I picked up a used parts washer and I’m trying to figure out what kind of solvent to fill it with. The local parts store has a bucket of CRC parts washer solvent, but they want $84.00 for 4 gallons. That’s nuts! A quick cruise around the internets shows that others had rust problems with water based solutions (my tank and drum are metal). Many suggest using mineral spirits. Does anyone out there have any experience with using mineral spirits? Would this be safe to use in a parts washer located in my garage? Do you have any other suggestions what I can use that’s not crazy expensive?
The stuff I got was from NAPA. You mix it with kerosene and seems to work just fine. A gallon has lasted years.
Kerosene seems to work well. And several gallons of water below the pump pickup will trap a great deal of the trash.
We used to have this stuff called GUNK. We still have it. Then there is this orange juice type of solvent which just smells funny if you liked GUNK. As you would expect, there are auto stores with different types. Harbor Freight Tools too.
I’ve been using mineral spirits in mine for decades. No issues whatsoever.