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Best liquid for a lathe washdown??
- Thread starter DanGraves
- Start date
Over the years I have found that an Liquid Industrial soap like Simple Green mixed in a 5 gallon pail and super hot water works about as good as anything. Have to wear the long and thick rubber gloves. I use to tell my men washing a machine is like washing dishes. Use on the painted surfaces. On the ways I would suggest a putty knife, scotch brite and some WD-40 or stinky lacquer thinner.
I read somewhere Dawn dishwasher soap works good too.
I read somewhere Dawn dishwasher soap works good too.
I personally use good ole charcoal lighter fluid. It has a pleasant smell and ghets every bit of grease off if you scrub a bit. I avoid the water based solvents just because I am old school and am afraid that I would start more rust than I cleaned. Purple power and simple green are both pretty strong solvents when diluted, but use care if you get it in your eyes you are in trouble. Charcoal lighter is flammable so use it with great caution and make sure you have dried it completely before turning on the machine to avoid a fire hazard. Years ago we used Diesel and even gasoline to degrease machines, but we were lucky we didn't blow ourselves to kingdom come too. Charcoal lighter or mineral spirits has a fairly high flash point and wont smell up the shop and definately not cause rust. Whatever you use make sure you lube everything well when you are done to prevent rust and pitting. Welcome to the group and hope this helps.
Bob
Bob
WD40, it's useless for rust protection and freeing stuck threads, but it's excellent for cleanup work and removing the residue from sticky labels, and of course it does a great job of its intended use which is as a water dispersant, hence the WD in the name.
M
Thanks guys. Last time I did it I used Varisol which is like kerosene. Stinks for days. When I do one I break down the carriage and use a gun that sucks up liquid and sprays it. I is air assisted and I use very little pressure. I dont open up the headstock but hit the change gears and areas that are dirty. I use my machine a lot and turn all types of material so it gets pretty dirty. I like the idea of charcoal lighter fluid which is naptha. I think I will use it and then inside the headstock WD 40. Thanks guys.
T
Tom Griffin
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I second the WD-40 for clean-up. It cuts through the grease and grime and leaves a nice looking finish. I use it regularly on all my machines. It also works very well as a cutting and tapping fluid on aluminum. That said, it is a very poor lubricant and offers little in the way of rust protection.
Tom
Tom
Another thing I find that works pretty good is the cheap ($2.00 a can) aerosol brake cleaner you can buy at auto-stores. With the little red tube you can pinpoint the spray. As the other guy said..wear safety glasses...I hate to say that as it looks like your a kid getting preached to which is not why I'm doing that. I rebuild machines for a living and clean machines a lot. I use a Safety Clean Parts washer for the parts I remove. I use the soap and water on the painted surfaces, wash it and wipe it dry. I do not slop it on the parts and let it rust, that's insulting to say that. I use a water soluble die spotting ink when I scrape ways and soap and water washes it off easy. Then I wipe dry it off and oil the ways.
Good ole bucket of gas and a paint brush, and I aint blown up yet. Once cleaned and painted they
get a wipe down gas rag and good to go. Of course this is a commercial shop not in a basement.
even floors mopped with gas two minutes its all dryed up. Not to be reminded by the fire nazis
you can put your cig. out in a bucket of gas, its sparks or ignition you got to worry about.
get a wipe down gas rag and good to go. Of course this is a commercial shop not in a basement.
even floors mopped with gas two minutes its all dryed up. Not to be reminded by the fire nazis
you can put your cig. out in a bucket of gas, its sparks or ignition you got to worry about.
T
Tom Griffin
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Some of those ol boys that have cleaned with gas for decades will never change, my dad is one of them. I myself used gas to clean car parts, machinery and whatever until only about 10 years ago because it was what pop taught me. About 10 years ago I finally figured out even cleaning with the little paint brushes I used posed fire/explosion risks so I finally stopped using gas myself and went to kerosene or other alternatives. I will admit though even now if I get something nothing else can clean in desperation I have used gas only once or twice.
But yes, using gas for parts/machinery cleaning is not smart and it is real dangerous. :nono: