Who has a parts washer?

[alex e]

I see Northern Tool has a 20 gallon model on a stand that would fit nicely in the garage, it's not expensive, and I started thinking about degreasing all sorts of things, rapidly and thoroughly. Knuckle clean up, brake parts, engine bits. Intoxicating!

Does anyone have experience using these small washers at home? Are they effective?

[Mace]

I have a bigger one, and absolutely love it..

[alex e]

Indulge me here. What size and how does it work? I mean, yes theres a brush and a motor, etc. but does IT wash the parts like a machine or do you wash the parts yourself? I am so buying one of these tomorrow......

[fj40charles]

It has a pump to pump the fluid. Use a brush to clean. If you want a parts washer where you just put parts in and walk away, be prepared to pay some $$$ for it.

[Plowboy]

I use a 2 gal bucket with simple green, strap an old vibrating sander to the side and let it go. Works great. If really cruddy, through in a couple of tubes of BB's. The vibrating BB's knock off lots of crud. Parts clean themselves. But would like to pick up a cleaning tub.

[Arya Ebrahimi]

Anyone ever rigged up an old dishwasher to run solvent? I've heard of it being done, but never seen it or tried it. Would be pretty cool I would think.

[MOfj40]

I've got a harbor freight basin on stand at the farm, and a 50 gallon stainless vat style at work.

The 50 gallon is heated (120*) but otherwise still just a recirc pump. It works great, but purchase price is around $1200 without the industrial solvent.

The HF isn't heated, but I run diesel in it and it cleans great. I've had diesel in it for 2 years and the pump still works fine. If you let your parts soak under the running solvent for 20-30 minutes then the brush will knock off the grime with no effort. It sits outside under a tarp, and still looks almost new.

If you get one, get one with the flexible nozzle as well as brush. Much easier to set it up and walk away than the brush only models.

For serious cleaning/rust removal, skip straight to muriatic acid. Not safe for aluminum though.

[D'Animal]

Here is what I have. I upgraded to the Stainless Steel Cabinet.


Here is there website.

http://www.adfsys.com/Product_Index/glovebox.html

[D'Animal]

Dang! I didn't mean to kill the thread.

[alex e]

Looks like a nice shop you have there sir. Got a better pic? Where did you pick up the enclosed parts washer? How much?

[Waorani]

At first I thought you posted a pic of your blasting cabinet. I like that!

[nuclearlemon]

i've got a twenty gallon cheapo model...only thing i wish was that it filtered the solvent better. it's a bitch to clean up the tank and replace with clean solvent. one front end and your solvent is crap and you have a layer of gunk in the bottom to dig through

[Nutz]

Originally Posted by alex e

Looks like a nice shop you have there sir. Got a better pic? Where did you pick up the enclosed parts washer? How much?

That looks like a blast cabinet to me

[Nutz]

I was tinking of buying a cheap 20gal myself too but haven't gotten around to it yet.

[D'Animal]

Originally Posted by Waorani

At first I thought you posted a pic of your blasting cabinet. I like that!

Originally Posted by alex e

Where did you pick up the enclosed parts washer? How much?

Originally Posted by Nutz

That looks like a blast cabinet to me

I was transferred from Iowa to California in 1995. I was the service manager for a mom and pop company (STIHL) and covered 8 state and one common wealth (Guam).

I needed a parts washer that would comply to Ca laws. The standard Stoddard solvent or the mineral spirit tanks are fine for at home do it yourselfers but in business you cannot use them since they are not cost effective. Safety Clean charges $175.00 per month the maintain that type of parts washer. They don't care if it is a 20gallon or a 50 gallon.

I researched and found a few companies made what I needed. I settled on an ADF since they are build in Iowa. They use water and non foaming soap. What every you use in your dishwasher is just fine. They have an oil skimmer on the back to keep the water clean. They have a built in heater as well. I had the cabinet built in stainless steel since most of them I have seen were rusted out.

When I left the service area to fine tune a new department the next two service managers never used it. They though it was a sand blast cabinet.

