Fitzo I need you - degreasing

Sando

Sando

Knife Maker
Joined
Jul 4, 2002
Messages
1,148
I'm looking at methods of degreasing to prepare metal for my 'glue' tests. (.... sigh .... don't worry everybody - not as a substitute for mechanical attachment yadditty yadditty.....)

It seems that degreasing is more important that just about anything for getting a good bond. Maybe more important than the 'glue' itself.

I've learned that solvent cleaning isn't all that great and your past information about paper towels leave another question on solvent use.

Detergent cleaning sounds better.

Acid Pickles sounds best, but the risks and complexities for us home types!

Commercial degreasers sound dangerous too and hard to get.

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What about using Easy-off oven cleaner? I believe the key ingredient is sodium hydroxide. That seems to be a common ingredient in the commercial stuff.

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What about boiling in TSP for x minutes?

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It would be nice to have a process/chemical that would work for cleaning parts for epoxy as well as prior to annodizing and such.

Steve
 
Some water-soluable cleaner then an acetone rinse. I'd go with Simple Green. Smells good. Works good. Rinses clean. acetone or carb cleaner spray.
 
Easy- off also has organic solvents in it .... Tsp works well but protect your skin and eyes when boiling it .!!!! Do not use on aluminum !!!! it will violently dissolve aluminum....Trichlorethylene should also work well.
 
Steve, I can cogitate on this a bit and see if I can think of anything other than saying that I believe etching will be the best way to get the cleanest surfcae, followed by distilled water rinse then an acetone rinse and hang-to-dry. Have you checked out the "Multi-etch" at Reactive Metals:

http://www.reactivemetals.com/Pages/rmssup.htm#content

I have to agree with mete that trichloroethylene is excellent for dissolving organic greases/oils. Isn't that what BrakeKleen is?
 
BTW, for a "caustic" cleaner for home use, Liquid Plumber or Draino are mostly lye or sodium hydroxide, so they'll eat grease well. the problem is they won't etch the surface well, and I believe an etched surface will provide the maximum adhesion.
 
Thanks all!

OK no reason not to scrub with a plain detergent first (one that doesn't leave a scent or soft hands or.... lanolin might be nice on the skin but will stay on the steel).

Fitzo - I understand about the etching. However, I'd like to avoid that. Not something one would do on a finished knife before applying the slabs.

The brake cleaner I have is Toulene. I'll look for an off-the-self trichloroethylene product.

My test steel is going to be ATS-34 hardened and finished at 220. I'll rough up the inside edges of the steel with a dremel (my usual).

The other piece will be stabilized wood. I'll rough up the inside of that too.

The point isn't really holding power as much as resistance to abuse. But I do want a nice clean test environment - similar to how we construct stuff.

Steve
 
Steve, whatever detergent you use, you can always test it on glass. If you can see a film when it dries......

Another off-the-shelf solvent is the spot remover "Carbona". It used to be carbon tetrachloride in "pre-safety" days, but nowadays it's probably perchloroethylene.

Edited to add:
Jeff's suggestion of Simple Green is probably the best for a detergent. If I remember correctly it is very safe environmentally, and rinses extremely clean. That will be the problem with any detergent is getting the stuff back off.
 
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