HELPFUL TIP: Effectiveness of Penetrating Oils
penetrating oils. The magazine reports they tested penetrates for break out
torque on rusted nuts.
I WANT TO CAUTION YOU THAT PENETRATING OILS WILL SOFTEN SOME PLASTICS AND WILL DISSOLVE OR REMOVE PAINTS, LACQUERS, AND VARNISHES.
Try a little on a test piece or in an inconspicuous place first if your item has plastic parts, or a painted finish.
Below listed, a subjective test was made of all the popular penetrates, with
the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a bolt that was in a
"scientifically rusted" environment.
Average torque load to loosen
No Oil used ................... 516 pounds
WD-40 ..................... ... 238 pounds
PB Blaster .................... 214 pounds (mineral
oil in a solvent carrier, often acetone or mineral spirits)
Liquid Wrench ...............127 pounds
Kano Kroil .................... 106 pounds (mineral
oil in a solvent carrier, often acetone or mineral spirits)
ATF - Acetone mix............53 pounds (ATF (automatic transmission fluid) -
predominantly mineral oil).
I have seen a mix of diesel fuel and a little gasoline work well, but, as in the case of all oils and solvents, it's very flammable.
I use a solution that was published years ago in "American Gunsmith" magazine. I forget what they called it--I call it "Wonder Oil" It is very effective at dissolving dried oils, grease and "gunk" (that's a scientific term). Like WD-40, it also is water-dispersing, and leaves a slightly oily residue. It does have a strong smell, but it's a lot cheaper than the commercial penetrating oils. All the ingredients can be purchased from WalMart or a hardware store. Here's the formula:
4 parts Mineral Spirits
4 parts Kerosene
1.5 parts Marvel Mystery Oil
.5 parts Rislone
(You can get Marvel Mystery Oil and Rislone at auto parts stores if they're not available elsewhere.)
Here is a sample of how to measure it if you are using English measurements (fluid ounces, cups, teaspoons, etc.):
4 cups each of Mineral Spirits and Kerosene, one and a half cups Marvel Mystery Oil, and a half cup of Rislone.
CAUTION: These amounts will produce 10 cups, or 2 1/2 quarts (about 2 liters) of oil. You may want to use a smaller amount--just reduce proportionally.
WARNING: Like other penetrating oils, this will dissolve paints, varnishes, etc. and soften or distort some plastics and rubber compounds.
I keep this solution in used plastic oil cans--you don't need to clean the old oil out, just pour the solution in and the oil will dissolve into it. You can also use empty brake fluid or oil treatment bottles as well.
I use a refillable aerosol can when I need to spray the solution. Harbor Freight used to sell them, though I can't find it now on their website. They used to be $8 or $9... I see them on eBay, however, and also on Amazon.com. Here's an example:
Amazon.com Refillable Aerosol
These are a really neat item--It consists of a metal can similar to a paint spray can, with a screw on top, and a valve stem. You fill the can half full of liquid, screw the top on, and pump air into it, using an air compressor, an air hose from a service station, or even a bicycle tire pump. They have several nozzles included so you can spray oils, glass cleaner, water, etc.
So, here's another item you can file away as a helpful tip.
Smitty
A Simple Tip to get Cleaner Saw Cuts
If you look closely atg the teeth of a wood saw or a hack saw, you will see that the teeth point forward--AWAY from the handle. When you use the saw, you are pushing the teeth into the material.
This tends to create a problem when first starting the cut, since the saw wants to "bounce" out of the cut, and you often get cut marks on the sides of the line you're trying to cut on. This is particularly true of a hack saw--used to cut metal.
A way to avoid this is to put the saw blade in the hacksaw with the teeth pointing towards the handle. Now when you cut, you are PULLING the blade through the material and you can control it much better.
Obviously you can't do this with a wood saw, but you can buy a Japanese-style saw, or nokogiri, which cuts on the pull stroke.
I have a couple small nokogiris that I bought from Lowe's. They allow me to make more precise cuts on wood without damaging it--pretty helpful when I'm doing craft items, jewelry boxes, etc. They weren't any more expensive than a normal saw of the same size, and the results are much more satisfactory.
Regards.
Smitty
How to know if two bolts have the same thread.
Well, I had to match up some screw threads with some nuts today, and it reminded me of a little trick I learned long ago... but first, a little background.Screw threads are actually fairly complex. In their simplest terms, they are defined by two things:
1. Their basic diameter-- 1/2 inch, 5/16 inch, etc. for the English system of measurement, and 5 millimeter, 10 millimeter, 12 millimeter etc. for metric diameter fasteners.
2. Their pitch-- Thread pitch might be confusing, but all it really is is how many threads there are in a certain length.
In the English System, pitch is defined as "threads per inch". For example, half-inch diameter bolts can have a thread pitch of 13-- thirteen threads per running length of the screw. You will find it designated like this:
1/2-13, or 1/2 inch diameter, 13 threads per inch.
In the Metric System they define how many millimeters per thread... for example, a bolt with a 1.5mm pitch has threads that are 1.5 millimeters wide, or a little larger than 1/16th inch.
A metric fastener would be designated something like this:
8x1.5mm, or 8 millimeter diameter with 1.5 millimeters per screw thread.
The English system is used primarily in the United States and in other English-speaking countries, though it has been pretty much replaced by the metric system in all but the US. It is based on even fractional numbers starting with 1/4 inch up to 7/8 inch in 1/16 inch increments, and larger sizes in 1/4 inch or larger increments-- 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/2", 2", etc.
The Metric system is the most common system, and is used world-wide. It is a decimal-based system, and though a little challenging at first, is actually easier to use than the English or fractional system once you get used to it.
One way to relate to the metric system is by comparing it with the decimal monetary system used by the dollar used by the US and several other countries, like Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. This currency is decimal based-- 10 pennies equal a dime, 10 dimes equal a dollar, etc.
So, with this in mind let me share my tip:
If you have two screws, bolts, or other threaded fastener and want to see if they will take the same nut, etc., do this:
Make sure they are the same diameter as a thread of a certain pitch may be used on different diameter fasteners.
Hold one fastener up horizontally, and place the other fastener over it with the head in the opposite direction, and try to mesh the threads together. If they are the same pitch, the threads will fit inside each other--more easily seen if held up to a light source. If they are not the same pitch, the threads will not mesh, but will stand on top of each other.
Hope this helps...
Smitty
Lemon Honey Tea
Our version doesn't use tea, but is very soothing when sipped warm, and occasionally garling with it.
It's easy to make:
Pour boiling water into a mug or insulated cup. Add a heaping tablespoon of honey, and a teaspoon of lemon or lime juice--you can use fresh squeezed, or the bottled juice, like Real Lemon. (You can adjust the amounts to taste.) Stir thoroughly and sip slowly--it helps to swish it around your mouth or even gargle with it to help relieve sore throats.
It's a pretty effective mix... the lemon helps to cut through and break up mucus in the throat. The honey is soothing to irritated tissues as well as has a bacteriostatic (kills bacteria) effect.
It's even a soothing drink to help warm you up after spending time outside shoveling snow, etc.
Regards, Smitty
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