Kroil. Shere can I get some?
 

Anyone where can I get some locally in the Northern part of LA, Pasadena, Glendale?

Jeff,
Get to their website. They have an offer for two cans of Kroil spray for not much.

Google Deal

Sherwood

The April/May 2007 edition of Machinist's Workshop did a test of penetrating oils where they measured the force required to loosen rusty test devices. Buy the issue if you want to see how they did the test. The results reported were interesting. The lower the number of pounds the better. Mighty interesting results for simple acetone and tranny fluid!

Penetrating oil . Average load .. Price per fluid ounce
None ................. 516 pounds .
WD-40 .............. 238 pounds .. $0.25
PB Blaster ......... 214 pounds .. $0.35
Liquid Wrench ... 127 pounds .. $0.21
Kano Kroil ........ 106 pounds .. $0.75
ATF-Acetone mix.. 53 pounds .. $0.10

The ATF-Acetone mix was a 50/50 mix (1 to 1 ratio)."

The author of the original article has confirmed this on the MW forum. (General - The Home Shop Machinist & Machinist's Workshop BBS)
..... what's happening is that the acetone breaks down the surface tension of the ATF which allows it to penetrate into the threads. Then the acetone evaporates, leaving the ATF to break down the rust a bit and act as a lubricant."..... some people add kerosene, 1/3, 1/3, 1/3

Thanks Sherwood. No idea who may have some locally? I tried Burg hardware, they have no idea what I was talking about. Normally they are pretty good with stuff like that.

Tell me about this stuff because I have never used it before. Is it a detergent and a lube like WD40? Do you think it will loosen heavy grease build up but still will act like a long term lube? I need it for my Shimano shifter. The heavy grease caked up in there and it doesn't not allow the lever to return. I know some people shoot WD40 in there to flush out the grease and break it loose. It must have some type of lube to the keep the mechanical part oiled.

Enzo, thanks for the heads up. I just won't want to deal with mixing stuff right now. I need to use a few drop and let it do its job over night.

Jeff

jeff,
There may be other options for your situation. Carb cleaner will break down lube deposits pretty fast and the long nozzle hose will help direct it where you want. After flushing all dirt and grease, you could follow up with silicone spray or one of the gun lubes that attract minimal dust/dirt.

If you order the Kroil via mail order, you can take my other can in the meantime, then return one when you receive the order.

Hope this helps,
Sherwood

Thanks for the offer. I will try the carb cleaner trick first. If not you will hear from me. Kroil is good to have around. You been ridin'? I started then I stopped because of the shifter. Great excuse isn't it?

Hardly riding, but I have to get my butt in gear as will be a bike marshall for the upcoming Firecracker bike ride (20 and 30 miles) next week. Get that bike together and do it. Should be a cake walk for you.

Let me know about the Kroil.

Sherwood

my excuse was a faulty air pump and bad tire, but rode today..... went too far, return trip was a b***** Sore sore sore in the nether regions. Mind is right, body not so much

I will find out with the carb cleaner tomorrow. If not I will let you know. Thanks again.

what does a bike Marshall have to do with riding a bike? All they do is sit on the side line in that comfy beach chair watching all the beautiful girls ride by. Oh, the yelling too. I forgot:)

Keep on keeping on. It will hurt like hell the minute you sit on that saddle but it will numb out within the first 4-5 miles. after about 4-5 rides, you wouldn't feel a thing. You will have balls of steel.

I found it locally to me at a "nut and bolt" warehouse....It's Tacoma Screw up in the NW. I'm sure you have something like that around? I have also bought it off their website.....Kinda like PB Blaster, but I like Kroil better...

I usually have to order it from the manufacturer, Kano Labs.

McMaster Carr has it... don't know if they will sell you one can.

DONOT leave penetrating oil like WD-40 as a bike lube and ride

it is fine for cleaning or loosing a stuck bolt or part
but has very little long term lube property
you need a proper lube in the bearings and chain

As I understand it, Kroil isn't legal to sell over the counter in Kali., but there seems to be no problem with ordering it from Kano labs. That's kind of weird if you ask me, but then again, it's Kali. For your application I'd follow Sherwood's solution for getting the old stuff off. As far as lubing the shifter & chain, there are other choices like Dupont Teflon Multipurpose Dry Wax Lubricant from Lowe's. I use that sparingly on my motorcycle chain.

I order Kroil, I've never seen it for sale anywhere. I'm going to try the acetone-ATF deal though.

