I read this over on the VetteMod forum and figured we could all use the information. "Machinist's Workshop" recently published information on various penetrating oils. The magazine reports they tested these products for "break out "torque" on rusted nuts and bolts. A subjective test was made of popular penetrating oils, with the unit of merit being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" bolt. Average torque load to loosen nut: No Oil used ....................516 foot pounds WD-40 ..................... ......238 foot pounds PB Blaster ......................214 foot pounds Liquid Wrench ...............127 foot pounds Kano Kroil ......................106 foot pounds ATF/Acetone mix............ 53 foot pounds The ATF/Acetone mix is a "home brew" mix of 50/50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note this "home brew" released bolts better than any commercial product in this one particular test. Our local machinist group mixed up a batch, and we all now use it with equally good results. Note also that Liquid Wrench is almost as good as Kroil for 20% of the price. ATF/Acetone mix is best, but you can also use ATF and lacquer thinner in a 50/50 mix. ATF = Any type of Automatic Transmission Fluid This version of the story was in one of the USA's Military Vehicle Club newsletters.
I've been using that for awhile. The only hard part is no one makes that pre-mixed in a spray can. Harder to get it some places with just an oil can. It does work great though.
Thanks for the information. I have all of those chemicals on the shelf and Kroil is good stuff, but, not readily available. It looks like the mix you supply knocks them all to the back. I will try it. The price and availability + the performance numbers you posted seem like a no-brainer.
Ah! Good ol' Weasel Pee! I use Kroil for most everything, but the mix is good stuff. Just be careful where you let the Weasel Pee, as it will eat your good plastic and many fine finishes.
Weasel pee lol! We called it Panther piss. Kroil is relatively expensive, but at least you can get it to where it needs to go better than the squirt can. The biggest problem with Kroil seems to be the can and propellant. We called to complain that once the can was about 1/2 empty, the fizz was gone. It was kind of expensive to have to throw away an already expensive penetrating oil. Of course no one else had complained, and to their credit, they replaced a couple of cans at no charge and sent a box and tag for the "dead" ones. They said that they send the material out to another company for packaging and they were going to look into it. Being an auto repair shop owner in the rust belt, we use too much of it to throw away a half-full can. I fill them back up with shop air now.
You're right, the contents are only as good as the the propellant. At work, we were using Zep products that worked pretty good. The problem was that they changed to a fan spray nozzle and a straw for controlled spraying. The problem was that the fan spray was useless because it sprayed everything but the area you wanted. If you used the straw, it eventually blew out and then wouldn't stay in the nozzle. Another problem was (and this is with all new spray cans of anything) the the can has the male protrusion and the nozzle has the female portion. If you don't put the cap back on after every use and the can gets knocked over, the nozzle breaks off in the can. On the old spray cans,the nozzle had the male part and the can had the female part so if it broke off, you could just remove the broken piece from the can and use a new nozzle.
I soaked a set of pistons with stuck rings(worst id ever seen)from my daughters 2k 3.1 malibu. She over heated it but I think it was an intake gasket daily and dumped coolant in there. The stuff works good but I soaked em for a week or so.
We use the heck out of kroil at work. I've alway wondered what it was made of, maybe atf and a thinner. I don't think they would let us spray acetone in our shop. Thanks for the story. I will try it!
I used the Kroil in the metal can. Use small plastic bottles and/or "drip rod" to let it "run down" to hard to reach spots. For the things that need it applied upm from below, I use small plastic tube like the one used with brake cleaner heated and bent to a "U" shape or straight and pushed into the little plastic squirt bottle far enough down int the Kroil so it can be "squirted" upwards. I find that Kroil has long "work time" and does not eveaporate the solvent. The ATF/Acetone, the solvent evaporates pretty quickly and the ATF alone is not as good as when it is mixed. And I have yet to have a problem Kroil would not break free rust, or stuck parts. It may require some "back and forth" action and patience to work at it. Sometimes work a little, squirt a little and let it sit, and repeat, until it lets loose. I have had the same can of Kroil for years, and most will find it enough, but shops or someone encourtering a lot of use, the "home brew" is perfect.
