Recommended parts washer fluid?

I'm a simple guy and got lost a bit in that. But, does that boil down to saying Naptha is Stoddard solvent and, therefore what I should get? What I thought I'd found turned out to be just warning labels, not the solvent itself. Still trying to find something local (or online if it has to be ordered) but would like to be able to call ahead to see if they have it in stock. So far, places reply like I have 3 heads when asking if they have Stoddard solvent.

My local Tractor Supply does have PSC 1000 and it seems pretty reasonable ($45/5-gal). If Stoddard isn't available locally, I'll likely get that but would still like to know what to look for for future.
 
You can buy stoddard for a little less per gallon than off-road diesel at a petroleum supply (dude, you're in Texas). You can also buy it off the shelf at Napa, Sherwin-Williams, paint suppliers, hardware stores (not HD or Lowe's, those stores are childproofed), or ask anyone you know who may have commercial accounts at useful places like Grainger.

It doesn't seem like it was very long ago that I could fill jerry cans with Stoddard at the tank farm for a buck a gallon, but past is past and that is that.

Just a note, I wouldn't recommend the hardware store "Odorless" mineral spirits for a tank, it's a stinky product compared to Stoddard solvent despite being similar. Probably heavier on the aromatics and labeled appropriately for cleaning paintbrushes. Safety-kleen and the stoddard that comes in 5-gallon cans is really low odor, they are being sold for parts washer use, so I'm sure the labeling is selective in spite of ASTM defining them as the same product based on the cut specs. So there can be subtle differences, and odor is not part of the spec, that's up to the marketing dept., but how they clean parts and how the parts dry will be the same.
 
I use Stoddard Solvent. I get it from my oil distributor, who supplied fuel, oil, and other petroleum products when I had a business that used large quantities of such things. It is also available at my local NAPA store, at a slightly higher price.

In the 1950's I learned from a local auto mechanic to use solvent in stages. He had three home-made parts washers (cut-off oil drums) that contained progressively cleaner solvent. AS the solvent got "dirty" he would discard the dirtiest (first stage) and clean out the sludge, and pour the next (cleaner) stage solvent into that tub. Repeat with the cleanest stage. Cleaning out the sludge was important.

The first stage got dirtier first, so the last stage always contained very clean solvent.

I save my discarded solvent in plastic jugs and use it in places where it will be "lost" such as cleaning around an oily area of a machine I have not pressure washed. I have a waste oil furnace, so any surplus in burned for heat. The sludge is saved for Hazmat disposal.
 
rficalora said:
I'm a simple guy and got lost a bit in that. But, does that boil down to saying Naptha is Stoddard solvent and, therefore what I should get? What I thought I'd found turned out to be just warning labels, not the solvent itself. Still trying to find something local (or online if it has to be ordered) but would like to be able to call ahead to see if they have it in stock. So far, places reply like I have 3 heads when asking if they have Stoddard solvent.

My local Tractor Supply does have PSC 1000 and it seems pretty reasonable ($45/5-gal). If Stoddard isn't available locally, I'll likely get that but would still like to know what to look for for future.
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Down the road from me is a Farm Tractor and lawn mower store and they told me when I want to empty my waste oil to bring it there. They have a barrel I can empty it in. When your solvent gets dirty ask a local farm tractor place if you can dump it there. :) ( It's not Tractor Supply) They sell new and used farm tracors.
 
I've had good luck with the PSC 1000 in my modified Harbor Freight parts washer. The pump that came in it was designed for water based solutions. It worked for a couple of months, then the bearings gave out. I assume the solvent was penetrating into places it shouldn't have. I replaced it with a Little Giant pump, which has worked great for several years.

I think you might find that even after you're done cleaning up your lathe, you'll want to keep the parts washer around. They're pretty handy.
 
My parts washer has a big warning about not using flammable liquids. Where is Stoddard Solvent in that regard?
 
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