So a week or so back I find a harbor freight 20 gallon parts washer for $40 bucks. Well thats a great deal and I have a bunch of parts I want to clean and paint so I buy it and drag it home. Well the instructions say the pump is to only be used with a biodegradable solvents and the previous owner said he used Purple Power which I had seen at Walmart. I remembered the label said not to use it on painted surfaces or aluminum so I avoided it. Wellllllll...... So I go back to Wallyworld and buy all the gallons they have at the local store and then I run to another store to get the total of 12 gallons the the tub holds. Its only $4.87 a gallon and the warnings make it sound good. I mention my new adventure to my buddy John and he said he used it before and it worked good. So I think to myself, I'm on the right track.

Welllllll... I fill the tank, dunk in my parts and it cleans the grease off the steering knuckle pretty good. So while I'm cleaningand scrubbng that, I tossed in my steering box and let it sit overnight while I try to scrub the paint off the steering knuckle. The next day I pull out the steering box and I can wipe the paint off of it!!! HOLEEE CRAP!!! I cant believe how good it cleaned up. I can wipe the paint off with a rag, so I scrub what I can just to make sure the tough stuff comes off and wipe up the rest. So I throw the knuckle back in since the box cleaned up so well and let it sit for a couple of days. Just using the little pump, the fluid was peeling the paint off the parts. Again I'm happy as a clam in New England Chowdahhh!

So I dont know if it will degrade aluminum, but it eats paint. Heres some pics to keep everyone happy.

 

Its alot easier than my blast cabinet and I dont have to worry about bearing surfaces. Now i can just toss them into the cabinet to clean up the rust,. easy enough to see the rust now

 

Great results!

 

Oh Yeah, Possible side effects................dont stick your hands in there with out gloves on, it doesnt burn but it leaves your hands slimy, I suspect it may be the outer layers of skin sliding off.....or its just slimy on the skin

 

I use purple cleaner all the time, but i've never used a parts washer. You've got my wheels spinning in my head now!

 

Purple power does work, sometimes on rubber also .. don't ask.....

 

Great cleaner but beware on non-ferrous metals(brass, aluminum etc.) does turn them black.

 

That's good to know. Does it eat into the surface or just discoloration.?

 

Purple power will turn polished aluminum into.... well... not polished aluminum

I think it does the same thing to chrome

 

Wear gloves when using this stuff! It'll remove your fingerprints!
It's seriously strong degreaser. I put some in a sprayer bottle just so I could give a spritz on my oil pan and gearbox while washing the car.
I apparently oversprayed onto the oil filter, and it stripped the paint right off the filter!
The dilution recommendations on the bottle are to be taken seriously. This is not formula 409 cleaner.
I've used the Zep version sold at Lowes and Home Depot. Same result. Great stuff, but use with caution.

 

Welcome to the club. Been using it for at least 10 years or more. Don't need the pump. just soak. Buy a 5Gal bucket at The Zone for $50 on sale, and use tie wire. It's Sodium Hydroxide, LYE, the stuff you clean drains with.
Would you wash your hands with Drano? Just sayin...........

 

And,
It works fairly fast when new. A few hours or twice is enough for most things. As it dilutes, don't be afraid to go a week on cast iron, maybe a few days with tin. You'll see.

 

Never left it in long enough to find out but I'm sure if left in long enough it would.

 

That is some potent stuff. I use it frequently uncut in a spray bottle.

The stuff will eat skin Rescue!

Craig

 

I've been down this road with different degreasers for a while trying to find out what is best. POR degreaser is very good but it's too expensive to use on every part. I only used it on parts prior to using the metal prep and POR paint. I've tried purple power, zep industrial purple, simple green, and super clean which is the house brand for auto zone I believe. I found the auto zone super clean to be the strongest and it cut through grease better than the other brands but it was also about 2x the price. I still need to buy a parts washer and that is on the list for the spring.

 

One more thing. I use the 5 gallon buckets for this stuff. It can/will, in time, eat your harbor freight parts washer clean thru, and the goo will run down your driveway. Ask me how I know this.......

 

Spray Nine.

 

White vinegar works pretty well too. Soaked my carb in it mixed with Dawn dish soap and it did a beautiful job. It created a hellish funk in the garage though -phew. Just using what I had. Going to get a gallon of the purple stuff today at HD

 

Great comments here as usual
I have a HF parts washer for 10ys now.
It has the traditional Kerosene in it. That stuff is/was $4 a gal when I filled it.
May give the 5 gal bucket with Purple Power a try also
Thanks for the info everyone.
👨*👦*👦👍

 

My buddy John suggested kerosene as well. That was going to be my second choice since i burn it for heat in the barn