Degreaser Recommendation

FYI.... what is sold today as paint thinner and mineral spirits is not the same stuff as what most of us are used to. In fact it says right on the bottle Mineral Spirits Substitute :(. I needed some a while back, there is not a lot of info out there but the MSDS for the new stuff listed all organic chemicals (aka not water based) and comparing to the MSDS for the old stuff it appeared mostly what is not in it is the difference.

Just a warning it may not work the same as what we are all used to. It did work for me (thinning varathane), but I did lots of testing first.
 
backmarkerducati said:
FYI.... what is sold today as paint thinner and mineral spirits is not the same stuff as what most of us are used to. In fact it says right on the bottle Mineral Spirits Substitute :(. I needed some a while back, there is not a lot of info out there but the MSDS for the new stuff listed all organic chemicals (aka not water based) and comparing to the MSDS for the old stuff it appeared mostly what is not in it is the difference.

Just a warning it may not work the same as what we are all used to. It did work for me (thinning varathane), but I did lots of testing first.
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They've ruined everything. Carb cleaner is not carb cleaner, Mapp gas is not mapp gas. Substituting things that don't work nearly as well for things that work exceptionally well is not the environmental victory the politicians pretend it is.
 
Kerosene or wd-40 does wonders, use it to clean up the RMX and use on the f150 and q5 to clean engine bay!
 
sburns said:
If you seen my bike it's a bit of a mess. :rolleyes:

Thinking I might want to tackle some cleaning. I will need to degrease some stuff, any preferred products you can recommend which are useful for motorcycles?
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Swish Facto AT30, a water based commercial degreaser. It only comes in a pail, so you might want to split it with friends. Cheap per liter. Princess Auto also had a similar product (both are blue like windshield antifreeze), almost as good.

I've used this product since 1986 back in the days we washed the aircraft with it at the club. I then got that RG 500 Gamma with a messy chain.

I used it straight, put a bit in a small container and brush/aggitate the oily grease with a 1" wide pure bristel paint brush, and rinse. Repeat if necessary on very thick caked on grease.

Swish Facto AT30.jpg

Paint Brush - 25 mm x 22 cm-X4.jpg


This is what the Princess Auto Water Based Degreaser looks like. I have bought it in the gallon and pail sizes. They might still have it.
Power Fist Industrial Degreaser - 8195513.jpg
 
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I like Super Clean (purple jug) for actual degreasing jobs. Get the 1gal jug and it will last you a long time. Play with different dilutions to see what works for you and how greasy the job is, it's pretty effective even at 5:1 I've found but I will mix it stronger for the tough jobs.

I like Simple Green as an all purpose cleaner and will keep 2 spray bottles with a strong and light dilution. I don't find it as effective for degreasing. Smells good though!
 
I use Swish Facto HD40. It’s awesome at removing heavy tar-like grime. At 10:1 it works like full strength SimpleGreen.

Its not toxic, but it’s really hard on skin - wear gloves or be prepared for an hour of stinging hands.
 
Just tried Gunk Engine degreaser, and it's didn't do much of anything.

Will go back through thread and see what to try next.
 
sburns said:
Just tried Gunk Engine degreaser...
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A very long time ago, long before I started using Swish Facto AT30 I used to use products like Gunk (and similar products) that are based on kerosene. All it did was wreck my paved driveway.
 
Relax said:
What exactly are you trying to clean, and what's on it? That might helps us recommend a better product.
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So my rear swing arm is all greased up from chain lube... I might be over doing it, but then again I haven't really cleaned my bike...
But some water and scrub brush, plus elbow grease is making it work.
 
sburns said:
So my rear swing arm is all greased up from chain lube.......
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For that type of gross cleanup I put a piece of cardboard on the floor, put on a disposable glove, spray the area with lubricant or WD40 or something similar to put the mess into solution and then wipe away using rags. I find this method removes 90% of the crap as a starting point. I often decide that's good enough or then tackle balance with more lubricant or a solvent and a paint brush.

Decanting bulk purchased product into a spray bottle is a good way to cut cost and it's easy to use, be it WD40, or a solvent, or S100 which works well.

In general, I find using a solvent at the start of the process can create a huge mess on the floor of the garage or on your driveway that you then have to deal with.
 
GreyGhost said:
It is a quality solvent. It is a terrible lubricant.
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It's also awesome for removing goo left over from stickers, labels and decals.

FYI: Spray on, let soak a few minutes and then rub. A few applications may be required but trust me it works. When I got my FZ6 I removed every goofy sticker that wasn't clear coated including the VIN - worked like a charm.
 
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