cleaning my parts washer fluid

jniolon

Member
I have a table top parts washer... Several years ago I bought Super Agitene cleaner for it. It's still working great but looking grundgy. I"m sure the tank on the cleaner has a nice thick layer of sludge in the bottom.. something like a paint filter ?? or an old tee shirt ??

what is the best 'media' to strain the cleaner through... while I'm scraping the crap out of the tank

john
 
I saw one of these used once a long time ago when I was working in a machine shop. The fluid ended up looking like new. I may buy one to try, although the fluid in my parts washer now is too far gone I think.
Poke Here
 
My solvent bath is an upright not a table top.
Pump is mounted 10 inches above the bottom with a couple of gallons of water in it.
The water stays on the bottom and it draws the dirt out of the solvent.
The pump picks up clean solvent above the water level.
Has been working good for over 30 years like this.
Might be able to rig yours the same way.
 
After you get it cleaned out, before you fill it again(or put the fluid in) put one of those super furnace filters in the bottom. I like the ones that have the white
pleated fiber in them. This will capture most of the heavy crud as you use it and when you feel like it just pull the filter up, let it drain the fluid off and throw it
away.

Coffee filters are no good for trying to filter the dirty fluid. They immediately plug. IF you can come up with a big metal air filter like the pusher motorhomes use,
most of them filter from the inside out so the dirt they have captured will stay on the inside. Drill another, like 1/2 hole in the outside of the closed end, stand it
on end with the big hole up, and pour your dirty fluid in it. ANy paper air filter will work but these are already built. Oh, the ford cone filters can also be used as
they have one end closed. Paper air filters filter down to some micron size so they do a pretty good job
 
(quoted from post at 21:50:16 09/05/16) I have a table top parts washer... Several years ago I bought Super Agitene cleaner for it. It's still working great but looking grundgy. I"m sure the tank on the cleaner has a nice thick layer of sludge in the bottom.. something like a paint filter ?? or an old tee shirt ??

what is the best 'media' to strain the cleaner through... while I'm scraping the crap out of the tank

john

Agitene? If that's the same stuff I remember from the 70's, it's pretty dangerous. Works good, but I'm not even sure how to get rid of it safely. I switched my cleaner over to water base (like Castrol Super Clean and others) 25 years ago.
 
{Agitine} I buy two 5 gallon containers ,put one in the parts washer , after that first five gallon is dirty I put it back in the five gallon can , Switch to the other can. Meanwhile while sitting in the can the crud will settle to the bottom of the first five gallon can. It will be brown but it will be fairly clean and debris free.
 
(quoted from post at 19:03:02 09/05/16) I saw one of these used once a long time ago when I was working in a machine shop. The fluid ended up looking like new. I may buy one to try, although the fluid in my parts washer now is too far gone I think.
Poke Here

I might try one also, why 14lbs each?
 

so basically it's a porous sack full of sand ?? I don't know if my little table top pump will push thru that... but I got sand ! and can make a porous sack

john
 
Copy and past from the garage journal.

At work we used to use fabric socks, they were ok. We don't use anything now, we get the drums changed out every six months. If you were to use a filter I would think that it would have to be a large micron filter in order to keep from having to change it all of the time.
What are you using for a cleaner?
We use solvent and I would think that as long as you are smart about it and preclean the bad, greasy, nasty stuff it will last a long time with a sock, just don't leave it running because it will evaporate.

The sock is also very helpful if the drain cover gets knocked off and something goes down the drain, I rebuild transmissions and it's no fun fishing with a magnet if it is magnetic, if not good luck solvent in the armpit burns.

I have used the shocks from Safety Kleen they clog up to fast. SK came out with a metal wire mesh drop in filter to replace the sock it works great. When I replace the air filter from a mid 90's to 99 chevy pick up 5.7 I run the fluid thru it. I helped build a cleaning system in the early 70's he used a 55 gal drum with sand and rocks in layers. The fluid still came out nasty in color and smell.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148893
 

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