Here’s some information you may find handy the next time you have to torque on a stubborn nut on your bike:
Machinist’s Workshop magazine actually tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. Significant results! They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist, Bud Baker.
They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a “scientifically rusted” environment.
*Penetrating oil ….. Average load*
None ………………… 516 pounds
WD-40 ……………… 238 pounds
PB Blaster …………. 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench ….. 127 pounds
Kano Kroil ………… 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix….53 pounds
The ATF-Acetone mix was a “home brew” mix of 50 – 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note the “home brew” was better than any commercial product in this one particular test. Our local machinist group mixed up a batch
and we all now use it with equally good results. Note also that “Liquid Wrench” is about as good as “Kroil” for about 20% of the price.
