Ed's Red

alamogunr

Member
I've used Ed's Red for years. Bought a gallon of Kroil about `12-15 years ago when I happened to be in Nashville. I've also got a little glass jar of ATF/Acetone that I use in particularly tough cases. But for rusted nuts, an old Air Force mechanic told me to use an eye dropper to apply ammonia. I was having a terrible time with the bolts/nuts on an old VW beetle muffler. They weren't much good when you got them off but they came off easily after soaking a few minutes.
Just don't lay under the car directly under the parts you are dripping ammonia on.
 

L Ross

Well-Known Member
Oil of Wintergreen was an old timey trick. And yes, it's supposed to be a very deadly poison. I'm not sure if it's one of the ones you shouldn't even get on your skin and that might depend on what it's distilled into- alcohol, a petroleum based substance, water, natural oils, etc. My wife had some mint oil tincture I think she made that if you got it on you finger tip, just a drop and wiped it right off, you'd taste the mint within a minute or so in your mouth. Some of that stuff is nothing to play with, even if you mouth does taste minty fresh!

ATF was reputed to be what Singer Sewing Machine Oil was, more or less. That was another old timey "secret". Marvel Mystery Oil was also supposed to be heavy on ATF. Seafoam and several other carb cleaners are allegedly heavy on acetone and something like benzine with some wood alcohol mixed in. Who knows? Some works, some doesn't. You can look at the MSDS and get a basic idea but what quantities of what substance are mixed in makes it what it is. The good smelling ingredient of Hoppes #9 is supposed to be banana oil! Whatever it is I like it a lot.

FWIW, I've tried several of the "non-toxic" cleaner/degreasers marketed and the "environmentally friendly" type of mineral spirits/paint thinner. It's wasted money IMO. One of the cleaners is called "Simple Green" and is supposed to be the cats. IME it's not even as effective as hot, soapy water, but it's a lot more expensive. Maybe I'm just impatient, but I'll stick with plain old diesel for parts washing, followed by an ATF scrub followed by an ether washdown if I want something really clean.
I believe, back when Singer made sewing machine oil, both it and ATF had a high percentage of Sperm Whale Oil. I don't know what year that ended. My late father-in-law was a mechanic for decades and said that sperm whale oil was also the additive that worked best with the clutches in a limited slip differential. I buy every cheap can of ATF I find at garage and estate sales.