I was able to buy it from the company through a scrap request 7 years after I initially bought it. Original price in 1995 $6,800. Scrap request price in 2002 $10.00.

For once I was in the right place at the right time.

[Nutz]

Originally Posted by D'Animal

For once I was in the right place at the right time.

Shazaam

[Waorani]

Originally Posted by D'Animal

Scrap request price in 2002 $10.00.

Ok, here's your chance to make possibly the greatest return on an investment that you'll ever see.

I'll give you $100 for it and drive out to CA to pick it up!!

[D'Animal]

Originally Posted by Waorani

Ok, here's your chance to make possibly the greatest return on an investment that you'll ever see.

I'll give you $100 for it and drive out to CA to pick it up!!

LOL!

Thanks for the offer but I will keep it for now.

[Nutz]

But do the cheapo ones from china actually hold up for a few years of cruiser rebuild abuse?

[vtcruiser60]

I got a Clarke 40 gallon parts washer as a gift from the father in law. he picked it up from Tractor Supply Company, but it looks damn close to what Harbor Freight was recently selling. Upon assembly the pump didn't work. I called Clarke and they shipped me a new pump assembly in about 6 days. It works great. I try to take most dirt and grease off before dunking in the washer. The fluid was $50 from the autoparts store. I am cheap adn didn't wan tto purchase a second container of washing fluid, so I put a couple of bricks in the bottom in order to get the volume higher and the pump working.

It is a heck of a lot easier to use one of these for small and large parts, than any cob job I have fabbed in the masonary tub. The solvent is great...especially the stuff that limits flash rusting.

[MOfj40]

Originally Posted by Nutz

But do the cheapo ones from china actually hold up for a few years of cruiser rebuild abuse?

yes.

2 years of regular use and it still looks and works good. The only caveat is the sheet metal isn't all that thick, so I'm careful not to just drop heavy parts (tcase, etc) in there. It's not real weak, but the stand is just thin angle so I try to be careful. parts under 15-20 pounds just get dumped in.

The pump has been submerged in diesel since day one, and still works fine.

Like all things, you get what you pay for. However, the HF el cheapo is actually a pretty good deal.

[IH8Wood]

I had a Harbor Freight 20 gallon model. I used it for one knuckle rebuild and threw it away. It was messy, stinky, and hard to clean. Now I use a 5 gallon plastic bucket for big stuff and an 1.5 gallon heated ultrasonic cleaner smaller stuff.

[Gumby]

i had some problems finding a solvent I liked. Safety Kleen is expensive. Simple GReen doesn't really work, and most other stuff is hard to dispose of. I started using this 140* flash point stuff that comes with filter bags from 1st Ayd. Every once in a while you plug the pump into a filter bag and run it over night. the solvent comes out clean and renewed.

When I gave Safety Kleen back their unit, I bought a 20 gallon HF tank. the pump died quickly, but I just bought a better one from Grainger

[nuclearlemon]

Originally Posted by Gumby

I started using this 140* flash point stuff that comes with filter bags from 1st Ayd.

details? is 1st ayd the name? i need something that cleans up. i also have the cheapa%$ h.f. cleaner. my pump's lasted four years now (barely), but, as mentioned, one knuckle job and you're afraid to stick anything in their. someone was sellign the filter bags, but everytime i went to order them, they were backordered.

[CruisinGA]

I have the Northern Tool 20 gallon. Have had it and the same batch of mineral spirits in it for 4 years now. Pump is now dying, but I can't complain for the money.

[Gumby]

Originally Posted by nuclearlemon

details? is 1st ayd the name? i need something that cleans up. i also have the cheapa%$ h.f. cleaner. my pump's lasted four years now (barely), but, as mentioned, one knuckle job and you're afraid to stick anything in their. someone was sellign the filter bags, but everytime i went to order them, they were backordered.

1st ayd is the name of the company. they are out of Elgin, il. http://www.1stayd.com/

I've got one of the filter bags sitting on the shelf. I don't know if it works with any mineral spirits or just the stuff they sell it with. i can tell you it works freakin great with the stuff i bought with the bags.