Penetrating Oils Compared

Ethanol

Coast to Coast
Machinist's Workshop magazine is reported to have tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. (I'm waiting for verification)

Significant results! They arranged an objective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment.

Penetrating oil ..... Average load

None ..................... 516 pounds
WD-40 .................. 238 pounds
PB Blaster ..............214 pounds
Liquid Wrench ...... 127 pounds
Kano Kroil ............ 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix... 53 pounds

The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone.

Note the "home brew" was better than any commercial product in this one particular test. A local machinist group mixed up a batch and all now use it with equally good results. Note also that "Liquid Wrench" is about as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price.

From: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-10-14T19%3A38%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=14#ixzz14oJRDIg3
 
Interesting. I've hate to think how much Kano I've used over the years tearing apart nasty old turbine engines.

My first day on the job one of the old guys pulled me aside and said, "Always remember....Kano is your friend". I still remember. ;D
 
WD-40 is not a penetration oil... it is water displacement... PB blast is what we use here! works awesome!!!
 
i have a shit ton of wd40, since its one of the few things i can easily find. hate it though.


i should have thought of that homebrew mix! ill be making a gallon now!

heat helps a ton also.... i noticed the hot components suck up the penetrating oil more willingly, which makes them break free even easier.
 
Good info to know if you don't have or the bolt can't be heated. I tend to heat what's ever rusted to red hot then quench with water. 98% of the time that does the trick.
The other 2% I chop it off. ;)
 
My dad showed me a trick that works really well on rusted heat components like exhaust manifold bolts, and it works well anywhere the hardware can be heated. You heat the bolt/ nut so that it is hot but not red hot. Touch it with a stick of canning paraffin or a paraffin candle and let it melt around the bolt. Then let it cool with the melted wax on it. The wax will draw into the bolt. I have literally pulled rusted tractor and large truck manifold and turbocharger bolts that had the solidified wax all the way to the bottom.
 
t71ford said:
My dad showed me a trick that works really well on rusted heat components like exhaust manifold bolts, and it works well anywhere the hardware can be heated. You heat the bolt/ nut so that it is hot but not red hot. Touch it with a stick of canning paraffin or a paraffin candle and let it melt around the bolt. Then let it cool with the melted wax on it. The wax will draw into the bolt. I have literally pulled rusted tractor and large truck manifold and turbocharger bolts that had the solidified wax all the way to the bottom.

now THAT... is cool.

but makes me wonder if its not the same concept as with penetrating oil?
 
Kano Kroil is awesome stuff we use it at work all the time but when we are talking about me spending my own money I go for the blaster.
 
We use the PB at work only because my company is run by a bunch of cheap skates. Kroil is the greatest thing ever. When we find cans of it at jobsites, we snatch 'em up. Heat always makes things easier. Get that sucker hot and quench it, tap it with a hammer a few times, and it spins right out. Half the day at work i spend doing that. You learn really quick how to do it with minimal effort.
 
+1 on the kroil. I know rust i'm from MN. I recently had to replace a wheel bearing on a plow truck that spent its life parked next to a salt pile. Truck was 8 years old and already the backing plate on the brakes was completely gone (rusted). Removal of the hub required a oxy/acty torch, kroil, a 4 ton porta power and a air chissel. I am curious about the home brew though...
 
Ditto on the wax trick, it sounds pretty good. Still, I'd probably recommend a 50/50 mix of kerosene and regular engine oil. Keep it in one of those spray bottles, with the nozzle set to a kinda... er... messy stream? Yeah. Anyway, just shake before use and that bottle will last you for ages.

Cheers - boingk
 
I rarely get stuck nuts because

Oh- we're talking bikes here... I've been using the 50-50 home brew for a long time. Works for me.
 
Uncle Ernie said:
I rarely get stuck nuts because

Oh- we're talking bikes here... I've been using the 50-50 home brew for a long time. Works for me.

if your NUTS are getting stuck your doing it WAY wrong. :D
 
tWistedWheelz said:
HA, I was wondering when this would come up.....to be honest though I thought it would be ThompsonMX who put it out there!
Yeah i was reading this thread just now and was gonna reccomend KY but someone beat me to it. Astroglide is good also. I do use PB blaster a lot at work. I have never tried kroil. I do want to use that homebrew. Obviously it must work.
 
I've never seen Kroll anywhere. Any advice as to a nationwide chain carrying su ch miracle mucus would be appreciated.
 
Oak said:
I've never seen Kroll anywhere. Any advice as to a nationwide chain carrying su ch miracle mucus would be appreciated.

I have never seen it in a store, but you can get it from their site.

http://www.kanolabs.com/
 
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