When I was a youngster growing up in the 40’s and 50’s the standard solvent used in most gas stations, garages and for home repairs was a bucket filled with Regular. The amazing thing is I never heard of anyone ever being toasted from this practice and most of us smoked back then. Rubber gloves were unheard of back in the day and I’m sure someone has done a study of what affect the TEL had after spending hundreds of hours up to your elbows soaking in it. That might account for the reason my 70 year old brain isn’t working as well as it did.
I've been using kerosene in all of my parts washers for nearly half a century now. Some people find it unpleasant to use, like my wife, who complains about the smell when I come in after a cleaning session. Throwaway rubber gloves and an apron would solve that if you have a similar problem. Kerosene in bulk is as cheap as gasoline in most parts of the country and a lot safer. Flammable you say? Yes but not so much that you need to worry about it. As far as it's cleaning ability it's as good if not better than any of the expensive commercial parts cleaning solvents that I’ve used, like Safety-Clean. When it needs changing, I recycle it by taking it to any one of a dozen shops around here that have waste oil burners to heat their buildings, they’re glad to have fuel oil added to the waste oil.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
Last edited by Denny Graham; 08/01/2011 11:24 AM.
