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Parts washer solvent

Susquatch said:
Wow! Certainly gives credibility to the idea! Who was the manufacturer?
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Wish I could remember. I checked google images to see if something would tweak my memory, but I got nothing.

In our case, I installed the pump a couple inches above the water level, so it still had 6 or more inches of varsol above it. It definitely did not draw hard enough to stir up the sediment in the bottom. The varsol still become containimated and needed replacement, it just tended to last longer.
 
So doesn't the particulates just settle out of the varsol and remain on the bottom without needing the water? I think that is basically what is happening in my parts washer.
 
Purple zep and water works well but water rinse for parts is needed and it burns skin. I put A 220v water heater element in my tank to heat it so flash point is important. I like varsol and diesel and keresone too
 
I'm just changing my parts washer solvent now with my move to the new house/shop. I have just used regular Varsol in the past. Only had problems with the smell (in my 2 car garage shop) when using the washer, and then a bit the next day. Closing the lid seemed to stop the evaporation process and the smell. Sometimes in the summer on those hot days, I could smell the fumes a bit. I've read a number of forum chats in the past week and there are a lot of opinions. :confused: As per Susquatch's comment, I'm going to stick with Varsol-paint thinner again this time, but I'll switch to the low odour. $18.99/3.78 litres at Home Hardware. Cheaper than some, but not cheap as I'll end up with 7 jugs in my washer, but it works well. My friends and I have only used Varsol over the past 40 years, so I don't have any experience with any other solvents. There are a lot of mixed comments about the water based cleaners. No one has ever complained about the cleaning power of Varsol as a degreaser, just the envirnoment and health challentes. To mitigate some of those problems, I always use gloves, and I take the used cleaner to the hazardous waste depot for recycling.
 
GaryE said:
To mitigate some of those problems, I always use gloves, and I take the used cleaner to the hazardous waste depot for recycling.
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While I have no doubt that drinking Varsol will kill you at some level, I'm not as careful as others are.

When I was a boy, we stripped the wax on the hardwood floors once a month or so with varsol (which used to mean varnish solvent), and we didn't have rubber gloves to use back then. The process was done on your hands and knees in rooms that were not allways well ventilated either. I'm still here to talk about it. I don't use gloves today either.

I'm NOT saying that PPE is NOT required, just that sometimes we are too afraid of our shadows. Government testing is usually extreme and done at levels that far exceed anything reasonable and certainly don't represent normal exposure levels. One thing is certain, government testing kills rats.

Reasonable precautions are also a good thing. Better safe then sorry. Certainly so in the absence of specific knowledge.

But back to varsol, if I had sensitive skin, I'd wear gloves. If I had a few hours of cleaning to do, I'd prolly wear gloves too. But for a few minutes of cleaning a part or two, I'm fine without. I just wash up with soap and water afterwards to kill the scum and the stink the same way I would with cutting oil, engine oil, or fuel.

I'm not trying to change anyone else's practice. We all take responsibility for ourselves. On my own end, I like the way varsol works, I'm not afraid of it at all, and I see no good reason to change.
 
My parts washer for 50 yrs was me and a pail of some sort and a trip to the 1000 gal diesel tank or the 500 gal gas tank...to the diesel tank if removing baked on crud and then a splash in the gas to remove any of the oil residue.
the front of my shop must have had 500 gal. of each tossed out over the years but the grass just keeps on growing every year so toxicity might be an exaggeration. The condition of my hands & arms and that grass sure couldnt be used as evidence to the contrary.
 
Susquatch said:
While I have no doubt that drinking Varsol will kill you at some level, I'm not as careful as others are.

When I was a boy, we stripped the wax on the hardwood floors once a month or so with varsol (which used to mean varnish solvent), and we didn't have rubber gloves to use back then. The process was done on your hands and knees in rooms that were not allways well ventilated either. I'm still here to talk about it. I don't use gloves today either.

I'm NOT saying that PPE is NOT required, just that sometimes we are too afraid of our shadows. Government testing is usually extreme and done at levels that far exceed anything reasonable and certainly don't represent normal exposure levels. One thing is certain, government testing kills rats.

Reasonable precautions are also a good thing. Better safe then sorry. Certainly so in the absence of specific knowledge.

But back to varsol, if I had sensitive skin, I'd wear gloves. If I had a few hours of cleaning to do, I'd prolly wear gloves too. But for a few minutes of cleaning a part or two, I'm fine without. I just wash up with soap and water afterwards to kill the scum and the stink the same way I would with cutting oil, engine oil, or fuel.

I'm not trying to change anyone else's practice. We all take responsibility for ourselves. On my own end, I like the way varsol works, I'm not afraid of it at all, and I see no good reason to change.
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I'm pretty much the same way Susquatch. Worked with it regularly for my job in my 20s and never bothered with gloves. For a quick wash of one part, I don't worry about getting a little on my hands, but in order to keep my wife happy, I wash my hands a few times to remove the stink. :-) When I've got a big cleaning job, on go the gloves.
 
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