 pounds
Kano Kroil ............ 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix....53 pounds
The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note the "home brew" was better than any commercial product in this one particular test. Our local machinist group mixed up a batch and we all now use it with equally good results. Note also that "Liquid Wrench" is about as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price. "
I have tried this myself. The first time was on a joint in some 60 year old steel water pipe that had been buried in the ground. The ATF-Acetone mixture freed it up after a ten minute soak and the threads looked like they had just been cut. I have been using it on anything rusted up since with great results.
After freeing up an old model engine I let it soak in a jar of petroleum spirits (Available in the paint department.) for a few days before washing it out with 91% alcohol and fueling it up to try to run it. I used this method to free up my first engine, a 1948 Spitzy .045, and it still runs with the original glow plug.