HF Parts Washer

[dag1450]

I will bring this back to a parts washer thread. Just so everyone knows ....I have a full 5 gallons of parts washer fluid ready and waiting sealed in a metal can. Toms has probably evaporated off to about a gallon remaining by now. If your new or don't know what I'm talking about....you will have to start at the beginning

[Tom Scott]

Nope!  Eight years later, no noticeable evaporation.  Always plugged in and filled, always ready to use for even the smallest job.  I've yet to even think about topping it off.  Meanwhile dag never gets to use his without making a big deal out of it!  You only live once, fill that thing and have it at the ready!

[dag1450]

Ok..ok. I guess 8 years is a long enough test. I will fill it up next time and leave it full! Maybe there's some other things in my life I could change.....I will start slow....this week I will leave the radio plugged in at the end of the day and just use the off switch

[SWilliams]

How have your folks washers been holding up? The one I have I filled with a simple green clone and water. Worked well enough. Didn't use it for a while and when I went to use it the entire painted surface inside had peeled off down to bare steel! So I plan on going over the interior with maybe a 60 grit and then coating it with something like bedliner.

[Tom Scott]

Hi Steve.  I used real solvent from day one, so mine looks brand new, minty fresh.  Same solvent since the beginning of this thread, no noticeable evaporation.  I've done zero maintenance.  It sits there ready to use, always plugged in and ready to go.  One of the best tool additions I've every made.

[dag1450]

This is the thread that keeps on giving. Lol. Wow .. Tom you even leave it plugged in? Your not kidding when you say it's ready to go. Lol. Mine looks rough inside but still has some paint. Steve I would be fearful if the bed liner gets a small chip...it would start to peel with the cleaner solution. I run a parts washer solution but I believe it has some kero mixed in with it over the years. It's not a water based material. Maybe with the water based the bed liner would be fine..idk. I was rebuilding some hydraulic cylinders a little while ago and I toyed with using this...but they were much longer and I ended up spot cleaning instead of getting this up and running.
Post up a picture Steve of what you end up doing.

I'm gonna have to plug this baby in.....

IMG_20240922_131108243.jpg (2.96 MiB) Viewed 395 times

[Tom Scott]

dag, you have it the wrong way round... The water based cleaners (like Steve and you are using) are hard on paint and steel.  I'm using the real mineral oil based parts cleaner stuff (very similar to kerosene), but the parts washer specific fluid is higher flash point.  The higher flash point reduces fire risk, and likely makes for less evaporation.  It also has almost no smell.  I've not had any paint wear away that I know of.