Not too long ago there was a short discussion on penetrating oils. I was unable to find the postings and I can't recall for certain who it was but Penetrol 90 and Kroil were mentioned as far superior to our well known PB Blaster. So...in searching I found Penetro 90 to be hard to come by. But I stopped by Eastwood and voila, they carry Kroil with and without silicone. Man that stuff is not cheap! But they assured me that people come from afar just for that product.

I have a trailer floor to replace and I'll need a bit of it to soak those screws so I went big for the gallon. They had it 1/2 price in the scratch and dent dept. for a measly $50.00! A 1lb aerosol can costs $30.00 whoaa! I'll report back on how it compares with PB Blaster after I use it but in the meantime if anyone wants it, Eastwood's got it. SiliKroil Penetrating Oil

Edit: Not for use in CA.

 

Kroil has been the go to in my family as far back as the Great-Granddad. He had a gallon of it that he bought back in the stone age, that I now have in my garage, and I still have around a Quart left...It goes a long way.....

 

kroil, PBlaster, or make 50% acetone and ATF your self in a squirt bottle

 

Methyl Salicylate - get it at the drug store, it's synthetic wintergreen oil. It's the active ingredient that gives most penetrating oils their minty smell.

 

X2 on the Acetone/ATF mix. It's cheap and
works better than anything else. The military
has used it for ever I am told.

 

As already stated above, the 50/50 atf/acetone mix works wonders. The only thing is that it needs to be shaken well before each use. The it separates fairly quickly. Here's some comparison results from a test done by Machinist's Workshop magazine: Penetrating Oil Showdown!!! | The H.A.M.B.

 

It's easy enough for me to mix up some ATF or brake fluid with some acetone and get my own results. These screws are about as bad as anything I've seen and if anything makes them just come out I'll be shocked. I shall report my personal findings. I know that PB Blaster didn't touch them without repeated heating (and stinking up the shop).

 

X3 on the homemade penetrating oil. The oil comparison that Binuya linked to says it all. I make mine from 50/50 mix of diesel and ATF and haven't bought any store bought penetrating oil in a long time. I use little pippets to apply the oil since a little goes a long way.

 

I know acetone will resolve plastic but I'm not sure what most spray bottles are made of. One way to find out!!

 

I have the 50/50 mix in a plastic spray bottle I bought from Wal-mart for about $1. It has been in that bottle for over 2 years now and still works every time I go to use it.

 

That's true, but in practice it doesn't seem to, at least at 50/50. I like "Ed's Red" for just about everything. Good on pancakes, too. Equal parts ATF, Acetone, Kerosene, and Stoddard solvent. Can mix in a little warmed over anhydrous lanolin. It was developed as a modern equivalent to 19th century firearms cleaning solvent/preservative (Whale oil getting tougher to find) but it works for all kinds of applications. Sometimes I use Marvel oil in there too. Wintergreen oil is a drying/penetrating oil, that's why it smells like it does.

 

I have mixed solvents in spray bottles before. I use the stuff that's in brake cleaner like xylene, toluene and acetone. I have also used methylethylketone (sp?), which is a nasty solvent. Having mixed them together I don't know who's the culprit but they do make short order of a generic sprayer. However, I am able to squeeze the bottle and force a stream out the nozzle. I am in the process of soaking some badly rusted screws and will see how it goes (if it goes at all).

 

I have made the ATF/Acetone penetrating oil and it does work better then PB. When I do Header's on my truck I have a can of Kroil on standby. I have seen Kroil in action, works quick.

 

Is Kroil stinky like PB Blaster? How come it's not sold where all the other stuff like PB and Liquid Wrench is sold? Heard it's great stuff but if it's not on the shelf it's a bit more of a hassle, so I never remember.

edit: Jeeze it's expensive - on eBay, comes out to around $140-$200 a gallon. I spose a half pint would last a while. I hope. I don't know why anyone would buy from anyone else than Kano labs, it's "only" $53 a gallon there.

 

Kroil is awsome we have cases of it at work I have borrowed a few cans of it for home.