What moron wouldn't immediately go to the hospital after having a seizure to the point of not being able to control their body?

"Hmm, I think I'll just sit around for a few days and sip cranberry juice until I feel better or die."

Complete ramrod.

Ditto - I just did this less about a week ago (the welding not the lotto).

I have probably used more than my fair share of brake cleaner in the past and this info has scared the crap out of me. I've always wanted to get/make a parts washer, but funds are limited. What are most folks doing/using to clean their parts?

Speeder - what kind of set-up are you using?

You can get a 15 gallon parts washer and Farm & Fleet for around $100.

Here's mine

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/437366-parts-washers-immersion-dishwasher.html

Thanks widebody - did you end up with an air agitation system? Do you have any more details on how you set up the heater elements, etc?

I've only used the air agitation system once; it foamed up more than I liked, but I haven't gone back to the drawing board yet to find a solution (no pun intended).

Here's another pic with the element:
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/575020.jpg

And a home-made oil cooler flushing adapter
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/576836.jpg

Thanks for the additional pics. It looks like you have the 20 gallon washer. How often (if ever) have you wished you had a larger one? Maybe a better question to ask is what's the largest part you've been able to fit? I'm hoping to re-do my suspension this winter and would love to put everything through the washer. Or is it worth just paying someone to clean parts that size?

Yes, it's a 20-gallon unit.

I've done a VW engine case half, and a VW fan shroud. It would be nice to be able to do bus reduction axle tubes.

There's nothing magical about the tank - you could mod any similar tank to work. I've thought about building a custom one out of stainless.

The next mod will be a new pump - I burned this one out - and then I'll engineer some sort of filtration system. I think the cleaning solution would last longer if I could get the particulates out. The next time I clean an oil cooler, I'm going to rig a lamp timer so I have on/off cycling, rather than continuous flow.

I guess being the sloppy, dirty motherfker that I am is a blessing in disguise. Hell, I don't even wash my car if I can avoid it...

Thanks for posting this warning, John. I though argon was inert? Does it catalyze the reaction somehow to create phosgene?

There is no question that I am not safety conscious near enough - no eye protection, no ear protection, no respirator crap, no nothing. Then I hear something like this and I am on "level red" alert for a day or two. . .

A friend was cleaning his case several years back and was using both carb cleaner and brake cleaner. I can't recall if he was using heat for anything, but he ended up having to go to the E-room because he had a hard time breathing and was light headed...

I haven't alwasy been very safe in my own garage, and there are times when I'm in the garage by myself late at night....thankfully I haven't had a bad experience...and been knocked out in the garage all night.

I remember a fire call I had a bunch of yrs back. A guy was doing something with his running snowblower and a can of brake cleaner. The guy got burned pretty bad ( had to be medevac'd to a burn center) and nearly leveled his garage.

are there any chemists here that could ID the stinky exhaust fumes after brake kleen goes through the engine?

Mine is about as simple, (and cheap), as it gets. I have a couple of gallons of old mineral spirits that I re-use endlessly and a few different-sized plastic pans/tubs that I put the parts in to clean. I just did my bicycle wheel and cluster in one. Just laid the wheel on the tub w/ the cluster over the pan, poured mineral spirits over it and cleaned w/ a small brush. Kept dipping the brush in the pan and brushing grease off. When done, rinsed w/ hose nozzle and blew it dry w/ compressed air. Went from years old caked black grease to looking like a new part.

Works equally as well w/ auto or MC parts. When done, I use a funnel and pour the MS back into jugs. If you let a jug of MS sit for a while, all of the dirt (or paint) goes to the bottom and you can draw clean stuff off the top again. Dirty works just as well for parts cleaning. :cool: