What do you use for a parts washer?

Do you go big or small? Budget, diy, or tool truck? The nastiest petroleum-based solvent you can buy, or green earth friendly water-based solution?

I'll start. I really liked the new crc portable benchtop cleaner https://www.crcindustries.com/products/crc-smartwasher-174-benchtoppro-174-bioremidiating-parts-washer-6370-BTPKT.html, but at $400 or so that's a little steep for me.

Instead I grabbed a nice large Rubbermaid with a lid (red so I don't confuse it with one of my green or grey storage totes), some cheap nylon brushes, and a gallon of oil eater concentrate. A smaller basket for not loosing small parts inside. I'll probably add a small cup for scooping and pouring cleaner on top of parts, and also a hangar or something to hang the brushes up and to the side when not it use. I'm probably $20 into the whole setup including the $10 gallon of oil eater.

So far, I like the oil eater as it doesn't give you a headache to clean while breathing the 'fumes'. Seems to work well at cleaning too. 

So what do you all do?

In reply to Robbie :

I  wonder if you threw a BayCargo submersible pump in there for circulation would it last? They have one for $7.99 now.

HF parts washer with kerosene and thick gloves 

Was just pondering this last week. So when do you change the fluid and how do you dispose of it?

Stampie said:

Was just pondering this last week. So when do you change the fluid and how do you dispose of it?

I think it would be OK to let the crud settle out, pour the clean-ish fluid in a separate container, and scrape the crud into used motor oil to dump in the tank at AdvanPepZone.  But I don't know for sure.

In reply to Stampie :

That's a big part of the reason I went with a water based cleaning solution. Supposedly not that bad to put small amounts in the drain or spread out in your backyard.

I have no idea where to take spent petroleum cleaner.

Shadeux said:

In reply to Robbie :

I  wonder if you threw a BayCargo submersible pump in there for circulation would it last? They have one for $7.99 now.

That's a great idea! I didn't think of fish tank pumps. I have a 12v low pressure fuel pump sitting around and I considered using it, but I don't really want to deal with 12v, I'd rather plug into the wall directly. Also, many fish tank pumps come with a cleanable filter.

Mix together with one of the brushes that has the cleaner tube going right through it and you would be stylin.

I use Purple Power in a HF parts washer, but it would do just as well in a plastic bin with scrub brushes. I chose Purple Power because it has a good combination of price, performance, and safety; and it's easy to find at auto parts stores or Home Depot. The liquid waste should be acceptable to dispose of in municipal wastewater after decanting off solids and grease.

Some helpful comparisons of performance and safety: 

http://www.wastemin.com/discuss/index.php?threads/industrial-degreaser-performance-ratings-how-the-top-15-degreasers-stack-up.6/#.XjGvDpllB-E

I found this pretty helpful, as a couple degreasers listed here that are sold alongside Purple Power in the same stores for a similar price point are actually far more hazardous.

AngryCorvair said:

Stampie said:

Was just pondering this last week. So when do you change the fluid and how do you dispose of it?

I think it would be OK to let the crud settle out, pour the clean-ish fluid in a separate container, and scrape the crud into used motor oil to dump in the tank at AdvanPepZone.  But I don't know for sure.

We have a recycling center that takes contaminated automotive fluids that I've used for this.  I built the same thing, only used a couple gallons of purple power diluted to 75% and a cheap fountain pump for circulation.  If you're not in a hurry, it works pretty well.  

In reply to Robbie :

A giant sized about 3'x5'? old fashioned parts washer from the 1940's-50's? I suspect it's closer to the 1940's because the plug isn't grounded. 

In reply to newrider3 :

Awesome link! I chose oil eater cuz it was $10 and had lots of good reviews across the internet. Very cool it placed 2nd. I'll have to have a look at the crc product!

I use a vibratory tumbler and some simple green or Castro's Super clean solution in it with some ceramic media and a bunch of hardware and small brackets.

Turn on and walk away for a few hours.  Done.

For larger items, a small parts washer from HF and their water based solution or more Simple Green or Superclean (depending on what's being cleaned) or just setup saw horses in the side yard and hit it with the pressure washer, scrub brushes and various cleaning products.

to keep things from rusting/corroding, WD40 or similar is applied, unless it's getting painted.

Me?    Old Gasoline from project cars.   It is a bad idea and smells terrible, but hasn't caught on fire any of the times I have showered the tank with grinding sparks.   Following this thread for reasons.. 

I also have an old dishwasher from a remodeling project hooked up in the shop which works good for a lot of things.

That's what I use, except for the basket.  Great idea!  I was just getting ready to recycle some plastic buckets like that.  Now I have a use for them.  Thanks for posting!

Also use diluted Purple Power.

Robbie said:

In reply to Stampie :

That's a big part of the reason I went with a water based cleaning solution. Supposedly not that bad to put small amounts in the drain or spread out in your backyard.

I have no idea where to take spent petroleum cleaner.

