Malleus
Far west of Siegen
This is primarily to answer an aside from the front suspension topic it was pulled from, so as not to contaminate the OP's post topic.
So, @2001LC and I were chewing the fat about degreasers, (kudos to Paul, who happens to be the only other person I know of who believes cleaning is a maintenance step) specifically, SmartWasher® OzzyJuice® SW-4 HD Degreasing Solution. He likes it, which means it's pretty good, in my book. It is spendy, though.
The question was asked if I knew the formula for the CRC orange (priced as gold by weight) degreaser. I didn't but promised I'd ask a chemist at work. So here's the answer.
We searched (which is what we both do for a living) and there doesn't seem to be a patent or patent application for this stuff. My inital thought was it (just like every degreaser I know of) is a lye– (sodium hydroxide) based solution. The ad copy says something like:
"eco–friendly, biodegradable, non–hazardous, pH–neutral, water–based" degreaser.
What this really means is that the solution is primarily water, as opposed to petroleum, and whatever is in it that actually does the degreasing, is in such small amounts that it doesn't meet the threshold limits for "hazardous". What this DOES NOT mean is that it's safe to drink (or let your favorite pet lap it up).
I'm not a chemist, but my chemist co–worker agreed with my guess that it's lye, in a very small amount, that does the work (based on the fact that it's the most common industrial degreasing agent, and thus the cheapest), along with a fair amount of soap (the surfactant in the solution), and some dye, and maybe fragrance. This is based on the information in the MSDS:
In order to have a pH of 8, (since deionized water has a pH of 7), the miniscule amount of active degreaser has to be pretty alkaline, which lye is. A bit in a gallon of pure water will raise the pH significantly. Not enough to kill you or take the hair off a dog (as my grandmother was wont to say), but still enough to decombine grease molecules, which is all that's required to make them "unsticky" (not a chemical term...).
So there you have it. Paul says it's good stuff, I can't make it, it's more expensive than ZEP purple degreaser (which I have too much of), and that's about all I know.
He also uses SmartWasher® FL-4 OzzyMat Multi-Layer Fluid Active Mat, which he likes too.
Actually, this started as a comment I made about his insane volume of Evaporust. FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm guilty of the same sin, in the past. The comment I made was that you can save a lot of money if you make your own "DIY Evaporust":
in (1) liter (or quart, your choice) of distilled water (this is not negotiable), add
(100)–grams of citric acid, and
(40)–grams of washing soda (sodium carbonate). You can add a squirt of liquid dishsoap, if you choose; it won't affect the derusting abilty, but it does make the solution sticky(–ier).
IME, this solution works better and lasts far longer than the commercial solution. Try it and LMK what you think.
If you absoutely have to use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), use 65–grams instead of the 40–grams of washing soda. You need the extra to make up for the hydrogen in baking soda, that isn't present in the washing soda.
I mix this in quantities of 1/2 a gallon, in a two gallon bucket (actually a plastic wastebasket), because it is pretty exciting while it releases the gas (which is totally harmless). Adding dishsoap makes even more bubbles, and they stick to everything. Make sure you have a lot of extra room. Any spillage will require you to clean everything in sight, not just what the solution managed to clean for you (you'll have a very clean spot where it overflowed).
So, @2001LC and I were chewing the fat about degreasers, (kudos to Paul, who happens to be the only other person I know of who believes cleaning is a maintenance step) specifically, SmartWasher® OzzyJuice® SW-4 HD Degreasing Solution. He likes it, which means it's pretty good, in my book. It is spendy, though.
The question was asked if I knew the formula for the CRC orange (priced as gold by weight) degreaser. I didn't but promised I'd ask a chemist at work. So here's the answer.
We searched (which is what we both do for a living) and there doesn't seem to be a patent or patent application for this stuff. My inital thought was it (just like every degreaser I know of) is a lye– (sodium hydroxide) based solution. The ad copy says something like:
"eco–friendly, biodegradable, non–hazardous, pH–neutral, water–based" degreaser.
What this really means is that the solution is primarily water, as opposed to petroleum, and whatever is in it that actually does the degreasing, is in such small amounts that it doesn't meet the threshold limits for "hazardous". What this DOES NOT mean is that it's safe to drink (or let your favorite pet lap it up).
I'm not a chemist, but my chemist co–worker agreed with my guess that it's lye, in a very small amount, that does the work (based on the fact that it's the most common industrial degreasing agent, and thus the cheapest), along with a fair amount of soap (the surfactant in the solution), and some dye, and maybe fragrance. This is based on the information in the MSDS:
In order to have a pH of 8, (since deionized water has a pH of 7), the miniscule amount of active degreaser has to be pretty alkaline, which lye is. A bit in a gallon of pure water will raise the pH significantly. Not enough to kill you or take the hair off a dog (as my grandmother was wont to say), but still enough to decombine grease molecules, which is all that's required to make them "unsticky" (not a chemical term...).
So there you have it. Paul says it's good stuff, I can't make it, it's more expensive than ZEP purple degreaser (which I have too much of), and that's about all I know.
He also uses SmartWasher® FL-4 OzzyMat Multi-Layer Fluid Active Mat, which he likes too.
Actually, this started as a comment I made about his insane volume of Evaporust. FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm guilty of the same sin, in the past. The comment I made was that you can save a lot of money if you make your own "DIY Evaporust":
in (1) liter (or quart, your choice) of distilled water (this is not negotiable), add
(100)–grams of citric acid, and
(40)–grams of washing soda (sodium carbonate). You can add a squirt of liquid dishsoap, if you choose; it won't affect the derusting abilty, but it does make the solution sticky(–ier).
IME, this solution works better and lasts far longer than the commercial solution. Try it and LMK what you think.
If you absoutely have to use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), use 65–grams instead of the 40–grams of washing soda. You need the extra to make up for the hydrogen in baking soda, that isn't present in the washing soda.
I mix this in quantities of 1/2 a gallon, in a two gallon bucket (actually a plastic wastebasket), because it is pretty exciting while it releases the gas (which is totally harmless). Adding dishsoap makes even more bubbles, and they stick to everything. Make sure you have a lot of extra room. Any spillage will require you to clean everything in sight, not just what the solution managed to clean for you (you'll have a very clean spot where it overflowed).
