From: Cougarjack@aol.com
Date: Tue Feb 26 2002 - 01:01:39 PST
Bill,
Safer than either is a solution of trisodium phosphate. It's available at paint stores and home centers. Ask for TSP. It's the active ingredient in Spic & Span, which will also do the job. (albeit, more expensive) Commercial metal shops once used a product called Oakite, which was also TSP and a detergent. I suspect that radiator shops use something with TSP in it. It's also used in stripping tanks in engine shops. TPS looks just like table salt. The trick is to mix a very strong solution and heat it to close to boiling if you can. A cautionary here: boiling water is 212 degrees F. Boiling TSP solution is closer to 300 degrees F. That's about like french fry grease. Anyway, the stuff removes grease and paint down to bare metal, but won't help much with the rust. Once you strip like this, you also must paint or prime fast, or it will rust up right before your eyes.
Oh, as with any caustic, you must not use aluminum for a container. Steel, iron, glass, or similar, but no aluminum. Ever see a big alka seltzer? Aluminum reacts strongly with strong caustics. The reaction can be quite sudden and violent.
Have fun!
Jack
In a message dated Mon, 25 Feb 2002 4:48:07 PM Eastern Standard Time, Bill Chambers <bchambers@hoovers.com> writes:
> Thanks for all the advise, will try out these homebrews.
>
> Except for the sandblaster, that would launch the parts into the field.
>
> Hmmm, now to decide... heated drano or good old oven cleaner, Good
> Housekeeping eat your heart out.
>
> thanks folks!
> Bill
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Glen Bedel [mailto:GBedel@designforum.com]
> Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 3:06 PM
> To: mil-veh@mil-veh.org
> Subject: Re: [MV] CLEANING SMALL PARTS
>
>
> "Easy-Off" Oven cleaner may work. When I was in the USMC one of my
> platooners
> nearly got court martialed because he cleaned his rifle with it.
> It took the "Blueing" off completely.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gene Pantano [mailto:truks@cs.quik.com]
> Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 3:33 PM
> To: mil-veh@mil-veh.org
> Subject: [MV] CLEANING SMALL PARTS
>
>
> Gents..there is no better way on earth to clean a bunch of miscellaneous
> parts than to haul them to your local radiator shop..and have them dip the
> whole mess in their radiator tank...What they use is pretty close to
> Drano..but heated..and boy - does it clean. NO ALUMINUM OR POT METAL !!!!!
> It will disappear.!! Then , after all is cleaned to bare metal , you can do
> about anything you want to do with it...sand or bead blast. I just bought
> that big monster cabinet bead blaster..BUT...you do not want to be doing
> stuff with a lot of paint on it...takes forever.. Get the paint off firs.. I
> guess , if you had a large tank..you could soak the stuff in Drano..it would
> remove the paint..then blast. I have been using the torch to burn off the
> paint..too time consuming though. Works just fine..but , when you have a lot
> to do..too much trouble. I once put some small stuff into my tank of bluing
> salts..took the paint right off.. That worked fine..same chemicals as in
> Drano and the radiator stripping chemicals..just a bit different..! Have
> fun...Gene
>
>
>
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