[MARTINSR]

I just got this email from a friend, what do you think?

Penetrating Oils
Machinist's Workshop MagT recently published some information on various penetrating oils that I found very interesting. Some of you might appreciate this. The magazine reports they tested penetrates for break out torque on rusted nuts.
They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist. They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrates with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment.

*Penetrating oils ........... Average torque load to loosen*

No Oil used ................... 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 is a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note this "home brew" released bolts 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 almost as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price.

Steve from Godwin-Singer says that ATF-Acetone mix is best, but you can also use ATF and lacquer thinner in a 50-50 mix. *ATF=Automatic Transmission Fluid

=

[carolinacustoms]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

I just got this email from a friend, what do you think?

Penetrating Oils
Machinist's Workshop MagT recently published some information on various penetrating oils that I found very interesting. Some of you might appreciate this. The magazine reports they tested penetrates for break out torque on rusted nuts.
They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist. They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrates with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment.

*Penetrating oils ........... Average torque load to loosen*

No Oil used ................... 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 is a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note this "home brew" released bolts 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 almost as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price.

Steve from Godwin-Singer says that ATF-Acetone mix is best, but you can also use ATF and lacquer thinner in a 50-50 mix. *ATF=Automatic Transmission Fluid

=

Thanks for the helpful info. I will definitely be trying the ATF brew on the Camaro I have coming.

[gearheadslife]

silly dry climate guys.. this is old news..
never pitch old atf..
best part shops will save it for you for free..(unless they have a waste oil heater)

[matts37chev]

i always thought the kano kroil worked the best
this tells me im not just imagining things

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by matts37chev

i always thought the kano kroil worked the best
this tells me im not just imagining things

It DOES work the best, unless you make up some ATF and acetone.

Brian

[cobalt327]

IMO PB, hands down.

[454 Rattler]

Originally Posted by cobalt327

IMO PB, hands down.

That's what I always thought. Yesterday I used it to remove a tap that was stuck.

Now I think I'll give the ATF mix a try.


Thanks MARTINSR.


454 RATTLER

[MARTINSR]

I have done a lot of comparison tests like this over the years with paint products and unless they did a bunch of tests there is no way it they could say it's the best. It may very well be I have no reason to doubt it, other than I have seen how someone will do something like this and it is hard to be honest with yourself and give something a REAL test against a standard. If these guys only tested it once for instance, it means nothing. It takes a number of tests to come up with an average. So it certainly isn't carved in stone that ATF is the best as far as I am concerned.

Brian

[454 Rattler]

I tend to agree with you. I always take everything with a grain of salt. But it's worth a try.

Thanks !


454 RATTLER

[cobalt327]

I am sold on PB since the first time I was talked into a can of it while at a parts store for something totally unrelated. This old counter guy was talking to a customer as I walked up to cash out. He was telling the customer how good the PB was, etc. I decided to try it myself, having not had any especially good results from much of anything else through the years.

One of the first times I used it was on a buddy's Pontiac T/A radiator support. I sprayed a stuck, rusted bolt (battery acid) and walked away. I came back and the bolt turned so easily that I almost hurt myself when I put my weight on the wrench to turn the bolt. I accused the guy of loosening it and not telling me, there was that much of a difference. Using it in the years since then, I know it was no fluke.

My only complaint is the nozzle doesn't take a straw, I always have to root around for an old spray tip w/a straw to replace the PB tip with.

But I've never tried acetone/ATF. I have noticed that acetone eventually screws up spray bottles, though. Maybe mixed w/ATF it wouldn't be so bad. Acetone also evaporated VERY quickly, so if it didn't penetrate within a short time, it's going to be gone leaving just ATF.

[cucumber1949]

The commercial product that has worked best for me is Mouse Milk, second best for me was the Krano Labs product. However I have both acetone and ATF in the shop so I'm going to mix some up and try it.

[Thunders]

PB has been my favorite for a long time but have a buddy that say's Royal Purple's spray penetrating oil is has it beat now. I personally have never tried it.

[64falconsix]

I keep a can of PB Blaster on the work bench but will try the ATF/ Acetone mix. I am getting ready to pull the front clip and doors off of the 64 to start body work. 49 year old rusty bolts ought to be a good test.