Having seen mention here several times I figured I would give it a try - I have a stuck burner I’m trying to unscrew. 10 days soaking in 50% Acetone, 50% Automatic Transmission Fluid, however the two liquids appear to be immiscible: Is this expected? -R
They don't really mix, so what you see there is normal. You need to stir or shake the solution before every use. But I wouldnt bother. Use a dedicated penetrating oil instead. The home made 50/50 mix is not as good as products that actually is made to do the job. It is more a makeshift solution when you don't have the real stuff, but then it work fairly good sometimes.
I was extremely pleased using the acetone/ATF mix to loosen the exhaust pipes on my 40 year old BMW R80. Shake it up and apply with an eye dropper (Pasteur pipet for you laboratory professionals).
Done that, along with heating / cooling with no luck. Left it soaking in paraffin for 10 days, no joy. I figure a week soaking in this mix is the next step.. -R
@IRM , basically what you've made is Ed's Red Bore Cleaner. Makes a tolerable penetrating oil, but there are much better compounds for this need. Ed's Red Bore Cleaner by C.E. Harris. How to feature article - Home mix that really works. Murph
You should mix a proper "Ed's red", not just ATF and Acetone. "Ed's red" is made from equal parts Acetone, Kerosene, ATF (I use dexron III) and Mineral spirits (Stoddard solvent). Many add some Lanolin. It's a common gun bore solvent, but also great for loosening stubborn threaded parts. I have used a lot of different penetrating oils, but never found anything better than this mix. With the ingredients I use the liquids mix well and stay that way. Kind regards Elchund
I never had much luck with the home-made stuff and finally tried kroil penetrating oil and never looked back.
Here's a link to a subjective test on various commercial penetrating oils and the acetone/atf mix. https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/machinists-workshop-penetrating-oils-test-252476/ I use an aerosol can of Kroil that has a small straw on the nozzle to get to hard to reach spots and acetone/atf for everything else.
Kroil is amazing stuff, but my go-to shed mix for general loosening of fasteners and de-gunking/lubricating slides and mechanisms is 50/50 Diesel and ATF. I have a bucket of it on hand where I chuck any re-usable fasteners/washers etc on removal and leave them there a few weeks. Slow process but not in a hurry, the condition they come out in is amazing sometimes. ATF is a tremendously useful substance Alec.
I made the ATF/acetone mix a few years back. Didn't find it particularly effective vs. weeks of soaking in any other oily substance.
That's the mix we use to use to start coal on fire in the coal stoves when I was stationed in Camp Pickett. Lol
A week on, after a few cautious attempts to loosen it I finally succeeded. There was a little bit of give when I tried today. A squirt of penetrating oil and some gentle rocking back and forth over the course of an hour and it came free. However I don’t think I can attribute that entirely to the home brew. My recent investment in a decent work bench probably helped too. Looks like the 3/4” ring spanner I’m expecting tomorrow is out of a job… -R
What I noticed is, there are different types of corrosion as well as different types of penetrating oil, and it may be that specific types are better attacked with certain chemicals. Don't ask me what they are. Aluminium is famous for making engine mechanics furious, as old school ignition distributor housings for example fuse to the iron engine block. Dissimilar metals corrode as part of a galvanic response. Patience is a key component of penetrating oil. I've seen rust-frozen fasteners that wouldn't budge, but give it time - repeated saturation, some percussive "love taps" with a hammer - and after several days the penetrant will "wick" into where it needs to go, and it will often practically loosen with just finger pressure. If something has been rusting for 30, 40, or 50 years a half hour or hour of penetrating oil time isn't going to do anything. Time is an ingredient, too. I will say good ole "Liquid Wrench" works pretty well and doesn't stink near as bad as some. Marvel Mystery Oil is pretty good stuff, the characteristic odor is a synthetic wintergreen oil, among the best penetrating oils available.
