Penetrating oil

[Alan Reynolds]

What are people’s thoughts on penetrating oils please.
I’ve always used plus Gas in the old cans with spouts but everything seems to be aerosols now
Is there better stuff than Plus Gas?

 

[badabec]

ATF and acetone 50:50 seems a common recipe.

 

[brightspark]

ATF and acetone 50:50 seems a common recipe.

same here got a gallon of each a tenner for the acetone and the atf free

 

[ajlelectronics]

ATF and acetone 50:50 seems a common recipe.

Nothing better, at any price in my experience.

 

[Ross365]

On my shelf I have;

Plusgas - never used
WD40 classic - used quite a lot
WD40 Specialist penetrating agent - used occasionally
Seafoam Deep Creep - used when the going gets tough

Now, I only deal with my two cars - I don't need quantities and price is not a factor in this situation.
In some experiments I did a while a go, it seemed to me they all move at different speeds. If you need something which will act quick, that won't necessarily be the one which would best if you could leave it over night. I looked at acetone/ATF but moved on. 3in1 oil is very slow, but goes on forever.

 

[bigdrew1]

https://www.powertoolsdirect.com/plusgas-803-10-plusgas-dismantling-lubricant-tin-500ml

Plus gas is still available as a liquid.

 

[ukracer]

On my shelf I have;

Plusgas - never used
WD40 classic - used quite a lot
WD40 Specialist penetrating agent - used occasionally
Seafoam Deep Creep - used when the going gets tough

Now, I only deal with my two cars - I don't need quantities and price is not a factor in this situation.
In some experiments I did a while a go, it seemed to me they all move at different speeds. If you need something which will act quick, that won't necessarily be the one which would best if you could leave it over night. I looked at acetone/ATF but moved on. 3in1 oil is very slow, but goes on forever.

Why did you move on?

 

[Kram]

DP-60. One of the amazon sellers used to have it 6 or 12 cans for a tenner..

HitlineUK 4 x DP-60 Penetrating Releasing Cleaning Maintenance Spray Lubricant 250ml : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

HitlineUK 4 x DP-60 Penetrating Releasing Cleaning Maintenance Spray Lubricant 250ml : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

www.amazon.co.uk

2 x 750ml DP-60 Penetrating Releasing Cleaning Maintenance Spray Lubricant : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

2 x 750ml DP-60 Penetrating Releasing Cleaning Maintenance Spray Lubricant : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[nickk]

My initial go to is diesel,after that the more specific products such as wd,then its heat.

 

[Dapph2]

My initial go to is diesel,after that the more specific products such as wd,then its heat.

Brake fluid is also very penetrating especially if the area is pre-warmed with a hot air gun or a 32 ounce hot soldering iron .

 

[addjunkie]

My initial go to is diesel,after that the more specific products such as wd,then its heat.

Snap. BfH helps too

 

[Ross365]

Why did you move on?

Well, there's no really meaningful data about any these products, so whether or not A is better than B is all very subjective. I know a lot of people are fans of Plusgas and my attitude is 'use whatever keeps you happy'. And in my garage, sometimes I'll reach for one and sometimes for another.
I'd love to try and do some sort of experiment on them, I know there are Youtube videos doing just that, but are they really convincing? I did do an experiment some time ago, using a microsyringe which can measure out very precise tiny volumes of liquid (a bit smaller than the head of a pin). I placed tiny droplets of all the products I had onto a flat sheet of metal which had a uniform layer of rust on it and watched to see how fast and how far they spread out through the layer of rust. After I'd done the experiment the first time, I could see ways of improving the method, but have never got around to doing it. Of course, if you want to argue that a rusty flat sheet of metal bears no relationship to a screw thread, you can. But, I do think it's an interesting experiment and does give some pointers, especially on the issue of which spreads quickly, but which might be best if you have the time to leave it. Acetone/ATF was really unimpressive in that test. A dark horse was 3in1, but that was slow. I'm also curious about whether using product A for the first squirt and product B for the next squirt might give a good outcome. First you need something to work as a wetting agent then you need something that lubricates and stops evaporation.

The Deep Creep is interesting; more than anything other product, it comes out of the aerosol can like a foam and it seems to be good at releasing stuff.

 

[oldbikedavey]

Colloidal graphite mixed with kerosene isn't bad, and anti-scuff paste similarly diluted is probably better.

 

[roofman]

Snake oil....heat and then more heat from mapp gas, induction, or gas and air. Eveytime i used to use oils of every type the stuck bolts came out bone dry with no penetration

 

[bricol]

I'm of the opinion that none of these things do very much to a rusty fastener until you get it to move a bit and break the rust "bond". Cleaning the exposed rust off of threads, and then lubricating helps.

Heat, or freezing spray, to force some relative movement to create space for any lube to get in there.

 

[bricol]

When another post pops up as you type,. and could have saved you the effort

What I do do, when I've got whatever it is out or off, is reassembly with some proper anti-seize. I've had bolts that have been under a car 20 yrs, used daily for most of that time, come out perfectly.

 

[Ross365]

I'm of the opinion that none of these things do very much to a rusty fastener until you get it to move a bit and break the rust "bond". Cleaning the exposed rust off of threads, and then lubricating helps.

Heat, or freezing spray, to force some relative movement to create space for any lube to get in there.

Yes, it has often crossed my mind that the effect of this stuff is entirely psychological, It makes me think of Popeye the sailor-man resorting to his spinach to give him instant extra strength (younger readers made need to Google that ).

The exception might be that if you've been applying the stuff for days in advance, that might be beneficial!

 

[Cato]

As mentioned above, acetone and ATF works well. However if you want something in an aerosol can then Bulldog BDX is the best I've tried and it's the only stuff I use in the workshop because it actually works.

Whatever you use if thing thing you're trying to move is really stuck/corroded then heat is the only answer, and an induction heater is an absolute game changer.

 

[steveo3002]

I'm of the opinion that none of these things do very much to a rusty fastener until you get it to move a bit and break the rust "bond". Cleaning the exposed rust off of threads, and then lubricating helps.

Heat, or freezing spray, to force some relative movement to create space for any lube to get in there.

tend to agree , im not sure anything has saved the day if it was going to snap anyway , yeah sure if it gets moving then its much help vs dry rusty threads

if i had to deal with many i would look at an induction heater

 

[Cato]

if i had to deal with many i would look at an induction heater

On occasion following a run of exhaust studs I've considered a career change.