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Parts cleaning?

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simon1966

simon1966

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In preparation for the long haul :wink-new: I am starting to clean up and equip my garage.

Any recommendations on home parts cleaning equipment. media blasters and air compressors suitable for a partial home restoration of a Healey, or any other car for that matter?

Thanks

Simon
 
For many years I used solvents for cleaning parts, probably not healthy for anyone. I highly recommend OzzyJuice, a bioremediation way of parts washing.

https://www.chemfree.com/compare/ozzyjuice-compare.html

I bought the SW-4 'Juice' and the filter pads called OzzyMat. https://www.chemfree.com/compare/ozzymat-compare.html

The SmartWasher itself is priced for commercial applications so I made my own. OzzyJuice works best as a warm fluid so I took a Harbor Freight parts washer, added a hole the size of a water heater element below the fluid line, attached a thermostat to the underside of the tub, wired the element and thermostat to 110VAC (appropriate grounding/safety considerations required), placed the mat on the bottom and added the Juice. SO much nicer to clean parts in 100 deg non-solvent fluid! Another advantage is you don't discard the juice. The mat bioremediates the oil and you change mats.

In Colorado NAPA carries OzzyJuice but you might need to encourage the counter person to look as they may not be aware of it.
 
I'm going through an Austin Healey "makeover". The car has been in storage for close to 25-years. The most time consuming part of the "makeover" has been de-rusting and cleaning parts, getting things loose, etc. Bar none, the best technique I came across in dealing with parts is de-rusting using electrolysis. It's amazingly effective, easy as connecting a battery charger to a battery, environmentally friendly (no chemicals) and dead-drop simple. I put a log page on my website. If interested there's images showing just how to set it up - www.healeymakeover.com. Because it does not involve acids or chemicals there is not degradation of metal should you make the mistake of leaving something behind in the acid bucket. Thick rust comes off almost like paint stripper. Most parts take about 16-hours, but I've had fussy parts that I've just left for several days. In fact, I'm just now leaving to check on a tank we have going that I have had my rear seat pans getting de-rusted. The seat pan has been in for 4-days or so. I have a smaller tank that is going 24-7 here at home. It's been doing the small bits. They are de-rusted, scrubbed clean, wire brushed and then put in a metal prep solution for about 30 minutes before being painted and boxed up for going back on the car - hopefully very soon. Good luck, but make no hesitation - it's a very simple process, easy, and very practical.
 
Get a vibratory tumbler and a media blast cabinet that uses glass beads for all the small stuff.
 
Get a GOOD compressor not the bull s... ones sold by Lowes, Home Defect or Crapsman. I have had a Quincy 325 compressor that I bought 20 some years ago and it still huffs away and can keep up, (even shut off), while bead blasting in my ECONO floor standing bead blaster cabinet. 25 cfm is a lot of air. Look on CL and you can find them or the older IR compressors for a good price and you will never have to buy another one.

Leo
 
Hi Simon!
just down the road from ya! no one way does it all, sand blast is a good start, real rusty stuff use molasses 5-10% solution it's 17$ for 2.5 gals @ Rural King makes a 30-35 gals in a 55 gallon barrel I've put heads and blocks in and they turn out so clean like they are new BUT! you have to rinse then slosh in a diluted phosphoric acid solution to keep from flash rusting. I'd invite you over but the road is tore up in front of the house and there is a Cat D9M sitting in front of it, they are only a year behind! thanks to "att"
 
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