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Plastic Parts Washer

tas850g

tas850g

Forum Mentor
I just picked up this 5 1/2 gallon plastic parts washer at Harbor Freight. I initially wanted it because it was smaller and more mobile than the others that are built on stands.

After reading over the instructions/warnings it says not to use volatile solvents. I used the search function and came up with an older thread that suggested use a diluted Simple Green non-volatile solution or kerosene which obviously is volatile.

I also want to use it to wash whatever metals i can get in there. It almost sounds like you can only use it to wash plastic materials. Am I interpreting the instructions incorrectly?

Should i try the Simple green solution or bring back the washer and buy the metal parts washer and use whatever i want for a cleaning solvent?

http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/parts-washers/6-1-2-half-gallon-parts-washer-96952.html
 
Simple Green works pretty good on metal parts. If you have parts with a LOT of grease on them just let them soak over night in a solution of 1/2 Simple Green & 1/2 water. Get some nylon & brass brushes for cleaning the parts. Ray.
 
Some people over on advrider.com are reporting excellent results using Pine-Sol as a parts washing solution. I haven't tried it myself, but I do have a big bottle of Pine-Sol awaiting the next filthy project.

Simple Green works great too, but I hate the "urinal cake" smell.

I've also used a gallon jug of WD-40 for small parts cleaning. It smells a LOT nicer than mineral spirits or kerosene, and it's plastic-friendly and much less volatile. Kinda expensive, though.

If you really need to use kerosene for something in particular, lamp oil is pretty much the same thing, but comes in handy quart bottles and a variety of soothing colors and scents.
 
Good ideas for cleaning solvents.

I just want to make sure i purchased the correct parts washer before i use it. I could bump up to the metal washer if i really needed to.

The instructions state there is an arc created by the pump so if there is any volatile solvents it might go "boom".

If everyone doesn't foresee any issues with this washer then i'll find out tomorrow when i try to clean a valve cover from the Kawasaki i'm putting back together today and tomorrow.
 
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