Don't know if we get pointy badges, but I get to ride along and look at the scenery. I can deputize you too as soon as you pry that old grease from your shifter. :)

S

Got it working with the carb cleaner. It need a but of oil. I found out Shimano use a type of grease in there that will harden over time if the shifter isn't use often. That's what I get for not riding.

this?http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1328245864.jpg

Maybe Shimano's method of selling more components. Glad to hear you got the toe jam out.

S

maybe. A long time ago, I was dumb enough to buy Campy grease. It works ok, what did I know? It was used in everything from repacking hubs and BBs, to greasing seat posts. I can't or refuse to understand back then why a 99 cent tub of Shell grease at K mark was not good enough for my bike? The dumb Campy grease was something like 15 bucks. Park grease is good stuff. Now, how do I get some of that stuff in my shifter will keep up all night?

You obviously need to go electric. Probably not much greasing in a Di2 shifter.

Midway USA has it their latest flyer for $7.49 + shipping.

BernieP

I buy about 20 gallons of kroil a year for my shops and field machinists/millwrights, IMO it's the best stuff out there.
I've seen the atf/acetone report but color me skeptical. There's much more to determining what works and what doesn't than the simple test they performed.
In real world application kroil works really, really well.

BTW it's available in aerosol or liquid form, buying it in non-aerosol is way cheaper and better for the environment and worker safety. Just put it in a $1 spray bottle. More on the parts, less in the air to breathe.

LOL back when I was in college (the first time) I worked at a pro bike shop to pay tuition.
Whenever I sold a set of campy hubs or bottom bracket or was servicing them, the first thing I'd do was wash out all the campy grease and replace it with waterproof Phil wood grease. And only a little, not too much. I loved that stuff and it wasn't expensive.

I also used to pack the higher end japanese hubs (shimano etc) with crest toothpaste and ride them for a half mile or so and then rebuild them with new ball bearings, It polished the races without damaging them, making them so much smoother and more precise than the campy stuff ever was.
Racers paid big $$$ for that kind of stuff.

I also got $6 each to patch sew-ups as a side job. Righteous bucks back then.
I got to where I could almost do it unconsciously while watching TV.

I've used the ATF/acetone mix and it does work well. I've never used Kroil - so I don't have a direct comparison. The only problem with the ATF/acetone mix is how to store and dispense it. I've got a small old-style pump oil dispenser, but this mixture is so low in viscosity, it leaks all over and is difficult to control placement.

the other, and more serious, problem is to avoid exposure to the acetone -- it is not exactly good for you...

that's a good trick sammy

Tell that to the 180,000,000 women in the US that use it to take of fingernail polish! Agree, the stuff is harsh on your liver.

I have indeed explained the problem to a few of them...

Maybe you can help, since the number is so large. Let's split it in half. I will take the hottest 90,000 minus the crazy redheads, and you can take the rest of them.

I'll take the redheads between 28 and 43, size 6 or less...

Yeah but mixed with cranberry juice it is a mean buzz!

I buy it over the counter all the time in California, both aerosol and liquid. You can find it at fastener supplies, industrial supplies or order over the net.

The 50/50 atf/acetone is really interesting.

I use a device similar to this:

Sentry Solutions: Precision Applicator Needle Oiler Bottles

If you go to a hobby shop you will find a metal needle dispenser normally used for very thin plastic cements. see what they have.

Thanks for posting that. I looked all over town for a needle oiler a while back. Most people looked at me like I escaped from somewhere.

Good to know. Where are you in CA? You never know when something like that will come up and you have to have it immediately. something about buying an item over the counter the old fashion way.

Here's a list of penetrating oils from McMaster-Carr. Usually 1-2 day turnaround in LA.

McMaster-Carr

However, you may have to buy a case qty.

S

S'OK! is the best stuff out there. It's never been compared to the popular penetrating oils in a testing environment/competition because it's in a league of its own. Kroil won't accept an open invitation for comparison. I have to recon they know they'd lose.

Shamrock Specialties - S'OK! and TAT'L

Sammy, I used to do the same thing, but start off with Semichrome, and then toothpaste. I have a set of Zeus hubs on the Cannondale that's smooth as silk. We also used to mix Mobil1 30W, and parafin in a pot with low heat, and then soak our cleaned chains in it, wipe it down, and reinstal them. We need to start a thread on this kinda stuff.

I live in Ventura County. You have a PM.

DanB