Anyone ever make a hot tank? The tank, and the way to heat it, is not the problem. It's the solution in the tank. I wonder if the chemicals are still available to make the stuff? The hot tanks in they used years ago would remove paint, grease, on an block right down bare bare metal. I know one product was caustic soda. Stan
- Thread starter 37 chief
- Start date
J Hamilton
Well-known Member
- Location
- Southern Illinois
I wish I could get the good old fashioned stuff too. Like you said it would remove everything, this new "environmentally safe" stuff works about as well as hot dish soap water.
Steve@Advance
Well-known Member
If you knew what was in it I suspect it could be made.
I'm thinking lye was a major ingredient.
I'm thinking lye was a major ingredient.
teddy52food
Well-known Member
Sodium hydroxide (Lye) is the right stuff.
Glen SW Wi
Member
Lye will do it. Just be careful when mixing it with water. Be sure to wear a face shield.
The mixture can spit a sputter and gets real hot. Have mixed it to make paint stripper.
The mixture can spit a sputter and gets real hot. Have mixed it to make paint stripper.
J Hamilton
Well-known Member
- Location
- Southern Illinois
What mixing ratio do you use?
dr sportster
Well-known Member
I think what they use is Caustic Soda flake .
" What mixing ratio do you use?"
We used lye (either Gillett's lye or lye flakes from the hardware store) to clean saw blades before sharpening. Mix small amounts in the water until it feels slippery between the fingers of your rubber gloves. It works better when warm, and you can adjust the mixture for heavy duty cleaning. Be careful, it's nasty stuff if you get it on you, and it will take the paint off your stove top. unc
We used lye (either Gillett's lye or lye flakes from the hardware store) to clean saw blades before sharpening. Mix small amounts in the water until it feels slippery between the fingers of your rubber gloves. It works better when warm, and you can adjust the mixture for heavy duty cleaning. Be careful, it's nasty stuff if you get it on you, and it will take the paint off your stove top. unc
JerryCPP(WA)
Member
I don't know what is available now, but in the '60's to 80's we used powdered caustic soda. We poured a little engine oil in too. It floated on top and helped seal the solution so it wouldn't evaporate so quickly.
Steve@Advance
Well-known Member
I remember a place I worked just out of high school, had one of those home made engine vats.
It used a powder, just scoop it in until it worked good.
It had a big gas burner under it, turn it on, throw a burning wad of paper under there and stand back!
One time the bosses son had loaded it the night before, let it boil all night. I went to unload it the next morning, hooked the chain to the cherry picker and started jacking the engine block out.
Well, as he had been warned before, "take the drain plug out of the oil pan before putting it in", he didn't...
As soon as I moved the engine block, the pan that was upside down, and now full of steam, flipped over and a giant bubble of scalding hot caustic came up and out, drenched my pants from the waist down!
It was cold winter, busy highway going by, didn't matter, the pants came off and the cold water hose was on!
The hose was right there, didn't take me but a few seconds to start rinsing it off. I was surprised how little damage it did, just some red blistering, but in some very sensitive areas!
I sure learned to stand back from then on!
It used a powder, just scoop it in until it worked good.
It had a big gas burner under it, turn it on, throw a burning wad of paper under there and stand back!
One time the bosses son had loaded it the night before, let it boil all night. I went to unload it the next morning, hooked the chain to the cherry picker and started jacking the engine block out.
Well, as he had been warned before, "take the drain plug out of the oil pan before putting it in", he didn't...
As soon as I moved the engine block, the pan that was upside down, and now full of steam, flipped over and a giant bubble of scalding hot caustic came up and out, drenched my pants from the waist down!
It was cold winter, busy highway going by, didn't matter, the pants came off and the cold water hose was on!
The hose was right there, didn't take me but a few seconds to start rinsing it off. I was surprised how little damage it did, just some red blistering, but in some very sensitive areas!
I sure learned to stand back from then on!
Butch(OH)
Well-known Member
I made my own tank years ago. It is about 4foot x 4foot and 4 high. It sits outside and is heated with a wood fire. Has a crane on it and you will need one.
Caustic Soda or Sodium Hydroxide is hard to find locally but is available on Ebay. DO NOT underestimate the dangers involved with hot caustic!! ALLWAYS have eye protection, ALLWAYS have a rubber full frontal apron on, ALLWAYS have rubber gloves on.
Caustic Soda or Sodium Hydroxide is hard to find locally but is available on Ebay. DO NOT underestimate the dangers involved with hot caustic!! ALLWAYS have eye protection, ALLWAYS have a rubber full frontal apron on, ALLWAYS have rubber gloves on.
Glen SW Wi
Member
Been a long time since I mixed any so I don't recall the ratio. Probably a half can to a gallon of water. Also used to add cornstarch for thickening. I'd just start with a smaller amount of lye. You can always add more.
showcrop
Well-known Member
Teddy 52 Food has it right: Potassium hydroxide. It is the active ingrdient in many heavy duty cleaners. It is very corrosive, more so than most acids. It is also the primary ingredient in dollar store oven cleaner. I have it available in many different forms. Liquid, powder or solid. Two pallet minimum, so you may want to just go to Dollar store.
J Hamilton
Well-known Member
- Location
- Southern Illinois
Ok, thank you
K Effective
Well-known Member
We use sodium hydroxide to clean the membranes of a reverse osmosis water filtration system at work. The cleaning tank is about 900 gallons, usually filled to 70% or so with hot water. Our new system uses an eductor to suck the caustic out of a 55 gallon barrel as it mixes the tank, so an exact measurement of chemical added is not as easy. About two gallons of 50% caustic soda will result in a pH above 12 for the 600 gallons of cleaning water plus whatever residual water is in the filter housings. At 12+, it will blister skin in minutes.
For comparison, i added about five liters of hydrochloric acid 36% to the same level of fresh water in the tank later on, and it took pH down under 2.That acid comes in 2.5L glass jugs, so measurement is much more accurate.
I have recently seen guys making citric acid slurry in a kiddy pool to strip paint/bondo from auto body panels, etc. I think it would be less dangerous to the human body than caustic soda or other acids.
For comparison, i added about five liters of hydrochloric acid 36% to the same level of fresh water in the tank later on, and it took pH down under 2.That acid comes in 2.5L glass jugs, so measurement is much more accurate.
I have recently seen guys making citric acid slurry in a kiddy pool to strip paint/bondo from auto body panels, etc. I think it would be less dangerous to the human body than caustic soda or other acids.
65impalass
New User
a friend of mine uses vinegar, he gets it from a resturant supply store. it is 2 times as strong as kitchen vinegar. seems to work very good for him. he allways scrapes the parts as best as he
can, then in the vinegar overnight.
can, then in the vinegar overnight.
teddy52food
Well-known Member
I said sodium hydroxide. What is potassium hydroxide?
Similar threads
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.
Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy