Great example of the filth I have to deal with.... Cleaning the Simple way!!
Nope it's not one of those threads...:p
So I get a lot of dirty nasty parts to work on. All of that nasty crap has to come off before I can do what I do. Cleaning parts takes about 80% of my time as they all have to be cleaned down to bare metal. I will not dip or coat on top of old paint, powder, garbage, etc!!
For the longest time I was cleaning parts by hand, scrubbing them down one by one, washing and cleaning them in buckets, Etc. I live sort of in the country on a septic system so I am limited to the chemicals I can use. basically nothing can go down the drain unless I want to replace my septic system... So a lot of common cleaning chemicals such as bleach I can't use. The chemicals I do use that I can't dispose of here I take to the county landfill chemical disposal. They safely dispose of those chemicals for me.
Some time ago I got myself a parts washer to try and make my life easier. Problem is I am limited on the chemicals I can use. I didn't want to use diesel or kerosene as they are highly flammable and I don't want an open vat of flammable liquid in my shop, that is attached to my house, in an area that I also frequently weld and grind in. So there went the idea of using most common chemicals.
So I'm limited to water based chemicals for the tank. I tried various ones found at Homedepot, Lowes, some paint and automotive stores and all of the results where the same. None of them worked!! Some were also very corrosive to aluminum, etched and pitted them really badly. SO I also had to be careful of the chemical I used. Purple power I know works great, but will corrode the aluminum very fast.
So I spent some time walking through HomeDepot one day in the cleaning aisle and the clerk was stocking up jugs of Simple Green.... Hmmm I have yet to try that stuff. I actually forgot all about it. I use it a lot in the house cleaning stuff as I know it is septic safe and safe around animals. So I bought about 5 jugs and headed home. Filled my 20 gallon wash tank with 5 gallons of simple green and topped it off with water. Tested out a few parts and was amazed at how well it worked. Needless to say I found my chemical!!
So now when I get parts in, I strip them down, Brush off any loose dirt or whatnot, and drop them in the tank for a soak overnight. Next day I come out and use a chemical brush to brush the part some and break up the garbage and repeat. Usually they are completely cleaned in a day or so. This works great is I get the time back I spent cleaning parts to work on other things. The parts are almost self cleaning now...LOL
Here is a great example. Valve Covers!!! I got this one and it was oily and badly stained. I would have spent hours scrubbing this thing down trying to get into all the nooks and grooves.
http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpics/10002/dirty1.jpg
Into the tank we go!!
http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpics/10002/soak1.jpg
Yes I am getting the the point I need to drain and refill the tank. It has about a month worth of use now and hundreds of parts. But even as dirty as it is, it still works amazingly!
Next day I come out and brush to loosen things up and rinse it with the tank hose and Viola!!
http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpics/10002/clean1.jpg
Now that I have the part degreases and de-stained, I'll go drill the sports to remove the oil baffle and clean that area out also. I don't like to drill and handle dirt parts so I clean them all first before any machine work is involved. The stuff left in the area for the gaskets is silicone and that will be wire brushed out.
Also note my wash tank is not heated. The tank is at room temperature. I drop parts it and when it's full I shut the lid to keep dirt and dust out. next day I scrub them down some and repeat if necessary.
The simple green does slightly oxidize the aluminum since it is water based. So be sure to not leave a part in there for weeks. All in all it is a great chemical, it is safe, and for the cost, pretty damn cheap! I think I paid about $10 a gallon so roughly $50 to fill my wash tank and was able to clean a couple hundred parts and even though it looks nasty as hell, I can still use it just fine.
