Hello all, about six months ago I bought an el-cheapo parts washer from harbor freight...not 100% sure of what kind of detergent to use, after some research I filled it with a 50/50'ish mix of simple green and water. Well today I open it up and realize that the solution has eaten away all the paint on the basin! So my question is really two fold.

Am I using an inappropriate solvent? It's a basic detergent parts washer, with a recirculating pump in a big steel basin. Any suggestions from people with experience with this type of thing?

Also, I'm obviously going to need to strip what's left of the paint...should I repaint it, and if so, what type of paint? Or just leave it bare steel and use a rust-resistant solvent? I think simple green makes some industrial stuff that's just that, but it's not something you can pick up at Napa.

Thanks in advance, -Z

 

i think harbor freight sells some stuff


what i use isn't very safe.. well especially on my parts washer thats from like the 40's hah... i use gas and a few other things mixed, works pretty good

 

I would just leave it bare metal, ---- it.. in worst case buy a new pan, or find something to jig the washer motor into.

I like to use diesel fuel to clean most parts.. carb soak works wonders too.

Then again, I like sandblasting better then chemical cleaning.

 

We use mineral spirits in ours with no problem. Home Depot carries it in gallon cans...

 

we have some real good stuff that we have had for a long time. Its real parts washer stuff. I don't think that the fire inspector would like it to much. We have it in 55 gallon drum.

 

-kerosene. it works wonders.mineral spirits does just as good. both will ignite like a MF though. put the kerosene in a drum and put it away from your garage, and put an in/out pump on it so if you do have any accidents....

-I made my own parts washer.
3 gallon rubbermade tub and carb cleaner. it does the job, and never had anything that it wouldnt clean. I get the cheap carb cleaner from the dollar store, it does just as good of a job as the gunk, $3.00 a can ----.

 

The best thing to do when buying solvent is to avoid the ones with the word "safety" or "eco" in their name. "Saf-t-kleen" is a real POS, as is "Eco-wash". Acetone is rad. If you can get your hands on PF-Breakthrough, it is ------- rad. Never ever ever use Berryman's Chem-Dip. It won't even break down oil, although it will remove gum and varnish... ghey.

For the ultimate in cleaning power for non-aluminum parts...
Absorbit. This is a funky powder that you mix with water and it turns orange and then neon green. I know it is safe for stainless, anything else you should test first. It will destroy aluminum. If you can't find Absorbit, it is basically the same thing as NAPA concrete cleaner. Go to NAPA, shop at NAPA, flip off Schuck's every time you drive by and don't even do a burnout for them.

 

Every solvant tank we have at work has stripped paint.