Is?

Haven’t had to use any in ages but swapping frames and it’s gunky.

Anything better than Pedros?

Pedrol ?

I buy 5L tins of panel prep fluid from the local motor factor. It’s probably similar white spirit. It leaves no residue and is pretty easy on the hands.

look up MEK for something with more kick..

Jizer.

If it leaves no residue it’s not similar to white spirit, which does. Like what good grief says.

Gunk?

Wonder Wheels?

Cillit Bang?

+1 for Jizer great stuff used to sell it moons ago on my last 5L from my sample stock 😉

I use a citrus one called Vitasol, about 7 quid a gallon

White spirit. ETO!!

Jizer

extremely cheap
100% effective
easy to rinse off
… caustic soda, (Sodium Hydroxide)
it turns gunky grease and oil… into soap!

+1 jizer

Isopropyl alcohol. Great degreaser & also great at lighting sheds on fire….Leaves no residue !

RIP Trichloroethylene. 🙂

Ahh the days of 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, we used it in 25 litre drums like water to wash stuff down.

Now use something called Hypersolve not quite as good but it strips any oils out of your skin in no time.

I use Loctite “Natural Blue”. Maybe called 7840 but I’m hammered and it’s been years since I worked in engineering. Bought 5 litres for about £12. Will last me for years. Totally biodegradeable. Good stuff.

RIP Trichloroethylene. 🙂

But now there’s new and improved Tetrachloroethylene.
Although my current shift anything failsafe is a 3-stage process.
1 – rinse thoroughly with xylene
2 – rinse the xylene off with methanol
3 – rinse the methanol off with acetone

Yes, I spend a lot of my time out of my tiny little mind. Why do you ask?

d-Limonene

I used to do some environmental consulting work at a chemical plant that made plastic resins. The resin would get on equipment, and d-Limonene would cut through it like a hot knife through butter. Solvents wouldn’t budge the stuff.

I still have a gallon glass jug of it in the basement! 😀

Coke a cola.
No joke.
Leave to soak in overnight.

Jizer for me. Just be aware though that the biodegradable version is not seal friendly.

caustic soda, (Sodium Hydroxide)

Extremely unfriendly to aluminum….
Wouldn’t put that anywhere near a bike personally… 😯

Sadly I had an email yesterday that even humble xylene is going to be reclassified to carcinogenic over the next few years so we’ll be losing that one.

Might help the guy if ypu pick things that don’t require having a supply through industry? Also something that isn’t likely to cut his life expectancy;-) I always used to like citrus oven cleaners before I had access to solvents.
Mek or mibk are probably best in terms of safety/degreasing properties.

Is ‘The best’ degreaser available really needed? Recently I’ve just used a can of brake and clutch cleaner. It just works and is easy and cheap to get hold of.

MEK is pretty nasty stuff. When I was working at BAe they were dealing with constant claims from retired fitters against various serious health issues linked to the use of MEK. It’s ok if you don’t let it contact your skin or breathe its vapours!

I used MEK extensively when I woked in my the print Inhaled and on skin should I be worried?

I found some 3in1 branded citrus degreaser in Homebase. It sprays on and devours grease.

Brake cleaner – can’t beat that spray bottle of lovelyness. This is the one I use and you can clean floors, brakes, chains (although not sure how the orings like it) and just about anything you want.

BP Jet A1.

Not many of you will have access to this though!. 😀

FTFY

Don’t use caustic, it’s nasty stuff.

a loved ones favourite garment.

they seem to attract any bicycle related dirt if they pass within 20ft of the stuff.

morgan blue chain cleaner .

We’ve got about 40 tons of d-Limonene here. It’s sold as citrus degreaser or sticky stuff remover. I prefer white spirit or paraffin though for cleaning bike bits.

MEK is Methyl Ethyl Ketone, or butanone as it is known today and should be used in a well ventilated area. It is carcinogenic. Don’t use it on plastic parts either as there is a good chance it will dissolve them.

GT85 😛

Oh but it’s a “lubricant” Halfords claim and flog it to everyone to spray all over their bikes (and subsequently get some business repairing those bikes that have no grease left in their bearings) 😉

Seriously though, I’ve used GT85 to soak bearings to flush the grease out so I can repack them with grease. Worked great.

G101 seems to be working well for me

I only wanted to strip my M5’s and stuff… yeezus.

I’m just going to buy what I know works now… that’s the STW way.

Get 35 posts and ignore the lot of it. Thanks though.

BP Jet A1

got a bottle in the shed. Use it for testing for fuel swell. 😀

MEK is basically acetone but with a little extra kick when it comes to dissolving some polymers. Very useful for thinning down silicone and fluorosilicones – look for 2-butanone or butan-2-one on the side of a tube of silicone sealant.

I don’t think it is carcinogenic, not unless you are bathing in the stuff, but due to being so aggressive I wouldn’t be suggesting people use it, or acetone as small splashes will ruin plastic and painted things. If you want a real kick then try THF or DMF 😀 I’m still trying to get to grips with the smell of THF, prefer my old solvent ethyl acetate.

Soapy water (Fenwicks on the bike) for safe bulk removal and then IPA for me if there is anything sticky/oily left. Or if grit isn’t a problem then swarfega is fantastic.

Welsh speed is made from engine cleaner.

It doesn’t help my drivetrain.