Does penetrating oil really work? I just used it on some very old
rusty bolts, I soaked them, then put the wrench on them after an hour
or so.

They came off nicely.

But, I still am not sure if I believe the oil did anything.

Is there any scientific research into this stuff.

My next experiment is going to be an old rusty exhaust manifold.

On 24 Feb 2005 14:23:32 -0800, stone wrote:
Does penetrating oil really work?

Absolutely. Some better than others.

My next experiment is going to be an old rusty exhaust manifold.

See if you can find "Kroil". It's the best penetrant I've found.
So good at seeping, that it seeps out the rolled seam in the oil
can I put it into.

Good question.
Seems to work, altho I understand your doubts.

The real question to me is: are these sprays any better than regular old
OIL???

Different types, tho. I always thought the old Liquid Wrench was better
than WD 40; there is, I think, a newer liquid wrench; and something
semi-nasty, a spray called PBS, I think, which seems pretty powerful, at
least smell-wise!
The old liquid wrench had very good anti-rust properties, as well.
Really just gotta do lotsa rusted nuts, w/, w/o spray, and get a feel for
the results.
WD 40 supposedly dries to a film.

Some people (some plumbers) swear by Coke--pretty heavy phosphoric acid
(H3PO4), pH=2!! Also removes stuck tooth enamel.

But here's what ahm looking for:
Remember when 3-in-1 came out w/ a *spray oil*? Anyone seen this lately??
A few hardware stores I checked haven't heard of it. Haven't subjected
myself to the effing ""mavens"" at Home Despot yet.
----------------------------
Mr. P.V.'d
formerly Droll Troll
"stone" wrote in message
oups.com...
Does penetrating oil really work? I just used it on some very old
rusty bolts, I soaked them, then put the wrench on them after an hour
or so.

They came off nicely.

But, I still am not sure if I believe the oil did anything.

Is there any scientific research into this stuff.

My next experiment is going to be an old rusty exhaust manifold.

On 24 Feb 2005 14:23:32 -0800, "stone" wrote:

Does penetrating oil really work? I just used it on some very old
rusty bolts, I soaked them, then put the wrench on them after an hour
or so.

They came off nicely.

But, I still am not sure if I believe the oil did anything.

Is there any scientific research into this stuff.

My next experiment is going to be an old rusty exhaust manifold.
They work all right. It seems to me that it may not make much
difference which kind you use. It just has to be thin enough, and
attracted to the metal enough, to wick into the joint by capillary
action. Iron can expand up to seven times it's original volume when it
rusts. This is one of the reasons why a rusted joint gets so tight. I
wonder if any of the penetrating oils will reduce the volume? I
suppose if one actually dissolved the rust then it could squeeze out
or run out and loosen the joint. As a side note, in Machinery's
Handbook, is a description of a method of securing nuts and bolts
permanently. It's called a "rust joint". I know this method used to be
used for securing fasteners in some bridge construction. One recipe
for this method is to pack the joint with a paste made from 80 pounds
of cast-iron borings or filings, 1 pound sal-ammoniac, two pounds
sulfur flowers, and water. The preceeding recipe is from Machinery's
Handbook. I paraphrased it but don't want to plagiarise it.
ERS

"Ignoramus30876" wrote in message
...
Yes, it does indeed. I unscrewed an elbow for an Onan exhaust
manifold, that was impossible to remove without penetrating oil (PB
Blaster). It was impossible to take off, but after liberal spraying
with PB Blaster and waiting, it came off relatively easily.

THAT's the nasty stuff I was referring to!
----------------------------
Mr. P.V.'d
formerly Droll Troll

i

On 24 Feb 2005 14:23:32 -0800, stone wrote:
Does penetrating oil really work? I just used it on some very old
rusty bolts, I soaked them, then put the wrench on them after an hour
or so.

They came off nicely.

But, I still am not sure if I believe the oil did anything.

Is there any scientific research into this stuff.

My next experiment is going to be an old rusty exhaust manifold.



--

On 24 Feb 2005 22:42:11 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote:

On 24 Feb 2005 14:23:32 -0800, stone wrote:
Does penetrating oil really work?

Absolutely. Some better than others.

My next experiment is going to be an old rusty exhaust manifold.

See if you can find "Kroil". It's the best penetrant I've found.
So good at seeping, that it seeps out the rolled seam in the oil
can I put it into.

P'Blaster is my favorite. Kroil is great too.

Gunner, keeper of rusted ****.


Rule #35
"That which does not kill you,
has made a huge tactical error"

stone wrote:
Does penetrating oil really work? I just used it on some very old
rusty bolts, I soaked them, then put the wrench on them after an hour
or so.

They came off nicely.

But, I still am not sure if I believe the oil did anything.

Is there any scientific research into this stuff.

My next experiment is going to be an old rusty exhaust manifold.

Well, we had to replace the front bumper on my old roommate's Bronco
one time, the thing came out of Wisconsin so all the nuts were pretty
well rusted. We could both do chinups on a breaker bar with a 4'
cheater pipe on it, he had about 50 lbs on me. I gave it a shot with
some LPS 1 and let it sit. Next evening, after work, we went at it
again. Was like removing brand new nuts, the LPS 1 had gone all the
way through and had spread out in a 6" circle on the other side.

One of the few failures I've had with the stuff was with rusty exhaust
manifold nuts, it's like they weld together with the studs. If the
stud doesn't back out of the manifold casting, it'll twist off. You
then get the fun of drilling the buggers out and retapping. I use
copper or brass nuts on the VW now for exhaust work.

Stan

On 25 Feb 2005 17:39:06 GMT, Ignoramus6609 wrote:
I am curious though, what is the mechanism why these penetrating oils
unfreeze stuck and rusted threads. I understand that they "penetrate"
(duh), but so what? Does it dissolve or weaken rust?

Well, oil is slipperier than rust. I suppose it makes the shear
line more slippery. A mechanical engineer can probably put that in
real terms that may mean the same thing, or I might be wrong.