Parts washer - video

[Jon]

Parts washer. By Metal is Awesome. 3:09 video:

[Elizabeth Greene]

There is a non-obvious feature on most parts washers. They usually have a big metal lid that flops down over them that lets you smother a fire. The lid is hinged and has a support rigged to fail, release, and close automatically above a certain temperature.

The other way around this problem is to use non-flammable solvents. I've never tried those.

[hemmjo]

That is a nice parts washer. I do have a couple of comments / suggestions

Is there an easy way to get the tank out to clean it? You may be surprised how quickly the crud builds up in the tank. As your set up is now, you could screw a short, 1" or 2" pipe nipple into the drain, that will capture some solvent in the sink. After you are finished washing parts, let that solvent stay in the tank for a while. Then start to remove the nipple unit the solvent begins to slowly drain. After it has drained, you can wipe the settled crud out of the sink.

I built a washer loan ago that had two 5 gallon buckets to hold the solvent. The first served as a settling tank to capture most of the heavy stuff that you wash off, then the solvent flowed off the top of that tank into the second bucket where the pump was located.

I think that heating your solvent tank is a bad idea unless you switch to non flammable solvent which is expensive AND often more toxic.

An alternative to heating your solvent is to use hot water and laundry detergent. Tide works well, good ole 20 Mule Team Borax, or Washing Soda. Depending on the size of your parts you can use an old electric roaster oven. You can find them at yard sales. Even if the roaster part does not work, there is a nice large pan that come out and has a nice lid, you can heat it in your gas grill outside.


Get some GOOD nitrile gloves to use when you wash parts. I can tell from the video, you are still young. Take it from an old guy, PROTECT your hands as much as you can. I bet you put wax on your cars to protect the paint!!!! Put gloves on your hands to protect them from solvents!!!