cleaning solvent for machine tools

[benrobuck]

Hello, What do you guys use to clean all your machine tools. I work at a community college, and we ran out of simple green so now I need to find something. I remember when I worked in a machine shop there was some stuff that we cut 4:1 with water and it worked pretty good. I'm thinking of something that can be bought in bulk.

Thanks everybody.

 

[rkucbel1]

I use a citrus based spray. Not at my shop so I can't remember what it was called. It comes in a semi-transparent orange spray bottle. I buy it at the auto parts store. It works on anything, comletely non-toxic and smells nice to boot.

 

[DMF_TomB]

cleaning machines

if not too bad spray machine with wd-40 or Starrett M-1 and left it soak and wipe away with nylon mesh abrasive pad (or non abrasive if you want). any residue of wd-40 or M-1 is usually ok.

electrical spray contact cleaner that leaves no residue will help free up stiff chucks and vises and if you wipe residue before it dries the chucks usually work easier

scrubbing bubbles tile and tub cleaner works better at stuff that needs to soak for some time. then wipe stuff off. this stuff will rust iron and steel so it should not be sprayed into joints where parts meet unless you are taking it apart.

citrus based cleaner works on sticky tape like residue. if not dissolving it at least it makes it easier to wipe away. some citrus based cleaners if many cloth rags are soaked in it sometimes have a habit of starting on fire. linseed oil soaked rags do something similar. be careful where and how you store dirty rags and wipers.

there are other cleaners like floor wax stripper and other solvents but some have flammable vapors and or are hazardous to skin and to breath.

 

[Stuart Caruk]

We're just installing Kitamura horizontal that has been well lubed, but I doubt ever cleaned. The coolant left green slime mixed with ickky stuff everywhere.

Typically I maintain our machines with WD40 or alchohol. Spray on WD40 and wipe it off. It removes oil stains, greasy palm prints, the oil stains from where you bang your head against the machine, etc. Alhohol works great at cutting the oil as well. Ethanol alchohol works well when sprayed on stuff you can't readilly wipe up. It cuts the oil, and crap just runs into the coolant pans. We'll give those a good cleaning before we charge it up.

My wife has been helping with the cleaning (bless her heart... she gets really dirty...) She's resorted to her steam blaster (soem tool she found on the late show. That and breeze cleaner work really well at getting the icky stuff out of the corners. I can actually see the sheet metal on most of this machine now.

Now If I can just fix up the leveling screws where the rigers mashed them with the forks and get this sucker leveled we can get to work...

 

[Dave Cross]

We use Kerosene for machine rebuilds/maintenance.

 

[mrvinton]

Locktite Natural Blue

Loctite® Natural Blue® Biodegradable Cleaner & Degreaser; 82251 1GA, distributed by R.S. Hughes - Industrial Distributor - Tapes, Adhesives, Abrasives, Safety, and Electronic Products

This is really good stuff

 

[FlatBeltBob]

Scrubbing Bubbles foaming bathroom cleaner is my new favorite cleaner .
A tooth brush to get in the nooks gets it really clean .
Rinses with water , and you can just add a bit more wherever you need it .
Or sometimes I just wipe it off with a wet rag .
Smells nice too !
I tried the cheaper wal mart stuff . works OK , but the Dow brand is the best .
I picked up this tip in a motorcycle forum . It is nice for degreasing engines , and it doesnt make it smell like a diesel the way Gunk does .

 

[Mud]

Oil Eater work well, and doesn't seem to hurt paint. If you have a Dollar Tree store near you, try their Awesome cleaner. It really is awesome, and it $1 per spray bottle. - Bulk LA's Totally Awesome All-Purpose Concentrated Cleaner, 20 oz. at DollarTree.com

 

[dave hicks]

I also picked up this degreasing tip from a motorcycle forum: Pine-sol! I run it in my parts cleaner as well. Smells good, works great, and cheap at Costco.

 

[Hawaii Machinist]

I use something called Natural GOld that I got from our ABC chemical store. I mix it at around 8 or 10/1 and it cleaned 10 year old way oil from the machines leaving them looking new. Just spray and wipe off. Its bio friendly stuff too.
Doug (reportedly from guam)

 

[wrustle]

I use Simple Green for my cleaner and it works great. Not only do we use it to clean machines, tooling, and work areas, but also as a hand cleaner.

It smells great and costs very little to use when diluted properly, and it's a safe product.

Later,
Russ

 

[Herb in Delco]

I also picked up this degreasing tip from a motorcycle forum: Pine-sol! I run it in my parts cleaner as well. Smells good, works great, and cheap at Costco.

What dilution do you use in your parts cleaning tank?

Herb Kephart

 

[atomarc]

I use Simple Green for my cleaner and it works great. Not only do we use it to clean machines, tooling, and work areas, but also as a hand cleaner.

It smells great and costs very little to use when diluted properly, and it's a safe product.

Later,
Russ

Once any cleaner, including the 'green' cleaners does its job of removing contaminants from a machine tool etc, it is now full of that contaminant and is no longer anymore 'green' than the junk it removed and holds in suspension.

Stuart

 

[surplusjohn]

IIRC Pinesol has terpentine in it, which is actually pretty toxic stuff. FelsNaphtha is bar soap with terps. Artists now avoid terps in favor of oderless mineral spirits due to its toxicity.
just saying.

 

[gregormarwick]

I use this stuff from J&L/MSC:

Heavy duty degreaser

I would assume MSC America has something equivalent.

I mix at about 30:1 in a spray bottle for wiping down the machines, up to about 4:1 for removing proper tarry gunk. I've yet to come across anything so bad that I've needed to apply it neat...

It's very effective, very cheap, but you need to wear gloves when using it at anything but it's most dilute.

I used to use one called Quattro Excel from Edward Royal Solutions that was really very good, slightly more effective, significantly less aggressive, but about three times the price unfortunately...

 

[dave hicks]

Herb, I use it full strength. I bought a case at costco and dumped it in.

John, 8-10% pine oil, alkyl alcohol ethoxylates, sodium petroleum sulfonate and isopropanol is listed on the msds. I wear throw away latex gloves when I work with the stuff. It's no where near as harsh as some of the "safer" products, but it will degrease your skin as well. Besides the directions say to.