Parts Cleaning Tidbits (Hints from Heloise)

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Parts Cleaning Tidbits (Hints from Heloise)

Postby hennesse » Tue Feb 03, 2015 1:31 pm

Berryman® Chem-Dip® Professional Parts Cleaner

This is the stuff that really cleans up the years of nasty built-up glop in your carburators and other parts. A side benefit is that it stinks to high heaven, and may take the paint off the house across the street too. It's not cheap - a 5 gallon pail and the stainless basket will set you back about $175, but a pail of this stuff will last you many, many years. The one-gallon size is a different formula, and doesn't work as well. Due to the stink factor, I keep my pail behind my garage on some 4x4s.

It's 20 degrees here in Virginia, and I went to use my Berryman's on a carburator. I opened the lid, and here is a block of yellow ice in the basket at the top! WTF? I broke up the ice enough to pull it out (with rubber gloves) and transfer it into a bucket. I dipped my carb in the rest of the solution, and it cleaned it up quite nicely, as usual. I wasn't sure what to do next, so I put the ice back in the pail, and called Berryman. Their chemist called me back the next day. He said that the real cleaning stuff is in the bottom of the pail, and that there's an aqueous layer at the top, which they put there to pass EPA requirements. The aqueous stuff has some anti-corrosion properties, but mostly it's there to prevent evaporation of the bottom stuff. So after I removed the yellow ice, I was using the good stuff to clean my carb. He said that freezing had no bad effects. He also said that when I lower the basket into the can, I should do it gently, so as not to mix the top layer with the bottom layer for best cleaning action. So I guess the proper agitation method is to gently rotate the basket in the can, not pull it up and down like I have been doing. He said that I should not keep my pail on metal or concrete with rebar in it - galvanic corrosion would slowly rot out the bottom of the pail.

I told him that when I remove parts from the pail, I wash them off with hot water, but the parts still stink. How best to de-stink the parts? He said that Berryman's was designed to stick to metal for better cleaning action, and that the best "rinse" was (Berryman brand of course) chlorinated brake parts cleaner.


How To Get Water out of Your Regular Parts Cleaner Solvent

When I brought my homemade parts cleaner (converted laundry sink) up from the barn to the house recently, I left it outside overnight while I was building a little stand with wheels. Of course it rained heavily that night, and a whole lot of water got into the parts cleaner, whose top I had not designed to be water-proof, since it normally is indoors. I couldn't figure out how to get the water out of the solvent, so I poured it into a different bucket, and bought a new 5-gal of parts cleaner which I have been using since. I left the bucket of waterlogged solvent outside.

When I looked at the waterlogged bucket of solvent (after using the frozen Berryman's), I found the water in it had frozen. I pulled the ice cake out, and the ice was pretty clear - looked like some sludge had frozen in the interstitial spaces in the ice, but not the solvent - which was unfrozen at the bottom of the pail. I tossed the ice cake into the woods, which left about the right amount of pure solvent in the pail. So that's how you get water out of parts cleaner solvent. At least here in Virginia. You guys in Florida or sunny Southern California will have to figure out your own methods.

Dave
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Re: Parts Cleaning Tidbits (Hints from Heloise)

Postby EKHKHK56 » Tue Feb 03, 2015 2:56 pm

Cool stuff Dave. Been hanging -40F around here, just warmed up some. We do a lot of informal cold research experiments just by living here. I noticed that method of water seperation years back and works with antifreeze water oil solutions also. I drained a block and water and oil came out, sitting outside I noticed that the oil and water seperated nicely overnight. Pulled the ice cube and oil was left. I told a pipeline friend about that and he said they were developing a system to seperate oil and water using temperature inversions as part of the process. On the other side of the deal I clean antifreeze off the top of oil with a newspaper. Sucks it right up but leaves the oil. That way it doesn't get in the recycling oil heater. The carb dip is nasty but works great, interesting facts about the heavy stuff being the best part. Erik
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Re: Parts Cleaning Tidbits (Hints from Heloise)

Postby John R » Sun Feb 22, 2015 11:43 am

Going back 30 years or more I used to use a parts cleaner called Gunk Hydro-Seal. The clue's in the name - it had a top layer of water to prevent evaporation, and it was needed as the cleaning solution was volatile. It was brilliant! Parts went in and after 20 minutes came out and after flushing with water looked like new no matter how much oil or carbon.

I once put some small parts in a plastic tub with holes punched in the bottom and a wire hoop handle. Lifted the hoop - bucket gone. So on with rubber gloves, but couldn't pick the tiny pieces, so thought, I'd used my bare hand and flush quickly with water. I did just that, my hand in for perhaps 30 secs. When I took it out and flushed with water my skin was bright red and burning. Put on some hand cream several times in the day. Next day my skin had gone to hard scales and was peeling to leave very tender almost raw flesh!

It took a couple of weeks or more but my hand returned to normal though a doctor said I might suffer permanent dermatitis. I haven't, but was made very aware of the potential for harm. I'm sure a splash in an eye and you would never see again. This was, but no longer is, an over-the-counter product.

Ironically, I later started a specialist parts cleaning business using chemicals, also abrasive blasting as well as more modern methods such as ultrasonics and wet blasting. I was very aware of the lesson from back then and always wore full spectrum (organic/inorganic solvent) respirator on full face-mask (like chemical warfare protection), full length chemical apron and gauntlets. I know we all reckon we can get away with occasional use without protection but I recount this just to spread the word.

Stay safe!
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Re: Parts Cleaning Tidbits (Hints from Heloise)

Postby hennesse » Mon Feb 23, 2015 11:34 am

After seeing what Gunk Hydro-Seal did to metal parts, I've never had any desire to stick my hands in it!

Hydro-Seal was the best, but it hasn't been available for quite some time. Berryman's #0905 is probably the best you can get these days - at least from retail stores. But be careful with it - it's pretty toxic stuff - here's an extract from the MSDS. Notice the word death appears three times.

Possible Health Hazards
Eyes: May cause moderate to severe irritation and result in blurred vision, corneal injury, and tissue destruction.

Skin: May be rapidly absorbed and cause moderate to severe irritation. Prolonged or repeated contact may dry
the skin and result in severe irritation, dermatitis, sensitization, liver and kidney damage, systemic poisoning,
and effects similar to those of chronic overexposure by way of inhalation.

Inhalation: Acute overexposure may rapidly result in headache, dizziness, nausea, irregular heartbeat, metallic
taste, unconsciousness, and death. Chronic overexposure or intentional abuse may adversely affect the liver,
kidneys, lungs, blood, larynx, septum, brain, and hearing and may result in death. May aggravate emphysema,
asthma, and bronchitis. Prolonged or repeated overexposure may also cause nasopharyngeal and lung cancers.

Ingestion: Accidental ingestion and subsequent aspiration of even small quantities may cause liver, kidney, and
lung damage, aspiration pneumonitis, cyanosis, systemic poisoning, and death. Ingestion of larger amounts
may also include gastrointestinal effects, such as abdominal discomfort, pain, nausea, and vomiting.
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