I've changed my kerosene once.  The E36 M3 settles to the bottom.  When i did clean it, i let it settle in a bucket then poured off the non chunky stuff and dumped it into my heating oil tank for the furnace.  I've been known to do the same with my turkey fryer oil.  It all gets diluted  into a hundred plus gallons of diesel anyway

I had one of the HF parts washers, the larger one with legs and a pump, and after it rusted away after years got the Jeg's version, which is wildly different only in that it is yellow instead of red and blue.

I got a 5 gallon container of the Extreme Simple Green, which is okay to soak aluminum in. Standard Simple Green will eat it if soaked long enough. IIRC the Extreme/aerospace is the same thing as the Motorsports but dyed a different color, according to the person I talked to at Simple Green. But the basic Extreme is available in the large contianers.

I don't think it's as effective as whatever we had in the parts washer at the bike shop where I used to work, but I expect it's a lot more environmentally friendly, and a lot more conducive to me dealing with it instead of having a subscription to solvent service...

EDIT: I really, really want something with heat and agitation. I think there's a Craigslist dishwasher in my future.

I find Dawn to be pretty effective with a toothbrush or something.

I used to have a HF blue and red parts washer. I realized I don't have the floor space for it to be a permanent resident in the garage, so I gave it to my FIL and went DIY.

For smaller parts, I have a gallon pickle jar with BBS and some solvent. I just dump them in, let them sit a bit, then give them a shake. The BBs don't wreck threads, and I don't shake it hard enough to do more than agitate it.

For bigger parts, I use a 20ish gallon Rubbermate bin with some kind of solvent or detergent with varying brushes.  

I have one of the blur & red parts washers. Now sure who sold it as I got this used but not used much.  I use mineral sprits and kerosene. The tank has a drain in the middle so when the fluid gets dirty I drain it of and let it settle in jugs. I pour off the semi-clear fluid back into the washer. What's left I dispose of along with my old motor oil. I need to add fluid (1-2 gallons) afterwards due to evaporation and the fluid I loose with the crud I dump. I've replaced the pump once and have a new back up ready for when the current one dies.

Also I mounted the washer on a wooden platform with sides to keep it in place and then added caster wheels to the platform. It raises up the washer so I don't have to bend over to use it and I can move it from it's storage spot to wherever I want to use it.

I just use my shop sink (which has very hot water), nitrile gloves, HF brushes, and a lot of Dawn....

I would be very leery about storing part cleaning solvent in a "common" plastic tub long term because it may eventually soften/dissolve it.

I use a HF 40 gallon tank w/pump and parts cleaning fluid from Tractor Supply Company (that is sold in 5 gal metal containers).  As others have posted, skimming off the relatively clean stuff to re-use and taking the sludge off the bottom to my company's HAZMAT recycle day.

I used to have SafetyKleen in my tank, but the cost is very high and the longer you go between services, the higher the cost.  Presumably because the stuff is more nasty the longer you go.  Certainly true for a service facility, but not true for home repair folks like me who only use the thing sporadically.  I explored a cheaper service like SafetyKleen once, but was warned that they are often cheaper because they don't follow all the rules/paperwork and customers can get charged for the clean-up if their truck has an accident that spills old fluid.

I have the big HF parts washer mounted on wheels so it rolls under the bench. 

It's filled with mineral spirits, which works very well.

I've changed the fluid once in the last 10 years and disposed of the old at the local convenance center.  It will probably be due to be changed again in another 5-10 years.

PDoane said:

I would be very leery about storing part cleaning solvent in a "common" plastic tub long term because it may eventually soften/dissolve it.

I use a HF 40 gallon tank w/pump and parts cleaning fluid from Tractor Supply Company (that is sold in 5 gal metal containers).  As others have posted, skimming off the relatively clean stuff to re-use and taking the sludge off the bottom to my company's HAZMAT recycle day.

I used to have SafetyKleen in my tank, but the cost is very high and the longer you go between services, the higher the cost.  Presumably because the stuff is more nasty the longer you go.  Certainly true for a service facility, but not true for home repair folks like me who only use the thing sporadically.  I explored a cheaper service like SafetyKleen once, but was warned that they are often cheaper because they don't follow all the rules/paperwork and customers can get charged for the clean-up if their truck has an accident that spills old fluid.

I Too used theSafetyKleen  service for years when I ran my restoration business. I wanted a complete paper record because I ran it out of my home in a very upscale neighborhood.  I knew the city had the resources to ruin me financially if I cut corners so I didn't. Including getting required inspections.   
Since I deactivated that business I kept it filled with mineral spirits which works acceptable and doesn't evaporate too quickly. 

In reply to ronholm :

I was going to say a bucket of gas.  This was the thing in my fathers garage years ago.   Once when the fire inspector complained it was dangerous, his mechanic threw a lighted cigarette into the bucket.  Nothing exciting happened.

In reply to iceracer :

I've heard so many versions of that anecdote.

I can only assume the inspector walked away boggling at his newfound realization that gasoline isn't dangerous at all.

Then I imagine a coworker giving the mechanic the gasoline version of Gatorade-doused congratulations for showing up that pesky inspector while he was lighting his next cigarette...